REVSYS: Monographic Revision and Phylogeny of the Fern Genus Megalastrum (Dryopteridaceae)

该项目是对巨星蕨属的为期两年的合作研究，该属在全球范围内包含约60个物种。该项目有两个目标：首先，对该属进行分类处理，以确定该物种是什么以及它们出现在哪里，这也将提供一种识别该物种并提供有关它们的基本信息的手段。其次，该项目将产生一棵进化树，显示物种之间的关系。这棵树将作为一个框架，提出和回答关于该属的生物地理和特征进化的有趣问题。该项目的科学重要性和更广泛的意义有好几个。从根本上说，这将导致对巨星属分类和进化的更好理解，包括可能发现的科学新物种。该项目将研究导致热带美洲蕨类植物多样性的一般因素，那里的蕨类植物最多样化。一名全日制博士后和女研究生将接受该项目的培训，以及一名巴西合作者，他将与博士后一起学习DNA分析技术。所有结果将在项目网站上公布，该网站将在PI的总部机构纽约植物园维护。

This project is a two-year collaborative study of the fern genus Megalastrum, which comprises about 60 species worldwide. The project has two goals: first, to produce a taxonomic treatment of the genus that will determine what the species are and where they occur, and that will also provide a means to identify the species and give basic information about them. Second, the project will produce an evolutionary tree showing the relationships between species. The tree will serve as a framework to pose and answer interesting questions about biogeography and character evolution in the genus. The project's scientific importance and broader significance are several. Fundamentally, it will result in an improved understanding of the taxonomy and evolution of Megalastrum, including the likely discovery of species new to science. The project will examine factors responsible for fern diversification in general in tropical America where the genus is most diverse. A full-time post-doc and female graduate student will be trained on this project, as well as a Brazilian collaborator who will spend one month with the post-doc learning the techniques of DNA analysis. All results will be posted on a project website that will be maintained at the PI's home institution, The New York Botanical Garden.