DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Integrating morphology, molecules and ecology to understand diversification and species coexistence within the Madagascar olive, Noronhia (Oleaceae)

论文研究：整合形态学、分子和生态学，了解马达加斯加橄榄、诺罗尼亚（木犀科）的多样化和物种共存

• 批准号: 1011208
• 负责人: Peter Stevens
• 金额: $ 1.22万
• 依托单位: University of Missouri-Saint Louis
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2010
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2010-07-01 至 2011-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1011208&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Integrating; morphology; molecules

The evolutionary origin of Madagascar's amazingly rich biodiversity remains a great unknown. Almost every group of organisms occurring on the island is exceptionally diverse and often unique to the island. Noronhia, the Madagascar olive, exemplifies this situation and serves as a model for understanding plant diversification on the island. This project seeks to evaluate diversification in Noronhia through: 1) reassessment of species boundaries and generic diversity based on morphological data; 2) inference of evolutionary history and phylogenetic relationships using DNA sequences, and; 3) examination of morphology, phylogenetic relationships, and ecology among species co-occurring in a single locality. Protecting the Malagasy biota is a challenging endeavor when the human struggle for daily subsistence largely outweighs the need for conservation and more scientific investigation. Results from this study, disseminated among conservation agencies and through peer-reviewed journals and scientific conferences, will provide a sound taxonomic framework on which to base an effective conservation strategy. This study of Noronhia will help us to understand the radiation of an ecologically important Malagasy plant genus and databases of herbarium specimens, morphological characters, and DNA sequences will be made available to the public.

马达加斯加惊人的丰富生物多样性的进化起源仍然是一个很大的未知数。岛上几乎每一种生物都非常多样化，而且往往是岛上独有的。马达加斯加橄榄Noronhia证明了这种情况，并成为了解岛上植物多样性的典范。该项目旨在通过以下方式评估诺罗尼亚的多样性：1）基于形态学数据重新评估物种边界和属多样性; 2）使用DNA序列推断进化历史和系统发育关系; 3）检查同一地点共存物种之间的形态学，系统发育关系和生态学。保护马达加斯加生物群是一项具有挑战性的奋进，因为人类对日常生存的斗争在很大程度上超过了保护和更多科学调查的需要。这项研究的结果，在保护机构之间传播，并通过同行评审的期刊和科学会议，将提供一个健全的分类框架，在此基础上有效的保护战略。Noronhia的这项研究将有助于我们了解生态上重要的马达加斯加植物属的辐射，并将向公众提供植物标本，形态特征和DNA序列的数据库。