CAREER: Investigating Biogeographic Hypotheses and Drivers of Diversification in Neotropical Harvestmen (Opiliones: Laniatores) Using Ultraconserved Elements

职业：利用超保守元素研究新热带收获者（Opiliones：Laniatores）多样化的生物地理学假设和驱动因素

• 批准号: 2337605
• 负责人: Daniel Proud
• 金额: $ 88.8万
• 依托单位: Moravian University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2024
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2024-01-01 至 2028-12-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2337605&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Investigating; Biogeographic; Hypotheses; Drivers

Understanding processes that generate biodiversity, and explaining the distribution of species on Earth, are fundamental goals in studies of evolutionary history and biogeography. The arachnid order Opiliones, known as harvestmen or daddy long-legs, provides a powerful model for understanding the factors that affect the distribution of species. This project will advance our scientific knowledge of how species diversity has been shaped by evolutionary processes linked to complex geological and climatic histories. The research will focus on harvestmen in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. The discovery of new species will promote conservation efforts of critical habitats and educate the public about biodiversity science. A postdoctoral researcher and many undergraduate students will participate in mentored research. They will be trained to use powerful bioinformatic tools, cutting-edge molecular approaches, and advanced microscopy techniques. Additional undergraduate students, including non-science majors, will engage in international travel and research through a new course-based undergraduate research experience. Public facing educational materials about harvestmen and other arachnids will be developed, in English and Spanish, for distribution on social media and in communities where field work takes place. The global dimensions of this project will advance public scientific literacy and build strong collaborations within a global network of arachnologists.Researchers will construct a phylogenomic framework based on UCEs (ultraconserved elements) for two clades of Neotropical harvestmen. A robust taxon sample will be assembled by leveraging the taxonomic and geographic strengths of several natural history museum collections combined with field expeditions. The phylogenomic framework will be used to test biogeographic hypotheses, investigate patterns of richness and diversification, and facilitate a modern integrative approach to systematics. Estimating time-calibrated phylogenies and testing biogeographic hypotheses will elucidate the relative role of vicariance and dispersal in producing present-day species distributions in Central America and the Caribbean Islands. Spatial, clade-based, and trait-based patterns of species richness will be explored by comparing the timing and tempo of diversification between multiple lineages in different landscapes (islands and continents). A modern integrative approach to harvestmen systematics will use phylogenetically informative characters to delimit taxa and will contribute to the inventory of global biodiversity. The phylogenomic framework represents a transformative step towards advancing knowledge of harvestmen ecology and evolution and will enable future studies to address species- or clade-specific questions. Curation of citizen science data in iNaturalist and digitization of types and vouchers in museum collections will improve publicly accessible databases. Ultimately, this project will advance our understanding of the diversity of life and provide novel insight into the origins and diversification of a fascinating group of Neotropical arachnids.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

了解生物多样性的产生过程，解释物种在地球上的分布，是进化史和地理学研究的基本目标。蜘蛛目Opiliones，被称为收割者或长腿爸爸，为理解影响物种分布的因素提供了一个强大的模型。该项目将推进我们对物种多样性如何通过与复杂的地质和气候历史相关的进化过程形成的科学知识。这项研究将侧重于中美洲和加勒比群岛的收割者。新物种的发现将促进重要栖息地的保护工作，并教育公众了解生物多样性科学。一名博士后研究员和许多本科生将参加指导研究。他们将接受培训，使用强大的生物信息学工具，尖端的分子方法和先进的显微镜技术。其他本科生，包括非科学专业的学生，将通过一个新的课程为基础的本科研究经验从事国际旅行和研究。将开发有关收割者和其他蛛形纲动物的面向公众的教育材料，用英语和西班牙语编写，在社交媒体和进行实地工作的社区分发。该项目的全球范围将提高公众的科学素养，并在全球蜘蛛学家网络中建立强有力的合作。研究人员将为两个新热带收获者分支构建基于UCE（超保守元素）的昆虫基因组框架。将利用几个自然历史博物馆收藏的分类学和地理优势，结合实地考察，收集一个强大的分类样本。该基因组框架将用于测试地理学假设，调查模式的丰富性和多样性，并促进现代综合方法的系统学。估计时间校准的物种分布和测试地理学假设将阐明在中美洲和加勒比群岛生产现今的物种分布的相对作用的vicariance和扩散。通过比较不同景观（岛屿和大陆）中多个谱系之间多样化的时间和克里思，将探索物种丰富度的空间，基于分支和基于特征的模式。一个现代的综合方法，收获者系统学将使用遗传信息的字符来划定类群，并将有助于全球生物多样性的库存。这一基因组框架代表了推进收割者生态学和进化知识的变革性一步，并将使未来的研究能够解决物种或分支特定的问题。公民科学数据在iNaturalist中的管理以及博物馆藏品中类型和凭证的数字化将改善公众可访问的数据库。最终，该项目将促进我们对生命多样性的理解，并为新热带区一组迷人的蛛形纲动物的起源和多样性提供新的见解。该奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。