Molecular Systematics of Pinus

松树，松树属的针叶树，是北半球地理上分布最广、经济上最重要的树木之一。尽管松树生物学的许多方面都是众所周知的，特别是与林业有关的特征，但大约100种松树之间的进化关系以及与其他现存和化石针叶树的关系仍然存在争议。系统发育亲缘关系的分类知识的改进可能有助于改进育种技术和森林资源管理，以及澄清松树和相关针叶树之间的系谱谱系。俄勒冈州立大学（Oregon State University）的史蒂文·施特劳斯（Steven Strauss）博士将使用现代分子生物学方法，包括聚合酶链反应（polymerase-chain-reaction）的新方法来扩增目标DNA分子，以进行核苷酸测序。他将研究松属所有分类亚组的样本，并通过DNA差异的比较来确定进化框架。Strauss博士实验室的初步结果证明了这些技术的可行性；这些数据有望在松树物种进化分化过程中发生的基因组变化方面得到强有力的发现。当与众所周知的松树化石记录相关联时，这些分子发现可能使这组裸子植物DNA变化的“分子钟”得以校准。

Pines, conifers of the genus Pinus, are among the most geographically widespread and most economically important trees of the northern hemisphere. Whereas many aspects of the biology of pines are well known, especially characteristics relevant to forestry, evolutionary relationships among the ca. 100 species of pines and relationships with other living and fossil conifers are still controversial. Improved taxonomic knowledge of phylogenetic affinities is likely to aid improvements in breeding techniques and management of forest resources, as well as clarify genealogical lineages among pines and related conifers. Using modern methods of molecular biology, including the new methods of polymerase-chain-reaction to amplify targeted DNA molecules for nucleotide sequencing, Dr. Steven Strauss of Oregon State University will study samples of all the taxonomic subsections of the genus Pinus and determine an evolutionary framework through comparisons of DNA differences. Preliminary results from Dr. Strauss's laboratory demonstrate the feasibility of the techniques; the data promise robust findings on the genomic changes that have occurred during evolutionary divergence of pine species. When correlated with the well-known record of fossil pines, the molecular findings may enable calibration of a "molecular clock" of DNA changes in this group of gymnosperms.