Phylogenetic, Biogeographic, and Monographic Studies of Asian Core Araliaceae

以前对北方半球的地理学研究强调东亚与其他主要地区的关系，如北美东部、北美西部、欧洲和西亚。然而，在东亚的生物地理模式，很少被调查使用现代系统发育的证据。 大多数洲际研究将东亚的广大地区（通常包括喜马拉雅山）视为一个单一的地理单元或特有区，但这肯定是一种严重的过度简化。 许多植物区系的观察和研究清楚地表明，东亚在地理上是非常多样化的。 反过来，缺乏可验证的假说，亚洲内部的地理模式，阻碍了更普遍的理解，洲际地理的演变北方半球。 拟议中的研究打算采用一个大型的亚洲组的植物科五加科（人参科）作为一个模型，以检查亚洲内部的地理关系，强调东亚和南亚和喜马拉雅山。 为了便于讨论，该区域在本文中被称为“亚洲”。 这个“亚洲五加科群”包括大约18个属，广泛分布于整个“亚洲”，亚洲五加科的几个亚群在这个感兴趣的地区表现出平行的分布模式。 因此，亚洲五加科代表了一个理想的系统，以研究“亚洲”内的个人和一般的植物地理模式。 Jun Wen博士和她在美国和中国的同事提出的这项研究的目标是：（1）构建一个强大的属级同源性基于形态学、核核糖体DNA和叶绿体DNA的证据，对亚洲五加科的两个主要谱系进行了种级的亲缘关系分析：五加属-大参属-新参属类群和罗伞属-三叶草属-常春藤属类群（核核糖体ITS和叶绿体ndhF、atpB-rbcL间隔区和trnC-trnD区的序列）;（3）根据东亚、南亚和喜马拉雅地区五加科至少三个谱系的亲缘关系，探讨东亚、南亚和喜马拉雅地区的地理关系（4）重新评价亚洲五加科传统的分类学分类和属的划分，包括对形态特征演化的评价;（5）提供五加木组专著，包括建立亚洲五加科系统学网页。 拟议研究的结果将产生几个重要影响。 这将是第一个研究，以审查东亚和南亚和喜马拉雅山的广阔地区的植物地理学使用一个特定的植物群的系统发育框架。对亚洲五加科植物的系统发育分析将有助于亚洲乃至世界人参科植物的系统学、进化和地理学研究。

Previous biogeographic studies of the Northern Hemisphere have emphasized the relationships of eastern Asia to other major areas, such as eastern North America, western North America, Europe, and western Asia. Biogeographic patterns within eastern Asia, however, have rarely been investigated using modern phylogenetic evidence. Most intercontinental studies treat the vast area of eastern Asia (often including the Himalayas) as a single biogeographic unit or an area of endemism, but this is certainly a gross oversimplification. Many floristic observations and studies clearly demonstrate that eastern Asia is biogeographically very diverse. In turn, the lack of testable hypotheses for biogeographic patterns within Asia has hindered more general understanding of the evolution of intercontinental biogeography of the Northern Hemisphere. The proposed study intends to employ a large Asian group of the plant family Araliaceae (the ginseng family) as a model to examine biogeographic relationships within Asia, emphasizing eastern and South Asia and the Himalayas. This region is herein referred to as "Asia" for the convenience of discussion. This "Asian Araliaceae group" comprises about 18 genera with a wide distribution throughout "Asia," and several of the subgroups within the Asian Araliaceae exhibit parallel distributional patterns across this region of interest. Thus, the Asian Araliaceae represent an ideal system to examine both individual and general biogeographic patterns within "Asia". The goals of the proposed study by Dr. Jun Wen and her colleagues in the U.S. and China are to (1) construct a robust genus-level phylogeny (evolutionary or genealogical relationships) of the Asian Araliaceae based on evidence from morphology, nuclear ribosomal DNA, and chloroplast DNA; (2) construct species-level phylogenies for two major lineages of the Asian Araliaceae: the Eleutherococcus - Macropanax - Metapanax group and the Brassaiopsis - Trevesia - Hedera group using four molecular data sets (sequences of nuclear ribosomal ITS, and chloroplast ndhF, atpB-rbcL spacer and trnC-trnD regions); (3) examine the biogeographic relationships of eastern and South Asia and the Himalayas based on phylogenies of at least three lineages of Araliaceae in this region (two groups mentioned above, and the Aralia - Panax complex currently being investigated by Dr. Wen); (4) re-evaluate the traditional taxonomic classification and generic delimitations of taxa within the Asian Araliaceae, including an assessment of morphological character evolution; and (5) provide a monograph of Aralia sect. Pentapanax, including the establishment of an internet page on the systematics of the Asian Araliaceae. Results from the proposed study will have several important implications. This will be one of the first studies to examine the biogeography of the vast region of eastern and South Asia and the Himalayas using a phylogenetic framework for a particular plant group. The phylogenetic analyses of the Asian Araliaceae will facilitate further systematic, evolutionary, and biogeographic studies in Asia as well as in the ginseng family worldwide.