Molecular Diversity, Biogeography, and Species Concepts in Plankton Foraminifer

对浮游有孔虫的诺里斯古海洋学和进化研究依赖于一个假设，即在形态上定义的物种中的个体共享共同的生态和进化历史。我们将使用多个基因分析现代浮游有孔虫，以研究这一广泛分布的远洋生物群体的系统发育和遗传变异。我们的目标是(1)估计活的浮游有孔虫的遗传多样性；(2)研究这些分类群主要基因类型的地理和水柱分布与水文条件的关系；(3)检查基因类型的形态和稳定的同位素特征，以评估它们的生态区别性程度。通过结合遗传分析、海洋生态分析以及有孔虫贝壳的稳定同位素分析，我们将能够检验水团和/或深层生境在浮游有孔虫的演化史和物种分布中的重要性。我们的工作将有助于调整形态物种的概念，以更好地匹配自然种群的遗传和生态细分。这是根据有孔虫分布和古气候转移函数建立现实的古气候分析以及了解远洋生物的生物多样性和演化的一项至关重要的要求。

9909658Norris Paleoceanographic and evolutionary studies of planktic foraminifera depend upon an assumption that individuals in morphologically-defined species share common ecologies and evolutionary histories. We will analyze modern planktic foraminifera using multiple genes to study the phylogeny and genetic variation in this widespread group of pelagic organisms. Our objectives are to (1) estimate the genetic biodiversity of living planktic foraminifera; (2) study the geographic and water column distribution of the major genotypes of these taxa in relation to hydrographic conditions, and (3) examine the morphological and stable isotopic characteristics of the genotypes to assess their degree of ecological distinctiveness. By integrating to the genetic analyses, ecological analyses of the oceanographic data from the collected localities, as well as stable isotopic analyses of the foraminiferal shells, we will be able to test the importance of water-masses and/or depth habitat in the evolutionary history and species distribution of planktic foraminifera. Our work will help adjust morphological species concepts to better match the genetic and ecological subdivisions of natural populations. This is a crucial requirement to create realistic paleoclimatic analyses based on foraminifer distributions and paleoclimate transfer functions as well as to understand the biodiversity and evolution of pelagic organisms.