An International Approach to the Biodiversity, Biogeography and Evolution of Caribbean Gastrotricha

这个为期3年的项目的目标是对西半球的腹毛门海洋微生物进行第一次全面清查。来自五个国家的一个国际研究小组将调查南佛罗里达生态区和整个加勒比地区九个小岛屿发展中国家脆弱沉积生境中的海洋腹毛和其他海洋动物。显微镜和分子测序的结合将被用来推动新物种的发现，测试动物生物多样性起源的假设，并大大增加我们对热带海洋生物多样性的了解。研究结果将以印刷版和电子版分类检索表、小岛屿发展中国家特有的分类指南、网络访问数据库以及北美、中美和南美自然历史博物馆收藏品的形式呈现。Hochberg和来自喀麦隆、德国、意大利和韩国的研究人员将合作教育和培训代表性不足的美国学生及其国际同事，以发现和描述来自偏远和受威胁生态区的微型动物。总的来说，该项目将与非洲、亚太、欧洲和中美洲的科学家建立长期的多国伙伴关系，以应对编目海洋生物多样性和了解其在海洋沉积生境中的重要性的挑战。

This goal of this 3-year project is to make the first comprehensive inventory of marine, microscopic animals of the phylum Gastrotricha in the western hemisphere. A team of international researchers from five countries will survey marine gastrotrichs and a collection of other marine animals from vulnerable sedimentary habitats of the South Floridian ecoregion and nine small island developing states (SIDS) throughout the wider Caribbean. A combination of microscopy and molecular sequencing will be used to advance the discovery of new species, test hypotheses on the origins of animal biodiversity, and add significantly to our knowledge of tropical marine biodiversity. The results will be presented in printed and electronic taxonomic keys, SID-specific taxonomic guides, web-accessible databases, and collections for natural history museums in North, Central and South America.R. Hochberg and researchers from Cameroon, Germany, Italy and South Korea will collaborate to educate and train underrepresented American students and their international colleagues in the discovery and description of microscopic animals (meiofauna) from remote and threatened ecoregions. In total, this project will build long-term, multinational partnerships with scientists in Africa, Asia-Pacific, Europe, and Central America for meeting the challenges of cataloging marine biodiversity and understanding its importance in marine sedimentary habitats.