Studies on Ant Taxonomy and Phylogeny

本项目涉及蚂蚁的三个相关领域的研究 分类学 (1)物种层面的修订工作将继续进行， 拟蚁亚科是一个泛热带类群， 超过300种，其中许多涉及互惠互利 与植物的互动。 (2)蚂蚁植物的进化 互惠将通过系统发育和比较 与之相关的拟小孢子虫谱系的生物学研究 具有多囊壳的植物 (3)的系统发育关系 蚂蚁亚科将通过一个全面的 调查性格变化（在所有种姓）和详细的 支序分析 拟议的分类和系统发育 对拟小蚁的研究将提高我们对 一个重要的热带蚂蚁群，并有助于深入了解 蚂蚁与植物共生的起源和维持。 一个很好的- 证实的蚂蚁亚科的亲缘关系将提供一个 蚂蚁生物学比较研究的有价值的框架。

This project involves three related areas of research on ant systematics. (1) Species-level revisionary work will continue on the subfamily Pseudomyrmecinae, a pantropical group with more than 300 species, many of which are involved in mutualistic interactions with plants. (2) The evolution of ant-plant mutualisms will be examined by phylogenetic and comparative biological studies of pseudomyrmecine lineages associated with domatia-bearing plants. (3) The phylogenetic relationships among the ant subfamilies will be investigated by a comprehensive survey of character variation (in all castes) and a detailed cladistic analysis. The proposed taxonomic and phylogenetic studies of pseudomyrmecine ants will improve our understanding of an important group of tropical ants, and contribute insight into the origin and maintenance of ant-plant symbioses. A well- corroborated phylogeny of the ant subfamilies will provide a valuable framework for comparative studies of ant biology.