Collaborative Research: Biodiversity Survey of Freshwater Algae of the Hawaiian Islands

在Alison Sherwood博士的指导下，夏威夷大学获得了一项奖励，用于对夏威夷群岛的淡水藻类进行生物清查。科罗拉多大学博尔德分校的Patrick Kociolek博士和约翰卡罗尔大学的Jeffrey Johansen博士是这项研究的合作者。该项目将为世界上任何地方提供热带地区第一个全面的、有插图的淡水藻类植物群。将对夏威夷主要岛屿的主要淡水栖息地进行调查，并利用形态学和分子分析来确定收集的物种。该项目的目标是：1)建立夏威夷淡水藻类形态学和遗传研究的长期档案，2)通过项目数据库和网站提供所有数据，3)描述夏威夷群岛新发现的淡水藻类分类群。该项目将传统分类学与生物信息学分析和数据显示相结合。这项调查汇集了一个顶级的藻类分类学家团队，他们都有夏威夷藻类植物群的经验，收集、记录和描述夏威夷群岛的淡水藻类。工作将通过夏威夷大学进行协调，并将汇集来自四个不同机构的研究人员，并加强与多个机构的伙伴关系。培养5名研究生、5名本科生和1名博士后，研究方向为藻类调查与培养技术、淡水藻类形态鉴定和分子方法。太平洋岛民本科生将在夏威夷大学进行研究实习，每三个夏天进行一次。环境生物学本科指导项目。夏威夷大学将为一名夏威夷原住民学生提供全年的本科研究实习机会。每年夏天将通过夏威夷自然中心提供一个以中学生为对象的溪流探索家庭项目。芋头田的调查将促进研究人员和夏威夷土著社区农民之间的交流。此外，拟议的调查结果将通过建立：1)夏威夷淡水藻类在线数据库和2)一个提供物种汇总数据的网站，向科学界和其他人提供。

An award has been made to the University of Hawaii under the direction of Dr. Alison Sherwood to conduct a biological inventory of the freshwater algae of the Hawaiian Islands. Dr. Patrick Kociolek of the University of Colorado at Boulder, and Dr. Jeffrey Johansen of John Carroll University are collaborators on the research. This project will produce the first comprehensive, well-illustrated freshwater algal flora of a tropical region for anywhere in the world. The principal freshwater habitats of the main Hawaiian Islands will be surveyed and collections will be identified using morphological and molecular analyses. The objectives are to 1) establish long-term archived collections of Hawaiian freshwater algae morphological and genetic studies, 2) make all data available through a project database and website, and 3) describe newly discovered freshwater algal taxa from the Hawaiian Islands. This project blends traditional taxonomy with bioinformatic analysis and data display. The survey brings together a top-tier team of algal taxonomists, all of whom have previous experience with the Hawaiian algal flora, to collect, document and describe the freshwater algae of the Hawaiian Islands. Work will be coordinated through the University of Hawaii and will bring together researchers from four different institutions and enhance partnerships with multiple agencies. Five graduate students, five undergraduate students and a postdoctoral fellow will be trained in algal surveying and culturing techniques, morphological identification of freshwater algae and molecular methods. Pacific Islander undergraduate students will be hosted through research internships each of three summers through the University of Hawaii?s Undergraduate Mentoring in Environmental Biology program. A year-round undergraduate research internship for a Native Hawaiian student will be hosted at the University of Hawaii. A family program of stream exploration through the Hawaii Nature Center will be offered each summer, aimed at middle school students. Surveys in taro fields will foster communication between the researchers and farmers from the Native Hawaiian community. In addition, the results of the proposed surveys will be made available to the scientific community and beyond through the establishment of: 1) the online Hawaiian Freshwater Algal Database, and 2) a website providing summary data for species.