Dissertation Research: Systematics and Evolution of Myrcianthes Berg (Myrtaceae)

在康奈尔大学Natalie Uhl博士的指导下，研究生Francesca Grifo将在中美洲和西印度群岛进行实地工作，收集热带植物Myrcianthes属的物种样本。这些将补充已经在南美洲安第斯地区收集的标本，并将允许对这些热带植物的形态和解剖进行全面的研究。研究将有助于更准确地描述该属中估计的45个物种，绘制其地理分布，提供可靠的识别钥匙，并为推断物种和相关属之间分歧的进化史提供证据。然后可以将桃金娘属植物的多样性模式与其他热带植物属的多样性模式进行比较，以寻找新热带地区共同的进化模式。

Under the guidance of Dr. Natalie Uhl at Cornell University, graduate student Francesca Grifo will conduct field work in Central America and the West Indies to collect samples of species of the tropical plant genus Myrcianthes. These will complement collections already made from Andean South American locales, and will permit comprehensive study of the morphology and anatomy of these tropical plants. Research will help describe more accurately the estimated 45 species in the genus, map their geographical distributions, provide a reliable identification key, and provide evidence for inferring the evolutionary history of divergence among the species and related genera. Patterns of diversity in Myrcianthes can then be compared to those for other tropical plant genera, to search for common patterns of evolution in the Neotropics.