REVSYS: Phylogenetic and Taxonomic Revision of Chytridiales (Chytridiomycota)

壶菌属（=壶菌）是一种游动孢子真菌，包括320多种。壶菌是藻类的寄生虫，也是土壤和水生生态系统中花粉、纤维素、几丁质和角蛋白的分解者，对环境具有重要意义，影响初级生产力，是食物网的关键环节。尽管壶菌具有重要的生态意义，但其生物多样性模式和进化历史却鲜为人知。在这个项目中，壶菌将从美国东南部和墨西哥湾沿岸各州的不同栖息地收集和培养，重点是藻类寄生虫。表型结构的系统发育分析以及多基因序列将用于鉴定分离株并进行系统发育分析。新发现的物种将被描述和专著。分类摘要以及互动式的钥匙和插图将被张贴在一个网站上，并发表在期刊上，使这些数据可以公开获取。许多新的文化将提供给其他研究人员。将培养一名博士后研究员，填补壶菌专家的空白，研究生和本科生将学习系统学和生物多样性研究的现代技术。项目参与者将为阿拉巴马州科学运动高中教师提供研讨会，并将为《生命百科全书》提供物种页面，将壶菌的知识扩展到全球社区。

Chytridiales (=chytrids) are zoosporic fungi comprising over 320 species. As parasites of algae and decomposers of pollen, cellulose, chitin and keratin in soil and aquatic ecosystems, chytrids are environmentally important, impacting primary productivity and serving as critical links in food webs. Despite their ecological significance, patterns of biodiversity and the evolutionary history of chytrids are poorly known. In this project, chytrids will be collected and cultured from diverse habitats in southeastern and gulf coast US states, with an emphasis on algal parasites. Phylogenetic analyses of phenotypic structures, as well as multiple gene sequences, will be used to identify isolates and to conduct phylogenetic analyses. Newly discovered species will be described and monographed.Taxonomic summaries, with interactive keys and illustrations, will be posted on a web site and published in journals, making these data openly accessible. Many new cultures will be made available to other researchers. A post-doctoral researcher will be trained, filling the void of chytrid specialists, and graduate and undergraduate students will learn modern techniques in systematics and the study of biodiversity. Program participants will present workshops to Alabama Science in Motion high school teachers and will contribute species pages to the Encyclopedia of Life, expanding knowledge of chytrids to a global community.