PEET: Monography of the Bosminidae and Daphniidae

纽约州立大学布法罗分校的德里克·泰勒博士和威廉·皮尔博士获得了一笔赠款，用于研究和培训两种水蚤家族(达夫尼虫科和博斯米亚科)的生物学、分类和进化方面的新科学家。虽然水蚤是生态学和毒理学的模式生物，但人们对这些甲壳类动物的生物多样性知之甚少。此外，由于文献资料贫乏和在世专家短缺，科学家往往无法准确识别正在研究的物种。为了纠正这种情况，PI的目标是应用他们在水蚤生物学、形态学、DNA分析和生物信息学方面的专业知识，对水蚤进行现代分类研究，并培训新的专家。还将测试理解影响物种和遗传多样性的过程的假设，例如通过杂交在物种之间转移基因。国际水蚤协会预计，改进后的水蚤详细生物学框架将在工业、教育、政府和科学研究中得到广泛应用。这些甲壳类动物是淡水毒理学和了解人类活动对湖泊和湿地的环境影响的一些最重要的课题。事实上，滤食性水蚤是已知的仅有的能够清除湖泊中受污染的藻类水华的动物之一。此外，水蚤是淡水生态系统的重要组成部分，因为大多数淡水鱼和许多鸟类依赖水蚤作为重要的食物来源。除了上述目标外，国际跳蚤协会还将建立一个以高中生为目标的网站，以培养人们对水蚤生物学的兴趣。两名研究生将接受这些甲壳类动物的分类学和分类学方面的培训。最后，将促进国际合作，并将培训至少一名来自任职人数不足的小组的专家。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Derek Taylor and Dr. William Piel at the State University of New York at Buffalo to study and train new scientists in the biology, classification, and evolution of two families of water fleas (daphniids and bosminids). Although water fleas are model organisms in ecology and toxicology, the biodiversity of these crustaceans is poorly known. Also, scientists are often unable to identify accurately the species under study because of poor literature and a shortage of living experts. To remedy this situation, the PI's aim to apply their expertise in water flea biology, morphology, DNA analysis, and bioinformatics to produce modern taxonomic studies of water fleas and train new experts. Hypotheses for understanding processes that affect species and genetic diversity, such as the transfer of genes among species by hybridization, will also be tested. The PI's expect that an improved detailed biological framework for water fleas will have broad use in industry, education, government, and scientific research. These crustaceans are some of the most important subjects for freshwater toxicology and for understanding the environmental effects of human activities on lakes and wetlands. Indeed, filter-feeding water fleas are among the only known animals that can clear pollution-caused algal blooms in lakes. Moreover, water fleas are a critical part of freshwater ecosystems as most freshwater fish species and many bird species depend on water fleas as a significant source of food. In addition to the above goals, the PI's will produce a web site targeting high school students so as to cultivate interest in the biology of water fleas. Two graduate students will be trained in the systematics and taxonomy of these crustaceans. Finally, international collaborations will be fostered and at least one expert from an under-represented group will be trained.