Systematics of the Determinate, One-flowered Genera of the Woody Bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae)

克拉克DEB-9806877 真正的竹子是一个多样化的草类，分布在世界各地，包括至少1,200种木本和草本（非木本）成员。 竹子的多样性主要集中在木本竹类中，其中包括1，100种，是热带和温带森林的特征。 由于其结构的复杂性和长时间的生长而不开花（在某些情况下为40，60或80年或更长时间），与其他草相比，木本竹仍然研究不足。 分子数据为木本竹类的进化关系提供了一些线索，但相对于其他禾本科植物，其突变速度明显较慢，因此无法对这一群体进行更详细的分析。 现有的竹类解剖学和全株结构数据提供了木本竹类之间的祖先的迹象，与来自分子数据的那些相冲突。 本研究的主要目的是研究这种冲突的确定，一花木本竹进行详细的结构分析，以获得更好的估计进化关系。 作为这项研究的一部分，将完成对Chusquea最原始成员的分类学研究，Chusquea是木本竹子这一子集中最多样化的属。 该项目的结果将为更广泛的木本竹子进化研究和重新分类提供基础。

Clark DEB-9806877 The true bamboos are a diverse group of grasses with worldwide distribution, including at least 1,200 species of both woody and herbaceous (non-woody) members. The bulk of bamboo diversity is found among the woody bamboos, which includes 1,100 species occurring as characteristic elements of both tropical and temperate forests. Due to their structural complexity and long intervals of growth without flowering (40, 60, or 80 or more years in some cases), the woody bamboos remain understudied compared to other grasses. Molecular data have provided some clues to evolutionary relationships among woody bamboos, but an apparently slower rate of mutation relative to other grasses has prevented more detailed analyses of this group. Available data for anatomy and whole plant structure of bamboos provide indications of ancestry among woody bamboos that conflict with those derived from molecular data. The principal objective of this research is to examine this conflict in the determinate, one-flowered woody bamboos by conducting detailed structural analyses to obtain a better estimate of evolutionary relationships. As part of this research, a taxonomic study of the most primitive members of Chusquea, the most diverse genus of this subset of woody bamboos, will be completed. The results of this project will provide the foundation for a broader evolutionary study and reclassification of the woody bamboos.