EAPSI:How Does Ecology Influence Biogeography? A Study of a Well-Known Parasitic Plant

寄生植物吗?光合作用能力有限或没有的植物？依靠宿主生存许多寄生植物的生态学、进化和生物地理学方面的研究将对理解共生关系作出重大贡献。这项研究支持了槲寄生的生物地理学研究，槲寄生是一种著名的寄生植物，主要分布在南半球。这项研究的目的是了解新西兰槲寄生的分布，考虑到它们对其他生物的依赖（通过依赖与树木的寄生关系和鸟类来传播种子），并了解景观的形状如何影响它们的传播。这项研究将使用PI开发的新模型来确定生态因素如何影响生物的分布。这项研究将与Dave Kelly博士合作进行，Kelly博士是一位著名的槲寄生生态学和进化专家，他对槲寄生的位置以及新西兰鸟类-槲寄生-树寄主的关系有全面的了解。这项工作将从历史生物地理学的角度解决以前从未提出过的问题。这项研究将使用PI开发的一种新的可能性建模方法来评估新西兰槲寄生的历史生物地理学。许多寄生植物的生态学、进化和生物地理学方面的研究将对理解共生关系作出重大贡献。通过关注槲寄生（Loranthaceae）的一个小分支，并使用寄生虫、宿主和传播剂/屏障和植被类型数据，PI将能够问：哪些生物因素构建了槲寄生的历史生物地理？宿主和传播因子的生物地理是否与寄生虫的生物地理相关？景观异质性如何影响槲寄生分布？目前还没有研究对寄生植物的生物地理历史进行评估，对影响寄生植物生物地理历史的生态因素也缺乏认识。NSF EAPSI奖是与新西兰皇家学会合作资助的。

Parasitic plants?plants with limited or no photosynthetic ability?are reliant on hosts for survival. Many parasitic plants have been understudied and work regarding their ecology, evolution and biogeography would be a substantial contribution to understanding symbiosis. This research supports study of the biogeography of mistletoe, a well-known parasitic plant found mainly in the Southern Hemisphere. The research aims to understand the distribution of New Zealand mistletoes by considering their dependence on other organisms (through reliance on parasitic associations with trees and on birds to disperse seeds) and by understanding how the shape of the landscape affects their dispersal. This study will use a new model developed by the PI to ascertain how ecological factors affect the distribution of organisms. The research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Dave Kelly, a noted expert on mistletoe ecology and evolution who has comprehensive knowledge of the location of mistletoes, and of bird-mistletoe-tree host associations in New Zealand. The work will address questions never before asked from a historical biogeography perspective.The study will use a novel likelihood modeling approach developed by the PI to assess the historical biogeography of New Zealand mistletoes. Many parasitic plants have been understudied and work regarding their ecology, evolution and biogeography would be a substantial contribution to understanding symbiosis. By focusing on a small clade of mistletoes (Loranthaceae) and using parasite, host and dispersal agent/barrier and vegetation type data, the PI will be able to ask: What biotic factors have structured the historical biogeography of mistletoes? Does host and dispersal agent biogeography correlate with parasite biogeography? How does heterogeneity in the landscape affect mistletoe distribution? Currently, no study has tried to assess the biogeographic history of parasitic plants and we lack understanding of ecological factors have influenced the biogeographic history of parasitic plants. This NSF EAPSI award is funded in collaboration with the Royal Society of New Zealand.