RUI: Systematics and Genetic Biogeography of Mielichhoferia (Bryopsida)

小行星9419772 一些进化适应新环境的更壮观的例子包括苔藓，特别是那些生长在尾矿和其他富含矿石的基质上的物种。 伊萨卡学院的乔纳森·肖博士在几名本科生的帮助下，正在研究Mielichhoferia属的北方物种（所谓的铜藓）的种群和物种水平的遗传变异，目的是了解北美和欧洲四种北方物种目前分布的历史和生态控制。 除了植物小配子体和孢子体阶段的形态特征外，Shaw博士还通过蛋白质电泳分析了等位基因位点的变异，并将增加叶绿体DNA变异分析的新数据。 以前的研究已经证明了独特的标记等位基因的苔藓物种的个体种群，使历史迁移的路径和物种之间的可能杂交的研究。 尽管在自然界中发现了主要营养（配子体）阶段的有趣的单倍体性质，但苔藓类相关物种之间的遗传变异模式研究很少。 这项研究提出了几个具有挑战性的对比广泛和狭窄的限制类群之间，广泛的遗传变异的物种和那些相当有限的物种之间，生殖隔离类群和那些可能能够与亲属杂交。

9419772 Shaw Some of the more spectacular cases of evolutionary adaptation to novel environments include the mosses, and in particular those species that grow on mine tailings and other substrates rich in mineral ores. Dr. Jonathan Shaw of Ithaca College, with assistance from several undergraduate students, is studying population and species-level genetic variation in northern species of the moss genus Mielichhoferia, so-called copper mosses, with the goal of understanding historical and ecological controls on the present distribution of the four northern species in North America and Europe. In addition to morphological features of the small gametophyte and sporophyte stages of the plant, Dr. Shaw is analyzing variation at allelic loci by protein electrophoresis, and will be adding new data from analysis of chloroplast DNA variation as well. Prior studies have demonstrated unique marker alleles of individual populations of the moss species, enabling study of the path of historical migration and of possible hybridization between species. The pattern of genetic variation among related species of mosses has been little studied, despite the interesting haploid nature of the major vegetative (gametophytic) stage found in nature. This study poses several challenging contrasts between widespread and narrowly restricted taxa, between species with wide genetic variability and those quite limited, and between reproductively isolated taxa and those potentially able to hybridize with relatives.