Dissertation Research: A Phylogenomic and Specimen-based Bioinformatics Approach to Reconstruct Freshwater Mussel Evolution and Biogeography

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Freshwater mussels of the family Unionidae are ecologically and economically important, and the most species-rich family of freshwater bivalves worldwide. However, current understanding of tropical freshwater mussel relationships limits basic and applied research on the family, especially within mainland Southeast Asia (Indochina). This area is the global epicenter of unionid diversity and the most species-rich region for the group outside of North America. This research seeks to estimate the evolutionary history of freshwater mussels to examine species limits and geographical history of the group. The project will train one graduate student and two undergraduates in diverse systematics methods. Data from the project will be disseminated broadly via the MUSSEL Project database. Given the economic importance of the group, the resulting classification and phylogeny will provide a well-supported evolutionary framework for the future basic and applied research projects on the group.This research uses a phylogenomic and specimen-based bioinformatics approach to transform the current understanding of the evolutionary history and biogeography of freshwater mussels of Indochina. The diversity and distribution of the Indochinese freshwater mussel assemblage will be evaluated using hybrid enrichment of over two hundred exons and thousands of digitized museum records. This research aims to complete three primary objectives: 1) reconstruct the supraspecific relationships of the three major freshwater mussel radiations in Indochina; 2) revise the species-level diversity and geographic ranges of freshwater mussels in the region; 3) and analyze spatiotemporal patterns of freshwater mussel diversity.