EAPSI:Apomixis in Chinese Holly Ferns and Implications for Plant Relationships and Speciation Processes

无融合生殖是普遍存在的，对所有植物的进化都很重要。无融合植物是无性繁殖的物种；他们本质上是父母的克隆体。这些物种通常是由杂交产生的。在研究无融合群体的进化时，确定无融合群体的祖先，从而确定其进化起源，以充分了解它们与其他物种的关系，以及它们对物种多样性的贡献，是至关重要的。该奖项支持旨在阐明一组原产于中国的蕨类植物的无融合生殖作用的研究。具体而言，本研究采用分子系统发育方法探讨了中国冬青蕨类植物无嵌合体的潜在杂交进化起源。通过更好地了解无性蕨类植物是如何进化的，科学家们可以更好地了解无性蕨类植物的新遗传多样性对生物多样性的贡献。本研究将与南京地质古生物研究所的李春祥博士和成都生物研究所的张立兵博士合作进行。此次合作将为人们提供对中国鲜为人知地区的深入了解。生物多样性和促进对进化生物学关键问题的理解。毛蕨属（Dryopteridaceae）在中国南方分布最为广泛，包括几个无性繁殖的分支，其中大部分属于毛蕨亚属。这些物种将被收集并进行遗传分析，以了解这些谱系之间的关系以及它们潜在的杂交起源。鉴定亚属杂交植物的祖先将阐明无性繁殖蕨类植物在多大程度上属于网状类群和共享祖先。虽然无性谱系有助于现存的生物多样性，但通过共享祖先，它们也可能共享整个基因组，并且可能在遗传上不太不同。通过了解剑蓼属植物无性生殖这一重要的跨植物现象的进化，可以更好地理解植物生物多样性的进化。该奖项由美国国家科学基金会EAPSI与中国科技部合作资助，支持一名美国研究生的研究。

Apomictic reproduction is prevalent and important to the evolution of all plants. Apomictic plants are species that reproduce asexually; they are essentially clones of their parents. These species often arise from hybridization. In studying the evolution of groups in which apomixis is prevalent, it is critical to determine the progenitors, and therefore evolutionary origins, of apomicts to fully understand their relationships to other species, as well as their contribution to species diversity. This award supports research aimed at elucidating the role of apomictic reproduction in a group of ferns native to China. Specifically, the research uses molecular phylogenetic methods to investigate the potentially hybrid evolutionary origins of apomicts in Chinese holly ferns. By developing a better picture of how asexual ferns have evolved, scientists can better understand how much novel genetic diversity asexual ferns contribute to biodiversity. This research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Chunxiang Li of the Nanjing Institute of Geology and Paleontology and Dr. Libing Zhang of the Chengdu Institute of Biology. The collaboration will offer insights into little known parts of China?s biodiversity and advance understanding of key questions in evolutionary biology. The genus Polystichum (Dryopteridaceae) is most diverse across Southern China, and includes several asexually reproducing lineages, most of which belong to the subgenus Xiphopolystichum. These species will be collected and genetic analysis performed to understand relationships among these lineages as well as their potential hybrid origins. Identifying the progenitors of hybrids in the subgenus will elucidate the extent to which asexually reproducing ferns belong to reticulate groups and share progenitors. Although asexual lineages contribute to extant biodiversity, by sharing progenitors they may also share entire genomes and may not be very genetically distinct. By understanding the evolution of plant asexuality, a phenomenon important across plants, in Xiphopolystichum, a better understanding of the evolution of plant biodiversity can be developed. This NSF EAPSI award supports the research of a U.S. graduate student and is funded in collaboration with the Chinese Ministry of Science and Technology.