REVSYS: Phylogenetic Systematics and the Taxonomic Revision of Sturgeons, (Actinopterygii: Acipenseridae), an Endangered Family of Ray-finned fishes

该奖项是根据2009年美国复苏和再投资法案（公法111-5）资助的。鲟鱼，白鲟和它们的化石亲戚形成了一个小群体，被认为是在鳍鱼进化史的早期从其他鱼类中分离出来的，这个群体包含了今天所有脊椎动物物种的一半。现存的25种鲟鱼是独特的鱼类，它们的身体沿着有五排骨板，细长的吻部和鲨鱼般的尾巴。在整个北方发现的这些所谓的活化石中，许多物种很难相互区分，这些长寿的高度洄游鱼类大多数都濒临灭绝或受到威胁。希尔顿和他的合作者迪尔曼将进行有史以来第一次进化关系的分析，包括形态（主要是骨骼解剖）和DNA数据的所有生活和化石鲟鱼物种。希尔顿、迪尔曼和一个国际鲟鱼专家小组将根据对自然历史收藏品中标本的新观察，对每一种鲟鱼进行详细的分类研究。本研究将建立一个新的鲟鱼分类系统，用于鲟鱼生物学的许多领域，包括发育、进化和保护生物学以及渔业管理。本项目将支持和培养一名博士后研究人员和一名博士。学习形态学、分子进化生物学和分类学的方法和技术。希尔顿积极参与旨在培训本科生和高中生以及公众志愿者的项目，所有这些人都将参与该项目。鲟鱼是文化和经济上重要的鱼类（例如，它们是鱼子酱的来源），公众对它们非常感兴趣。与这项研究相关的公共宣传活动，包括在当地和地区博物馆和水族馆的展览，将针对所有规模的观众（从当地到全球），并将促进自然历史收藏，系统学和分类学继续在21世纪世纪生物学中发挥的关键作用。

This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Sturgeons, paddlefishes and their fossil relatives form a small group that is thought to have split off from other fishes early in the evolutionary history of ray-finned fishes, the group that contains approximately half of all vertebrate species alive today. The 25 living species of sturgeons are distinctive fishes, with five rows of bony plates along their bodies, elongate snouts, and shark-like tails. Many species of these so-called living fossils, which are found throughout the northern hemisphere, are difficult to distinguish from one another and most of these long-lived, highly migratory fishes are endangered or threatened. Hilton and his collaborator Dillman will conduct the first ever analysis of evolutionary relationships to include both morphological (primarily skeletal anatomy) and DNA data for all living and fossil sturgeon species. Together Hilton, Dillman, and an international team of sturgeon experts will conduct detailed taxonomic studies of every species of sturgeon based on new observations of specimens housed in natural history collections. This study will establish a new taxonomic classification of sturgeons, which will be used in many areas of their biology, including developmental, evolutionary, and conservation biology, and fisheries management.This project will support and train a postdoctoral researcher and a Ph.D. student in the methods and techniques of both morphological and molecular evolutionary biology and taxonomy. Hilton is active in programs focused on training of undergraduate and high school students, and public volunteers, all of which will be involved in this project. Sturgeons are culturally and economically important fishes (e.g., they are the source of caviar) and are of great interest to public audiences. Public outreach activities associated with this research, including displays at local and regional museums and aquaria, will target audiences at all scales (local to global) and will promote the crucial role that natural history collections, systematics, and taxonomy continue to play in 21st century biology.