DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Ecological diversification in the Eriogonum clade (Polygonaceae)

荞麦及其亲戚（蓼科）是一组300多种开花植物，主要分布在北美西部。物种可以是藤蔓、灌木或小树，生长在不同的栖息地，从海滩到高山林地。荞麦的进化关系鲜为人知，导致这些植物的分类混乱。这种混淆阻碍了对特征如何进化的理解。研究人员将使用DNA序列数据来重建荞麦的进化关系，改进分类，并更好地了解该群体是如何进化的。最后一个目标是将不同形态与不同种类荞麦的进化历史和栖息地联系起来。以计算机为基础的地理信息系统有助于将精确的生境条件和物种分布与营养性状联系起来，以便确定植物的形态性状，这些性状可能是为了响应特定的生境而进化的。该项目的更广泛影响包括对联合项目负责人（一名女研究生）的额外培训、国内和国际科学合作、对本科生和一般公众的培训机会以及科学发现的传播。联合项目负责人正在接受植物系统学（植物多样性研究）方面的培训，包括实地和实验室技术以及分析方法，并与加州的其他科学家合作提供建议和植物样本。培训将包括本科生作为现场助理，并将通过识别荞麦的实践研讨会让公众参与。研究中收集的数据将存储在在线数据库中，供其他研究人员访问。这项研究的结果将发表在同行评议的期刊上，在科学会议上展示，并在诸如“生命之树”（www.tolweb.org）等网站上提供。此外，这项研究对于那些正在研究占据广泛栖息地的形态多样的生物群体的进化的科学家来说将是重要的。

The buckwheats and relatives (Family Polygonaceae) are a group of more than 300 flowering plant species distributed mainly in western North America. Species can be vines, shrubs, or small trees, and grow in diverse habitats, from beaches to alpine woodlands. Evolutionary relationships of buckwheats are poorly known, leading to confusing classification of these plants. This confusion hinders understanding of how traits have evolved. The researchers will use DNA sequence data to reconstruct the evolutionary relationships in the buckwheats, improve the classification, and better understand how the group evolved. This last goal involves linking the diverse morphologies to the evolutionary history and habitats of various species of buckwheats. Computer-based geographic information systems help correlate precise habitat conditions and species distributions with vegetative traits in order to identify morphological traits of the plants that may have evolved in response to particular habitats.Broader impacts of the project include additional training for the co-PI (a female graduate student), national and international scientific collaborations, training opportunities for undergraduate students and the general public, and dissemination of the scientific findings. The co-PI is being trained in plant systematics (the study of plant diversity), including field and laboratory techniques and analytical methods, and collaborates with other scientists in California for advice and plant samples. Training will include undergraduates as field assistants and will involve the general public through a hands-on workshop on the identification of buckwheats. Data collected in the study will be deposited in online databases for access by other researchers. Findings of the study will be published in peer-reviewed journals, presented at scientific meetings, and made available online at web sites such as the Tree of Life (www.tolweb.org). In addition, this research will be important to scientists who are studying the evolution of morphologically diverse groups of organisms occupying a wide range of habitats.