Microscopy and digital imaging tools for biodiversity research

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Funding is requested for a microscope and digital imaging system to support biodiversity and evolutionary research. A basic question in studies of biodiversity is how different species of organisms are related to one another. Reconstructing the "family tree" for different species provides a historical perspective on how they originated, and also allows biologists to ask a myriad of questions about their evolutionary history. My research focuses specifically on reconstructing the evolutionary tree for different groups of fishes, including needlefishes, flyingfishes, and anchovies. We use both morphological and molecular (DNA) characters to accomplish this goal. The requested microscope and imaging system will be used to: (1) accurately identify species using morphology, (2) collect morphological data useful for phylogenetic reconstructions, (3) understand evolutionary changes in anatomical features, and (4) train students in the interpretation of morphology.