COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Phylogeny and Generic Classification of the Woody Bamboos (Poaceae: Bambusoideae: Bambuseae).

竹子大约有1400种已被描述的物种，是与全球热带到温带森林有关的草科成员。竹子作为建筑材料和家居用品在经济上具有重要意义（在许多其他用途中），并且作为保护受威胁和濒危动植物物种的许多残余栖息地的重要组成部分，具有重要的生态意义。尽管如此，与其他禾草植物相比，竹子的多样性和进化关系（=家谱或系统发育）知之甚少，竹子的分类仍然不稳定。这些问题给生物学家、自然资源保护主义者和那些有兴趣将竹子开发为可持续资源的人带来了困难。该项目的主要目标是：1)利用DNA数据、竹子的物理结构数据和创新的分析和统计方法生成竹子的系统发育；2)在属水平上构建反映这一系统发育的稳定的竹类分类；3)利用系统发育学研究这些罕见草的进化和生物学特征（如营养分支）；4)建立一个竹类生物多样性伞形网站，提供一个综合性的、图文并茂的竹属鉴定资源，使世界各地的用户更容易获得有关竹类生物多样性的信息。为实现这些目标，将建立一个具有互补专业知识的国际竹子生物学家团队（竹系统发育组）。这一合作努力将大大提高对竹的进化史和生物多样性的了解。一个稳定的一般分类将促进关于竹子的交流，并结合一个可获得的鉴定资源，将受到广泛用户的重视，包括生态学家、保护生物学家、林业学家、生物学家、竹爱好者、建筑师、工程师和其他对将竹子开发为可持续资源感兴趣的人。研究生和本科生将通过参与项目的所有阶段，接受植物分类和系统发育构建（两者都是系统生物学的重要组成部分）以及当前DNA操作和生物信息学技术的培训。本项目对分析方法的改进和创新将适用于使用生物信息学或系统发育方法的广泛领域，如发育遗传学、保护遗传学、基因组学和医学研究。通过实地考察，现有的博物馆和生活藏品将得到加强。研究结果将通过报告、出版物和竹子生物多样性网站向公众和科学界广泛传播。

Bamboos, with about 1,400 described species, are members of the grass family associated with tropical to temperate forests worldwide. Bamboos are economically important as building materials and household items (among many other uses) and are ecologically significant as a key component of many remnant habitats that preserve threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Despite this importance, bamboo diversity and evolutionary relationships (= family tree or phylogeny) are poorly known relative to other grasses and bamboo classification remains unstable. These issues create difficulties for biologists, conservationists, and those interested in developing bamboo as a sustainable resource. The principal goals of this project are to 1) generate a phylogeny for the bamboos using DNA data, data on the physical structure of bamboos, and innovative analytical and statistical methods; 2) construct a stable classification of bamboos at the genus level that reflects this phylogeny; 3) use the phylogeny to study the evolution and biology of selected features (such as vegetative branching) of these unusual grasses; 4) establish an umbrella Web site for bamboo biodiversity to host a comprehensively illustrated and interactive identification resource to the genera of bamboos and to make information on bamboo biodiversity more readily available to users around the world. An international team of bamboo biologists (the Bamboo Phylogeny Group) with complementary expertise will be established to achieve these goals. This collaborative effort will result in a much-improved understanding of the evolutionary history and biodiversity of bamboos. A stable generic classification will facilitate communication about bamboos and in conjunction with an accessible identification resource will be valued by a wide range of users, including ecologists, conservation biologists, foresters, biologists, bamboo enthusiasts, architects, engineers, and others interested in developing bamboo as a sustainable resource. Graduate and undergraduate students will receive training in plant classification and the construction of phylogenies (both important components of systematic biology) as well as current techniques of DNA manipulation and bioinformatics through participation in all phases of the project. Improvements and innovations in analytical methods that result from this project will be applicable to a wide range of fields that use bioinformatics or phylogenetic methods, such as developmental genetics, conservation genetics, genomics, and medical research. Existing museum and living collections will be strengthened through the fieldwork. Results will be widely disseminated to both the general public and the scientific community through presentations, publications, and the Bamboo Biodiversity Web site.