An International Approach to the Biodiversity, Biogeography and Evolution of Caribbean Gastrotricha

这个为期3年的项目的目标是对西半球胃腹虫门的海洋微观动物进行第一次全面的盘点。一个由来自五个国家的国际研究人员组成的小组将调查来自南佛罗里达生态区和整个加勒比地区九个小岛屿发展中国家（SIDS）脆弱的沉积栖息地的海洋胃虫和其他海洋动物。显微镜和分子测序的结合将用于推进新物种的发现，检验关于动物生物多样性起源的假设，并大大增加我们对热带海洋生物多样性的认识。研究结果将以印刷和电子分类密钥、sid专用分类指南、可上网的数据库以及北美、中美和南美自然历史博物馆收藏的形式呈现。Hochberg和来自喀麦隆、德国、意大利和韩国的研究人员将合作，对代表性不足的美国学生及其国际同事进行教育和培训，以发现和描述来自偏远和受威胁的生态地区的微型动物（微型动物）。总的来说，该项目将与非洲、亚太、欧洲和中美洲的科学家建立长期的多国伙伴关系，以应对海洋生物多样性编目的挑战，并了解其在海洋沉积栖息地中的重要性。

This goal of this 3-year project is to make the first comprehensive inventory of marine, microscopic animals of the phylum Gastrotricha in the western hemisphere. A team of international researchers from five countries will survey marine gastrotrichs and a collection of other marine animals from vulnerable sedimentary habitats of the South Floridian ecoregion and nine small island developing states (SIDS) throughout the wider Caribbean. A combination of microscopy and molecular sequencing will be used to advance the discovery of new species, test hypotheses on the origins of animal biodiversity, and add significantly to our knowledge of tropical marine biodiversity. The results will be presented in printed and electronic taxonomic keys, SID-specific taxonomic guides, web-accessible databases, and collections for natural history museums in North, Central and South America.R. Hochberg and researchers from Cameroon, Germany, Italy and South Korea will collaborate to educate and train underrepresented American students and their international colleagues in the discovery and description of microscopic animals (meiofauna) from remote and threatened ecoregions. In total, this project will build long-term, multinational partnerships with scientists in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Central America for meeting the challenges of cataloging marine biodiversity and understanding its importance in marine sedimentary habitats.