Collaborative Research: Exploring the Evolution of an Extreme Makeover in Ferns

“毛蕨”（属于毛蕨属）是典型的蕨类植物——解剖精美，陆生，喜欢遮荫。“鞋串蕨类”（属于一类被称为类维生素）是非常不同的：高度简化，生长在树冠上的附生植物，具有重复的基因组，表现出加速的分子进化速度。令人惊讶的是，Adiantum和类维生素是密切相关的，它们组成了生命之树的一个分支——一个明显见证了极端形态、生态和基因组改造的谱系。提出的研究旨在首先通过分析DNA序列数据建立这些蕨类植物的强大系统发育。随后的分析可以揭示从“毛蕨”到“鞋带蕨”的进化历史。通过更好地描述蕨类植物这种极端转变的进化史，本研究将更好地阐明蕨类植物形态简化、生态转变、基因组复制和分子进化速率加速的进化过程。因为所有这些过程在生命之树中经常遇到，但却很少被理解，所以这里揭示和描述它们之间联系的努力具有广泛的相关性。该项目包括多学科培训计划，以促进学习，教学和发现，并直接针对对植物系统学，分子进化和系统发育感兴趣的本科生和研究生。该项目还将追求重要的科学教育和推广目标。

The "maidenhair ferns" (belonging to the genus Adiantum) are quintessential ferns -- beautifully dissected, terrestrial, and shade-loving. The "shoe-string ferns" (belonging to a group known as vittarioids) are extremely different: highly simplified, canopy-dwelling epiphytes, with duplicated genomes that exhibit accelerated rates of molecular evolution. Surprisingly, Adiantum and the vittarioids are closely related, comprising a single branch of the tree of life -- a lineage that evidently witnessed an extreme morphological, ecological, and genomic makeover. The proposed research aims to first establish a robust phylogeny for these ferns through analyses of DNA sequence data. Subsequent analyses can then reveal the evolutionary history of the "maidenhair" to "shoestring" fern transformation.By better characterizing the evolutionary history of this extreme makeover in ferns, this study will better elucidate the evolutionary processes of morphological simplification, ecological transition, genome duplication, and molecular evolutionary rate acceleration. Because all of these processes are frequently encountered across the tree of life, but poorly understood, efforts here to uncover and characterize links among them are broadly relevant. This project encompasses a multidisciplinary training program to promote learning, teaching, and discovery, and is squarely aimed at undergraduate and graduate students interested in the areas of plant systematics, molecular evolution, and phylogenetics. The project will also pursue significant science education and outreach goals.