Collaborative Proposal: Millipede Systematics: Developing phylogenomic, classification, and taxonomic resources for the future

节肢动物类双足动物（千足动物）包括约12,000种已描述的物种，几乎分布在世界各地的每一个生物群系中。这个群体有着悠久的进化史，其中包括一些最早的陆生动物，可以追溯到4亿多年前的志留纪中期。尽管它们作为森林的分解者具有重要的生态意义，具有丰富的多样性（估计有2万至8万种），并且由于它们大量的防御分泌物而成为化学战士，但令人遗憾的是，这一群体尚未得到充分的研究。研究小组将使用基于下一代序列数据的现代系统基因组学框架修改当前的序数和家族级分类系统，然后利用这些数据探索化学防御分泌物及其前体的进化。该项目旨在通过开发千足虫类群的形态图谱、制作第一本千足虫科的图解钥匙和出版第一本完整的千足虫物种目录，极大地提高对千足虫多样性的可及性。项目团队将建立一个强大的合作研究和培训网络，并将与世界各地的合作者合作。千足虫系统学、形态学和基因组学方面的培训将包括广泛的个人，从高中学生和教师、本科生研究人员、博士后实习生，到参加有组织的培训研讨会的学生，这些研讨会将在美国东南部和泰国曼谷举行。

The arthropod class Diplopoda (the millipedes) comprises ~12,000 described species that are distributed worldwide in nearly every biome. The group has a deep evolutionary history that includes some of the very first terrestrial animals, dating from the mid-Silurian over 400 million years ago. Despite their ecological importance as decomposers in forests, wealth of diversity (estimated 20,000-80,000 species), and prominence as chemical warriors owing to their vast array of defense secretions, the group is woefully understudied. The research team will revise the current ordinal and family-level classification systems using a modern phylogenomic framework based on next generation sequence data and then employ these data to explore the evolution of chemical defense secretions and their precursors. This project seeks to greatly enhance the accessibility of millipede diversity through the development of a morphological atlas for the group, production of the first illustrated key to millipede families, and publication of the first complete millipede species catalog. The project team will develop a strong collaborative research and training network and will partner with collaborators worldwide. Training in millipede systematics, morphology, and genomics will include a broad range of individuals from high school students and teachers, undergraduate researchers, a postdoctoral trainee, to students participating in organized training workshops, to be held in the Southeastern US and in Bangkok, Thailand.