Broad to fine scale phylogenetic pattern and character evolution in Ruellieae (Acanthaceae)

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).This project is a comprehensive study of a group of some 1,000 plant species that are poorly known among botanists. Members of this group, the Ruellieae (plant family: Acanthaceae), occur in nearly every tropical and subtropical environment across the planet. They are extraordinarily variable in flower shape and structure and thus contribute significantly to a range of plant-pollinator interactions in their respective environments. Despite this morphological diversity, Ruellieae have received little study by biologists. The major objectives of the project are to 1) survey existing specimen material in natural history museums worldwide; 2) use genetic data to build a family tree for Ruellieae; 3) use this tree to reconstruct the history of evolutionary events that led to such a great number of species, and investigate potential factors contributing to diversity (e.g., plant-pollinator relationships); and 4) distribute knowledge gained from this project through a variety of means including student training, professional and lay presentations, the development of international collaborations, publications, and contributions to online resources.As biologists, we have a major responsibility to accurately estimate standing biodiversity, but an accurate estimate is only the initial step. Understanding the historic patterns and tempo of diversification, and processes that sustain this diversity has predictive qualities that are vital to ensuring the continued existence of the organisms that form the basis of our ecosystem. We are only beginning to envision the impacts of one of the great mass extinctions in Earth history that has been termed a biodiversity crisis. One example is the serious decline in worldwide pollinators that concomitantly impacts their plant hosts. This study will help clarify the ecological and evolutionary relationship between plants and pollinators, and thus will contribute to the sustenance of worldwide ecological heath. Upon completion of the Ruellieae project, we will have built (and, in many cases employed) a global consortium of colleagues, students, conservationists, and laypersons who are dedicated to learning about and protecting diversity and ecological interactions.