PEET: Classical and Molecular-Based Monographic Revision of the Cephalobina: Integrating Databases and Training in Microbivore, Plant and Animal Nematology

线虫是地球上数量最多的多细胞生物，是全球生物多样性的重要组成部分，在水生和陆地生态系统中发挥着关键作用，并影响着农业、兽医科学和医学。某些物种是研究动物遗传和发育的重要模型系统。正确识别已命名的物种，正确描述尚未命名的物种，以及准确评估物种之间的历史（系统发育）关系，对线虫研究的未来发展至关重要。然而，人们对线虫的物种多样性知之甚少，目前很少有分类学家接受过研究这些动物的培训。在这项工作中，Steven Nadler和James Baldwin将对头腹线虫（Cephalobina亚目）进行全面的专题研究，这是一种在土壤中无处不在的线虫，在此过程中培养新一代线虫分类学家。虽然大多数头线虫以细菌为食，但有证据表明它们与某些经济上重要的植物和动物寄生线虫有关。这项研究将找出这种关系是否可以证实。头孢虫在调节健康生态系统中的可用营养物质方面也发挥着重要作用，它们的分布可能被证明是人类环境干扰的有用指标。这项研究将提供一些准确的物种鉴定，以更有效地评估这些生态系统的影响。这些生物也可以作为简单的模型来理解基本的生物过程，如发育和衰老。这项工作将为线虫分类提供新的专家，提供适用于所有线虫类群研究的新工具，并通过互联网接入识别辅助工具和数据库广泛方便地获取有关头蝽线虫的信息。

9712355 NADLER Nematodes, the most abundant multicellular organisms on earth, are important components of global biodiversity, play key roles in aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems, and impact agriculture, veterinary science, and medicine. Certain species are important Omodel systemsO for the study of animal genetics and development. Correct identifications of named species, correct descriptions of species not yet named, and accurate assessments of the historical (phylogenetic) relationships among species, are critically important for the future development of nematode research. However, nematode species diversity is poorly known, and presently there are few taxonomists trained to work with these animals. In this work, Steven Nadler and James Baldwin will conduct a comprehensive monographic study of cephalobine nematodes (suborder Cephalobina), a group of nematodes found everywhere in the soil, training a new generation of nematode taxonomists in the process. Although most Cephalobina feed on bacteria, there is evidence that they are related to certain economically important plant and animal parasitic nematodes. This study will find out whether such relationships can be substantiated. Cephalobina also play an important role in regulating available nutrients in healthy ecosystems, and their distribution may prove useful as indicators of environmental disturbances by humans. This study will provide some of the accurate species identifications needed to evaluate these ecosystem effects more efficiently. These organisms may also be of utility as simple models to understand basic biological processes such as development and aging. The work should provide new experts in nematode taxonomy, new tools applicable to the study of all nematode groups, and information on cephalobine nematodes that is widely and conveniently accessible through Internet access to identification aids and databases.