Collaborative Research: Ants of the Southwest Indian Ocean and East Africa (ASWEA): assessing phylogenetic diversity and biogeographic linkages across the Mozambique Channel

合作研究：西南印度洋和东非的蚂蚁（ASWEA）：评估莫桑比克海峡的系统发育多样性和生物地理联系

• 批准号: 0841963
• 负责人: Brice Noonan
• 金额: $ 17.83万
• 依托单位: University of Mississippi
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2009
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2009-09-01 至 2014-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0841963&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Collaborative; Research; Ants; Southwest; Indian

"This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5)."The islands of the Southwest Indian Ocean are renowned for exceptional biological diversity and high concentrations of endemic species. A complex process of continental fragmentation, island emergence and habitat isolation has produced a unique flora and fauna. Yet the insects of this region remain incompletely documented. Ants and other arthropods of the Comoros and Seychelles Islands and adjacent coastal portions of Mozambique and Tanzania will be collected and compared with existing inventories from Madagascar and the Mascarenes. Collaborative taxonomic tools and molecular genetics will uncover evolutionary relationships. Interactive identification keys will be developed and placed online and other arthropods will be analyzed by specialists. In addition, the project will capture detailed digital images of over 3000 species of African ants, the vast majority of ant species known from the continent. Species descriptions and detailed photographs will be published on AntWeb (www.antweb.org). Discovering and documenting the arthropods of the Southwest Indian Ocean islands and adjacent portions of east Africa will provide insight into island biogeography, evolution and speciation in this biodiversity hotspot. The project will use a novel combination of tools to provide baseline information about existing species, and identification resources will assist future efforts to monitor biodiversity. Data provided to regional collaborators will help prioritize conservation initiatives and the digitization efforts will make these ants globally accessible for study. A large pool of ant taxonomists will be fostered through student training and support, graduate student recruitment, mentorship, and ant taxonomy workshops.

“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。“西南印度洋的岛屿以独特的生物多样性和高度集中的特有物种而闻名。大陆分裂、岛屿出现和生境隔离的复杂过程产生了独特的植物群和动物群。然而，这个地区的昆虫仍然没有完全记录。将收集科摩罗和塞舌尔群岛以及莫桑比克和坦桑尼亚邻近沿海地区的蚂蚁和其他节肢动物，并与马达加斯加和马斯克林群岛的现有库存进行比较。协同分类工具和分子遗传学将揭示进化关系。将开发交互式识别键并将其放在网上，其他节肢动物将由专家进行分析。此外，该项目还将拍摄3000多种非洲蚂蚁的详细数字图像，其中绝大多数是非洲大陆已知的蚂蚁物种。物种描述和详细照片将在AntWeb（www.antweb.org）上发布。发现和记录西南印度洋岛屿和东非邻近地区的节肢动物将为这个生物多样性热点的岛屿地理学，进化和物种形成提供深入了解。该项目将使用一种新的工具组合来提供现有物种的基线信息，识别资源将有助于未来监测生物多样性的工作。提供给区域合作者的数据将有助于优先考虑保护措施，数字化工作将使这些蚂蚁在全球范围内可供研究。通过学生培训和支持、研究生招聘、导师制和蚂蚁分类学研讨会，将培养大量的蚂蚁分类学家。