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

加勒比腹毛虫生物多样性、生物地理学和进化的国际方法

• 批准号: 0918499
• 负责人: Richard Hochberg
• 金额: $ 59.9万
• 依托单位: University of Massachusetts Lowell
• 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: 2009-08-15 至 2013-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0918499&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: International; Approach; Biodiversity; Biogeography; Evolution

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.

这个为期3年的项目的目标是对西半球的胃毛门的海洋微型动物进行第一次全面的清查。来自五个国家的一组国际研究人员将调查南佛罗里达生态区域和大加勒比地区九个小岛屿发展中国家脆弱的沉积生境中的海洋胃毛和其他海洋动物。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说，并显著增加我们对热带海洋生物多样性的了解。结果将以印刷和电子分类关键字、特定于SID的分类指南、网络可访问的数据库以及北美、中美洲和南美洲自然历史博物馆的藏品的形式呈现。R.Hochberg和来自喀麦隆、德国、意大利和韩国的研究人员将合作，教育和培训未被充分代表的美国学生及其国际同事，以发现和描述来自偏远和受威胁生态区域的微型动物(小型动物)。总而言之，该项目将与非洲、亚太地区、欧洲和中美洲的科学家建立长期的多国伙伴关系，以应对对海洋生物多样性进行编目和了解其在海洋沉积生境中的重要性的挑战。