Integrative species discovery and comparison of multilocus species delimitation methods in short-range endemic harvestmen (Opiliones, Arachnida)

一些生物多样性谱系由于其特定的生活史特征而受到特别的保护关注。 这些“短距离特有”的类群往往是小型的，栖息地专门化，和扩散有限，这导致自然小的地理分布，可以高度影响小的环境变化。本研究的重点是一组收割人蜘蛛，这是短距离的地方性，发展系统发育和分类的理解，以更好地促进保护。研究人员将使用基因组和形态学数据来调查物种边界的性质，重建物种关系，并描述新物种。物种描述将使用数字分类工具提供给科学界，生物信息将通过基于网络的资源更广泛地传递。该项目在许多方面具有更广泛的社会和科学意义。研究人员将培训一名博士后研究员，一名博士生和至少一名本科生，他们是从圣地亚哥州立大学（一所西班牙裔服务机构）的代表性不足的群体中招募的。学员将与PI和世界上最杰出的两位收割机研究人员一起工作。这种培训是跨代传递分类学知识的巨大机会。PI将开发一个为期一周的“收割者生物学鉴定”实地课程，将在阿巴拉契亚山脉南部提供，帮助学生直接参与现代系统学研究和保护问题。

Some biodiversity lineages are of special conservation concern because of specific life history characteristics. These 'short-range endemic' taxa are often small-bodied, habitat-specialized, and dispersal-limited which leads to naturally small geographic distributions which can be highly impacted by small environmental changes. This study focuses on a group of harvestman spiders, which are short-range endemics, to develop a phylogenetic and taxonomic understanding to better facilitate conservation. The investigators will use genomic and morphological data to investigate the nature of species boundaries, reconstruct species relationships, and describe new species. Species descriptions will be made available to the scientific community using digital taxonomic tools, and organismal information will be transferred more broadly via web-based resources. This project has broader societal and scientific significance in many ways. The investigators will train a postdoctoral researcher, a doctoral student, and at least one undergraduate student recruited from under-represented groups at San Diego State University, a Hispanic-Serving Institution. Trainees will work with the PI and two of the most prominent harvestmen researchers in the world. This training represents a tremendous opportunity to transfer taxonomic knowledge across generations. The PI will develop a one-week "Harvestmen Biology & Identification" field course, to be offered in the southern Appalachians, helping to directly engage students in modern systematics research and conservation issues.