PEET: Phylogenetic Systematics of Nudibranchia

美国加利福尼亚州科学院的特伦斯·M·戈斯林纳博士和洛杉矶县自然历史博物馆的安吉尔·瓦尔德斯被授予研究裸纲软体动物的系统学和系统发育。裸纲软体动物是神经系统功能研究中具有生物医学意义的重要生物，也是抗击癌症和艾滋病毒等疾病的新药开发的重点。它们也是温带和热带生态系统生物多样性的重要指标。与许多生物体一样，对它们的分类和这一类群的进化关系缺乏根本的了解。在世界上许多地区，至少有一半的裸鳃动物还没有被分类，还有更多的物种有待发现。同时，缺乏训练有素的专家来完成这项关键的系统工作。该项目的重点是培养新的工作者，成为研究这些生物体的专业系统生物学家。这些受训者将在指导下学习尖端技术，使用详细的解剖学调查和DNA测序来研究裸鳃动物的分类和进化。这些研究将集中于需要进行重大系统修订和专题研究的裸枝纲动物，目标是拥有大量未描述物种的群体。每个学生将对一组不同的裸纲动物进行专题研究，并将他们的调查结果发表在领先的科学期刊上。此外，这些研究的结果将通过万维网和外地指南等其他受欢迎的出版物广泛传播给不同的受众。潜水员、水下摄影师和博物学家已经对这些生物产生了相当大的业余兴趣，更多受欢迎的作品也很受欢迎。

Abstract - DEB 0329054A grant has been awarded to Dr. Terrence M. Gosliner of the California Academy ofSciences and Angel Valdes of the Natural History Museum of Los Angeles County to study the systematics and phylogeny of nudibranch mollusks. Nudibranch mollusks are biomedically important organisms in the study of the functioning of nervous systems and are the focus of the development of new pharmaceutical products to combat diseases such as cancers and HIV. They are also important indicators of biodiversity in temperate and tropical ecosystems. As with many organisms there is a fundamental lack of understanding of their classification and evolutionary relationships of this group. In many parts of the world at least half of the nudibranchs have not been classified and many more species are yet to be discovered. Simultaneously, there is a lack of trained experts who can complete this critical systematic work. The focus of this project is to train new workers to become professional systematic biologists to study these organisms. These trainees will be mentored to learn cutting edge techniques to study the classification and evolution of nudibranchs, using both detailed anatomical investigation and DNA sequencing. These studies will focus on nudibranchs in need of major systematic revision and monographic study, targeted to groups that have large numbers of undescribed species. Each student will conduct a monographic study of a distinct group of nudibranchs and publish the results of their investigation in leading scientific journals. Additionally, the results of these studies will be widely disseminated to diverse audiences by means of the world-wide web and other popular publications such as field guides. There is already considerable amateur interest in these organisms from scuba divers, underwater photographers and naturalists and additional popular works are much in demand.