Collaborative Research: Phylogeny and Systematics of the Characeae (Charales)

石藻和脆苔是绿色藻类（绿藻科）的类型，包括在世界各地的淡水湖泊中常见的物种，并且作为无脊椎动物和小鱼的食物和栖息地具有生态重要性。石藻也用于生境修复，是细胞生物物理学研究中的重要模式生物。此外，石藻被认为与近5亿年前殖民土地的第一批植物密切相关。尽管它们在生态学、基础生物学研究和进化中很重要，但这一群体内部的关系却知之甚少。 本计画将利用现代基因组学的方法，研究这一独特的绿色藻类类群的系统学和系统发育，以重新评估这一类群的分类学。该项目将对200多个物种进行采样，并使用来自核、叶绿体和线粒体基因的DNA序列数据。 所产生的数据将用于修订目前这组绿色藻类的混乱分类，并将为全球藻类多样性和进化研究提供关键数据。 该补助金将支持纽约城市大学第一代西班牙裔学生的研究生论文研究，并支持附近几所大学的学生参与本科研究。 将为BioBus开发课堂课程，这是一个创新的移动的实验室，配备最先进的显微镜设备，访问纽约市地区的K-12学校。 生物巴士课程将介绍藻类的结构和功能，可以用他们的研究级显微镜设备观察。

Stoneworts and brittleworts are types of green algae (family Characeae) that include species that are common in freshwater lakes worldwide and that are ecologically important as food and habitat for invertebrates and small fish. Stoneworts are also used in habitat remediation and are important model organisms in studies of cell biophysics. Furthermore, stoneworts are believed to be closely related to the very first plants that colonized land almost 500 million years ago. Despite their importance in ecology, basic biological research, and evolution, the relationships within this group are very poorly known. This project will study the systematics and phylogeny of this distinctive group of green algae by using modern genomic methods to re-evaluate the taxonomy of the group. The project will sample more than 200 species and use DNA sequence data from nuclear, chloroplast, and mitochondrial genes. The data produced will be used to revise the current confused classification of this group of green algae, and it will provide critical data for worldwide studies of algal diversity and evolution. The grant will support the graduate dissertation research of a Hispanic first-generation student at the City University of New York, as well as support undergraduate research involvement of students from several nearby colleges. Classroom lessons will be developed for the BioBus, an innovative mobile laboratory with state-of-the-art microscopy equipment that visits K-12 schools in the New York City region. The BioBus lessons will cover an introduction to structure and function of algae that can be observed with their research-grade microscope equipment.