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

无融合生殖是一种普遍存在的生殖现象，对所有植物的进化都很重要。无融合生殖植物是无性繁殖的物种；它们本质上是双亲的克隆。这些物种通常是通过杂交产生的。在研究普遍存在无融合生殖的类群的进化时，关键是要确定无融合生殖的祖先，从而确定无融合生殖的进化起源，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。该奖项支持旨在阐明无融合生殖在一组中国原产蕨类植物中的作用的研究。具体地说，这项研究使用分子系统学方法来研究中国冬青蕨类植物中无融合生殖生殖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。这项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。这次合作将提供对中国？S生物多样性鲜为人知的部分的见解，并增进对进化生物学关键问题的理解。鳞毛蕨属(鳞毛蕨科)在中国南部分布最为多样，包括多个无性繁殖谱系，其中大部分属于鳞毛蕨亚属。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。鉴定亚属杂交种的祖先将阐明无性繁殖蕨类在多大程度上属于网状类群和共享祖先。虽然无性血统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，并且可能在基因上并不是非常独特。通过了解植物无性的进化，这是一种在植物中很重要的现象，可以更好地理解植物生物多样性的进化。该NSF EAPSI奖支持一名美国研究生的研究，并与中国科技部合作提供资金。

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.