REVSYS Collaborative Research: Relationships, Character Evolution, and Biogeographic Patterns in the Phylogenetically Pivotal Lineage Nelsonioideae (Acanthaceae s.l.)

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An award is made to the California Academy of Sciences and Rancho Santa Ana Botanic Garden to conduct a Revisionary Systematics study of the Nelsonioideae subfamily of the large tropical plant family Acanthaceae. The nelsonioids have been treated taxonomically at multiple ranks, and some of its constituent genera have been placed in different families of Lamiales. This study will include all seven currently recognized nelsonioid genera to construct phylogenetic hypotheses of relationships using chloroplast and nuclear DNA sequence data and macro- and micromorphological characters. Field trips to the Neotropics and Paleotropics will be conducted to study the plants in the field and obtain samples for analysis. Phylogenetic results will guide taxonomic revisions for this much-neglected subfamily at the generic level and a comprehensive monograph of the ca. 20 species of Elytraria at the specific level.Knowledge of nelsonioid phylogeny and relationships among its genera are critical to resolving phylogeny of Lamiales and to understanding evolution of morphological characters. This project will continue and enhance career development of two young scientists who have worked with PIs. Four graduate students will receive training at RSA, and undergraduates will participate via NSF-funded programs at RSA and CAS. International collaborations and fieldwork will take place between the PIs and foreign botanists. National databases will be populated with data and images from the project and summaries of our results will be presented to the general public via websites.