Phylogeny and Historical Biogeography of the Primitive Bee Family Colletidae

康奈尔大学的布莱恩·N·丹福斯博士获得了一项拨款，用于研究蜂科Colletidae的系统发育和历史生物地理学。这是目前公认的七个蜂科之一，代表了世界上约16,000种蜜蜂中的900多种。Colletid蜜蜂特别有趣，因为许多专家认为它们代表了最原始的蜜蜂家族。事实上，这个家族可能代表了蜜蜂从黄蜂进化的过渡阶段。从生物地理学的角度来看，这也是一个重要的家族。Colletidae的成员在南半球最为多样化，它们目前的分布表明，在白垩纪(1.4亿至6500万年前)冈瓦那大陆支离破碎之前，它们就存在于该大陆上。与平地鸟(Ratitae)、南方山毛榉(Nothofagus)和黄蜂科(Vespidae)一样，三叶蜂是研究历史生物地理学的理想类群，因为它们的系统发育关系似乎反映了白垩纪冈瓦瓦兰德的碎片化。该项目有三个主要目标：(1)在形态和分子(DNA序列)数据的基础上，在世界范围内对合子亚科、部落和属进行系统发育研究。第二(2)，在属、亚属和种水平上的努力集中在最大的和分类上最困难的(很可能是多系的)柱头亚科，炭疽亚科。对炭疽亚科的研究依赖于对炭疽亚科作为一个整体的更高级别的分类，因为前者可能会被分成更小但单系的亚科。最后，在系统发育假说的基础上分析历史生物地理模式，以验证集合体蜜蜂反映冈德瓦南片段化的预测，并将这些结果与其他类似分布的类群的研究进行比较。本项目将扩大对开花植物(蜜蜂)最重要传粉者的关系和分类的理解，对作物授粉、生物多样性和保护具有重要意义。该项目将为康奈尔大学的本科生和研究生提供教育和研究培训机会。参与该项目的学生将获得基础分子生物学方面的经验，以及昆虫系统学、蜜蜂生物学和寄主植物协会以及生物地理学等特定领域的培训。该项目将导致美国以及巴西、南非、澳大利亚和加拿大同事之间的合作研究努力。此外，该奖项还将建立一个关于蜜蜂系统发育、历史生物地理学、多样性和分子系统学的网站。本网站将把成果传播给尽可能广泛的受众。这项研究将利用最近公布的蜜蜂的完整基因组序列(由美国农业部资助)。

DEB 0412176Danforth A grant has been awarded to Dr. Bryan N. Danforth of Cornell University to investigate the phylogeny and historical biogeography of the bee family Colletidae. This is one of the seven currently recognized families of bees and represents over 900 species of the approximately 16,000 species of bees in the world. Colletid bees are particularly interesting because they are considered by many experts to represent the most primitive bee family. In fact, this family may represent a transitional stage in the evolution of bees from wasps. This is also an important family from the perspective of biogeography. Members of the Colletidae are most diverse in the southern hemisphere and their current distribution suggests they were present on the southern continent of Gondwana before its fragmentation during the Cretaceous period (140 to 65 million years ago). Like ratite birds (Ratitae), southern beeches (Nothofagus), and vespid wasps (Vespidae), colletid bees are an ideal group for investigating historical biogeography because their phylogenetic relationships appear to reflect the fragmentation of Gondwanaland in the Cretaceous. The project has three main goals: (1) conduct a phylogenetic study of the colletid subfamilies, tribes, and genera on a worldwide basis based both on morphology and molecular (DNA sequence) data. Second (2), focus efforts at the generic, subgeneric, and species levels on the largest and most taxonomically difficult (and very likely polyphyletic) colletid subfamily, Colletinae. The study of Colletinae depends on a revised higher level classification for Colletidae as a whole because the former will probably be divided into smaller but monophyletic subfamilies. Finally (3), analyze historical biogeographic patterns based on phylogenetic hypothesis in order to test the prediction that the colletid bees reflect Gondwanan fragmentation, and to compare these results with other studies of groups with similar distributions.This project will expand understanding of the relationships and classification of the most important pollinators of flowering plants (bees), and will have implications for crop pollination, biodiversity, and conservation. This project will provide educational and research training opportunities for undergraduate and graduate students at Cornell University. Students involved with the project will gain experience in basic molecular biology as well as training in the specific fields of insect systematics, bee biology and host-plant associations, and biogeography. This project will lead to collaborative research efforts among US as well as Brazilian, South African, Australian, and Canadian colleagues. Additionally, the award will develop a web site on bee phylogeny, historical biogeography, diversity, and molecular systematics. This web site will disseminate results to the widest audience possible. The study will make use of the recently published complete genomic sequence of the honey bee (funded by the USDA).