EAPSI:Tracing the Evolution and Distribution of an Alpine-Arctic Plant Between North America and China

植物在东亚(EAS)和北美(NA)之间的不连续分布是北温带植物区系中最显著的模式之一，150多年来一直吸引着生物学家的注意。人们提出了多种相互矛盾的假说来解释这一现象，而研究一个呈现这种分布模式的群体将会有很大的收获。是一种产于亚洲和北美山区的高山-北极草本植物属，是研究这一格局的极佳候选者。本次研究将与中国科学院昆明昆明植物研究所中国田野调查专家项春雷博士、中国博士合作进行。这项研究将检验为解释EAS-NA分布而提出的假设，并将使研究人员能够评估植物如何适应和辐射，以应对大陆之间和大陆内的历史气候变化。这些信息可以用来预测植物将如何应对未来的气候变化，并将广泛适用于其他物种。了解一个物种如何以及为什么获得目前的分布，有助于洞察进化过程，并有助于揭开生物多样性和多样性的一般模式。这项研究将评估关于这种分离的假说，并为北半球的演化和辐射机制提供新的输入。这将有助于假设移民路线以及随后应对历史性气候变化的多样化爆发。中国南部可能是一些特有类群的起源中心，这些类群为跨洲运动提供了重要的联系。对这一分支的全面生物地理重建将勾勒出迁徙路线和随后因应历史性气候变化而出现的多样化激增。广泛的田野调查、标本馆研究、下一代测序和尖端的计算分析都将被用来揭开这一群体的进化和生物地理。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。

The discontinuous distribution of plants between Eastern Asia (EAS) and North America (NA) represents one of the most remarkable patterns in the North Temperate Flora, and it has fascinated biologists for over 150 years. Multiple conflicting hypotheses have been put forth to explain it, and there is much to be gained by investigating a group that shows this distribution pattern. Micranthes (Saxifragaceae), is an alpine-arctic herbaceous plant genus found in the mountains of Asia and North America, and is an excellent candidate for investigating this pattern. This research will be conducted in collaboration with Dr. Chun-Lei Xiang, who has done extensive fieldwork in China, from the Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming Institute of Botany in Kunming, China. This research will test hypotheses offered to explain the EAS-NA distribution, and will allow the researcher to assess how plants adapted and radiated in response to historic climate change between and within continents. This information can be used to predict how plants will respond to future climate change and will be broadly applicable to other species.Understanding how and why a species has obtained its current distribution allows for insights into evolutionary processes and helps to unravel general patterns of biodiversity and diversification. This research will evaluate hypotheses about this disjunction and provide new input about the mechanisms of evolution and radiation in the northern hemisphere. This will serve to hypothesize routes of migration and subsequent bursts of diversification in response to historic climate change. Southern China possibly served as the center of origin for some of the endemic taxa, and these taxa provide an important connection for trans-continental movements. A comprehensive biogeographic reconstruction of this clade will delineate routes of migration and subsequent surges of diversification in response to historic climate changes. Extensive fieldwork, herbarium research, next generation sequencing, and cutting-edge computational analyses will all be used to unravel the evolution and biogeography of this group. 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.