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

加州科学院和兰乔圣安娜植物园获得了一项奖励，用于对大型热带植物棘科的Nelsonioideae亚科进行修订系统学研究。nelsoniids在分类学上有多个等级，它的一些组成属被放置在不同的Lamiales科。本研究将包括目前已知的所有7个nelsonioa属，利用叶绿体和细胞核DNA序列数据以及宏观和微观形态特征构建其关系的系统发育假设。将进行新热带和古热带的实地考察，以研究现场的植物并获取样本进行分析。系统发育的结果将指导这一被忽视的亚科在属级上的分类修订，并指导约20种鞘翅属在特定级上的综合专著。了解拟nelsonoid的系统发育及其属间关系对解决层叠目的系统发育和理解形态特征的进化至关重要。该项目将继续并促进两名曾与pi合作的年轻科学家的职业发展。四名研究生将在RSA接受培训，本科生将通过nsf资助的RSA和CAS项目参与。国际合作和实地考察将在pi和外国植物学家之间进行。来自该项目的数据和图像将填入国家数据库，我们的结果摘要将通过网站向公众展示。

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.