RPG: Molecular Systematic Studies of the n=9 Species in the Genus Passiflora (Passifloraceae)

该项目建议研究一组西番莲物种之间的分类关系。虽然西番莲属约有450种新大陆植物，但本研究将集中于其中的70种，其共同的单倍体染色体数目为n=9。这一组包含了大多数开花艳丽的栽培种，果实可食用。提出的分类研究方法是利用限制性内切酶对氯苯丙胺DNA进行比较分析。叶绿体DNA通常只通过雌性植株遗传，但已有报道称叶绿体存在于一个物种的花粉管中，因此将与已知的雌性和花粉亲本分析人工杂交，以测试西番莲叶绿体DNA的遗传模式。核糖体DNA也将被用来测试现场收集的物种是否可能是杂交来源。这项研究中获得的数据应该是有用的，不仅可以阐明这组西番莲之间的关系，而且还可以阐明西番莲属一组新热带蝴蝶之间的关系，这些蝴蝶的幼虫只吃西番莲的叶子。

This project proposes to study the taxonomic relationships among the species of a group of passion flowers. Although the genus Passiflora comprises about 450 New World species, this study will focus on 70 species in the group with a common haploid chromosome number of n = 9. This group contains the majority of the showy- flowered and cultivated species which have edible fruit. The method proposed for this taxonomic study is the comparative analysis of the chlorpolast DNA using restriction site enzymes. Chloroplast DNA is usually inherited only through the female plant, but chloroplasts have been reported to be present in the pollen tubes of one species, so artificial hybrids will be analysed with their known female and pollen parents to test the inheritance pattern of the chloroplast DNA in Passiflora. Nuclear ribosomal DNA will also be used to test field collected species for possible hybrid origin. The data obtained in this study should be of use, not only to shed light on the relationships of this group of passion flowers, but also to elucidate the relationships among a group of Neotropical butterflies in the genus Heliconius whose larvae feed exclusively on the leaves of Passiflora species.