RUI: Phylogeny and Diversification of Hydrangeaceae

将系统发育分析与进化过程的探索结合起来的研究对于理解生物多样性是必不可少的。这项拟议的研究以绣球植物科为中心，旨在解决开花植物主要类群之间的系统发育关系。这将通过将重点放在关键分类群上来实现，这些分类群在Rosidae亚纲中鲜为人知并被认为是“异常”的，其中许多起源于亚洲，在收藏品中鲜为人知。绣球花科位于菊科亚纲的分歧点附近，这一研究将增加我们对菊科亚纲起源之前的进化多样性的理解，因为它具有很好的花卉保存性。这项研究包括三个方面：1.利用绣球属和山茱萸属植物的解剖和形态特征进行系统发育分析，这些植物在分类上位于八仙花科和菊科的起源附近；2.绣球花科内的系统发育分析，以区分物种和属的自然类群，并探索该科的花卉和果实的进化模式；3.个体发育或发育研究，以确定不同细胞过程在不同花和果形进化中的作用。一个明确的系统发育框架将有助于指导关键类群的选择，以便对创造花卉和水果多样性的不同发育过程进行比较。

Investigations that coordinate phylogenetic analyses with explorations of the evolutionary processes are essential for understanding organismal diversity. The proposed research, centered on the hydrangea family of plants, aims to resolve phylogenetic relationships among major groups of flowering plants. This will be accomplished by focusing on key taxa in conjunction with groups that are poorly known and considered "anomalous" in the subclass Rosidae, many of which are Asian in origin and poorly known in collections. Hydrangeaceae are positioned near the divergence of the subclass Asteridae, and this investigation will increase our understanding of evolutionary diversification preceding the origin of subclass Asteridae with its great floral conservation. The proposed investigation has three facets: 1. phylogenetic analysis using anatomical and morphological features of plants of the hydrangea and dogwood groups positioned taxonomically among Rosidae and near the origin of Asteridae; 2. phylogenetic analysis within the Hydrangeaceae family to distinguish natural groups of species and genera and to explore patterns of flower and fruit evolution in the family; and 3. ontogenetic or developmental studies to determine roles of various cellular processes in the evolution of different floral and fruit forms. An explicit phylogenetic framework will help guide the choice of critical taxa in making comparisons for the study of different developmental processes that create flower and fruit diversity.