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

无融合生殖在所有植物的进化中是普遍存在的，并且是重要的。无融合生殖植物是无性繁殖的物种;它们本质上是它们亲本的克隆。这些物种通常是由杂交产生的。在研究无融合生殖普遍存在的群体的进化过程中，确定无融合生殖体的祖先和进化起源是至关重要的，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原产于中国的蕨类植物中的作用的研究。具体而言，本研究利用分子系统发育学方法探讨了冬青蕨类植物无融合生殖体的潜在杂种进化起源。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对生物多样性的贡献有多大。这项研究将与南京地质古生物研究所的李春香博士和成都生物研究所的张立兵博士合作进行。此次合作将为中国鲜为人知的地区提供深入了解？的生物多样性和进化生物学中的关键问题的理解。耳蕨属（鳞毛蕨科）在中国南方最具多样性，包括几个无性繁殖谱系，其中大部分属于剑蕨亚属。 将收集这些物种并进行遗传分析，以了解这些谱系之间的关系以及它们潜在的杂交起源。鉴定该亚属中杂种的祖先将阐明无性繁殖蕨类植物属于网状类群和共享祖先的程度。虽然无性生殖的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，并且可能不是非常遗传上不同。通过了解植物无性生殖的进化，一种重要的跨植物的现象，在剑蕨，可以更好地了解植物生物多样性的进化。该NSF EAPSI奖支持美国研究生的研究，并与中国科技部合作资助。

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.