Collaborative Research: Resolving the phylogeny of North American milkweeds through the application of massively parallel sequencing technology

马利筋（属马利筋）是美丽的植物，是众所周知的，通常种植的能力，以吸引蝴蝶。 北美洲有135种马利筋，它们都起源得相当快。 该项目将使用基因组测序技术来研究物种之间的关系。 DNA序列将从每个物种的两个或多个样品的完整叶绿体基因组和10个核基因中获得。 其目标是实现一个大的，快速辐射属的种水平的系统发育。马利筋物种之间的系统关系的解决将有助于提高属的分类。这些结果将为马利筋花区多样性、传粉生物学和植物地理学的研究提供坚实的基础。 长期以来，乳草一直是植物防御草食动物进化的模型系统，这项研究的结果将有助于更好地了解植物如何与害虫共同进化。在这里开发的方法实现了成本，时间和精力的节省超出了以前在比较基因组学中获得的任何，并将直接适用于动物，真菌和植物的系统发育，种群基因组和生态基因组研究。将培训一名博士后助理和三名本科生，并将在2010年和2011年植物学年会上举办两个讲习班，向植物系统学家介绍基因组测序方法。

Milkweeds (the genus Asclepias) are beautiful plants that are well known and commonly planted for their ability to attract butterflies. There are 135 species of milkweed in North America that have all originated fairly rapidly. This project will use genomic sequencing technology to investigate how the species are related to each other. DNA sequences will be obtained from complete chloroplast genomes and 10 nuclear genes from two or more samples of each species. The goal is to achieve a species level phylogeny of a large, rapidly radiating genus.The resolution of systematic relationships among milkweed species will help to improve the classification of the genus. Furthermore, these results will provide a robust foundation for studies of milkweed floral diversity, pollination biology and biogeography. Milkweeds have long served as a model system for the evolution of plant defenses against herbivory, and results from this research will contribute to a better understanding of how plants co-evolve with their pests. The methods developed here achieve a savings in cost, time, and effort beyond any previously attained in comparative genomics, and will be directly applicable to phylogenetic, population genomic and ecological genomic studies of animals, fungi and plants. A post-doctoral associate and three undergraduate students will be trained, and two workshops designed to introduce plant systematists to genomic sequencing approaches will be conducted at the annual Botany meetings in 2010 and 2011.