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

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特殊的生物多样性和高度集中的特有物种而闻名。大陆碎裂、岛屿出现和栖息地孤立的复杂过程产生了独特的动植物。然而，该地区的昆虫仍然没有完全被记录下来。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卡伦群岛现有的清单进行比较。协作性的分类学工具和分子遗传学将揭示进化关系。交互式识别钥匙将被开发并放在网上，其他节肢动物将由专家分析。此外，该项目还将捕捉3000多种非洲蚂蚁的详细数字图像，这些蚂蚁是非洲大陆已知的绝大多数蚂蚁物种。物种描述和详细照片将发布在蚂蚁网站(www.antweb.org)上。发现和记录西南印度洋岛屿和东非邻近部分的节肢动物将有助于深入了解这一生物多样性热点地区的岛屿生物地理、进化和物种形成。该项目将使用一种新的工具组合来提供有关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努力。向区域合作者提供的数据将有助于确定保护倡议的优先顺序，数字化努力将使这些蚂蚁能够在全球范围内进行研究。通过学生培训和支持、研究生招聘、导师指导和蚂蚁分类研讨会，将培养一大批蚂蚁分类学家。

"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.