DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Tracking Timing of Migration and Diversification Across North and South America in Agalinis (Orobanchaceae)

来自不同生物群系的生物的潜在进化历史或进化史为理解这些谱系的地理起源、它们随后如何多样化以及这些生物群系在过去如何组装提供了一个框架。该项目探讨了Agalinis（列当科）的进化关系，这是一种开花植物属，约有70种，具有新词分布，并与南美洲两个公认的生物多样性热点的多样性中心：安第斯山脉和巴西的塞拉多。Agalinis是一个理想的分支，用于研究两大洲之间以及安第斯山脉和塞拉多之间的历史地理学和多样性，以及快速辐射到南美洲后的形态进化模式。除了使用标准的系统发育和分歧的时间估计方法，本研究还将采用一种新开发的多物种合并的方法估计的物种树和分歧的时间内的南美分支的Agalinis。我们的目标是：1）收集第一个广泛采样的Agalinis的进化史，2）使用标准的系统发育和新的合并方法来估计南美洲分支的物种树和分歧时间，3）调查北美洲和南美洲之间以及南美洲内的安第斯山脉和塞拉多之间的迁移和多样化，努力将多样化的潜在变化与地质和古气候重建相关联，（4）形态特征演化研究。这项研究的效用超出了Agalinis的系统学，将是一个有价值的贡献，不仅在南美洲的血统的多样性和性格演变的研究，而且在新热带区的比较系统发育研究。该项目广泛依赖已建立的国际合作，特别是在巴西。研究结果将通过同行审查的出版物、在国家会议上的介绍以及通过my-plant.org门户网站传播。该领域的植物照片已经存放在寄生植物收藏馆，这是一个为研究人员和公众提供信息的网站。共同PI正在监督一名本科生的一个小项目，与这里概述的研究重叠，并将在2013年指导一名巴西本科生与USP进行实验室交流。此外，共同PI将继续参与NSF支持的种植科学在线高中辅导计划，进一步促进拟议研究的教育影响。

The underlying evolutionary history, or phylogeny, of organisms from diverse biomes provide a framework for understanding where these lineages originated geographically, how they have subsequently diversified, and how these biomes were assembled in the past. This project explores evolutionary relationships in Agalinis (Orobanchaceae), a flowering plant genus of approximately 70 species with a New Word distribution and with South American centers of diversity in two recognized biodiversity hotspots: the Andes and the Cerrado of Brazil. Agalinis is an ideal clade for investigating historical biogeography and diversification between the two continents and between the Andes and Cerrado, as well as patterns of morphological evolution following a rapid radiation into South America. In addition to using standard phylogenetic and divergence time estimation approaches, this research will also employ a newly developed multi-species coalescent approach for estimation of the species tree and divergence times within the South American clade of Agalinis. Our goals are to: 1) assemble the first broadly-sampled phylogeny of Agalinis, 2) estimate the species tree and divergence times, using both standard phylogenetic and new coalescent methods for the South American clade, 3) investigate migration and diversification between North and South America and between the Andes and the Cerrado within South America, with efforts to correlate potential shifts in diversification with geological and paleoclimatic reconstructions, and 4) investigate morphological character evolution. The utility of this research extends beyond the systematics of Agalinis and will be a valuable contribution not only to studies of diversification and character evolution of lineages in South America, but also to comparative phylogenetic research in the Neotropics. This project relies extensively on established international collaborations, particularly in Brazil. The results of the research will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications, presentations at national conferences, and through the my-plant.org web portal. Photos of plants in the field have already been deposited with the Parasitic Plant Collection, a website which provides information to researchers and the public. The co-PI is supervising an undergraduate student on a small project overlapping with the research outlined here, and will mentor a Brazilian undergraduate in a lab exchange from USP in 2013. Additionally, the co-PI will continue her involvement with the NSF-supported Planting Science online high school mentoring program, furthering the educational impact of the proposed research.