Molecular Phylogenetics and Biogeography of Endemic Elements of the Guayana Highland Flora

项目：DEB 9981587PI: BerryInstitution: U wisconsin南美洲北部的瓜亚那地盾是一个地质古老的地区，土壤风化严重，营养贫乏。分布在该地区的有50多座被称为tepuis的孤立桌山。它们孕育着地球上一些最独特、最局限的植物物种。本研究的重点是该地区特有的两个最大的植物群，Rapateacea（约100种）和pitcairnioid Bromeliaceae（约150种）。这些群体的大多数高地成员仅限于一个山顶，因此提供了一个独特的机会来研究它们的进化和生物地理历史，类似于海洋岛屿。该项目将使用现代分子技术来研究这些群体DNA序列的变化，以确定它们之间的关系，并了解它们是如何在不同的山顶上进化的。这项研究将有助于建立这些群体和许多其他较小的生物群体如何随着时间的推移在瓜亚那盾上有限的栖息地进化的模型。

Project: DEB 9981587PI: BerryInstitution: U WisconsinThe Guayana Shield in northern South America is a geologically ancient area whose soils are heavily weathered and very nutrient-poor. Scattered throughout the region are over 50 isolated table mountains called tepuis. They harbor some of the most unique and localized species of plants on earth. This study focuses on two of the largest groups of plants endemic to this region, the Rapateacea, with some 100 species, and the pitcairnioid Bromeliaceae, comprising some 150 species. Most highland members of these groups are restricted to a single mountaintop, thus providing a unique opportunity to study their evolutionary and biogeographical history, similar to oceanic islands. The project will use modern molecular techniques to study variation in the DNA sequences of these groups to determine their relationships and understand how they evolved on different mountaintops. This study will help generate models of how these groups and numerous other smaller groups of organisms that share restricted ranges on the Guayana Shield evolved over time in their tepui habitats.