Hawaiian land snail biodiversity: Systematics, phylogenetics and conservation status of a vanishing fauna

陆地蜗牛有助于维持健康的生态系统，是环境完整性的指标，具有独特的进化、生态和文化遗产，对了解生物多样性非常重要。夏威夷群岛的陆地蜗牛种类繁多(750种)，相当于美国大陆和加拿大的总和。不幸的是，本世纪没有对它们进行全面的研究，它们正在迅速消失；90%的物种可能已经灭绝。通过记录和识别剩余物种，评估它们的多样性，并通过系统发育分析澄清它们的分类和关系，该项目将以以前不可能的方式为进一步研究它们的生物学和保护提供基础。两名博士后研究人员、两名研究生、五名本科生和多名高中生将接受从系统学到实地调查和博物馆管理的技术培训。广泛的多学科研究培训将培养下一代保护生物学家和系统主义者，同时提供保护正在消失的动物的手段。结果将通过同行评议的出版物、公共研讨会和电子资源广泛提供，为更深入地了解进化和生物多样性提供数据，并为自然资源保护者提供工具，以制定适当的管理战略。

Land snails help maintain healthy ecosystems, act as indicators of environmental integrity, and have distinctive evolutionary, ecological and cultural legacies that are important in understanding biodiversity. The Hawaiian Islands support a spectacular diversity of land snails (750 species), comparable to the continental USA and Canada combined. Unfortunately they have not been comprehensively studied this century, and are vanishing fast; 90% may already be extinct. By documenting and identifying the remaining species, assessing their diversity and clarifying their taxonomy and relationships through phylogenetic analysis, this project will provide the basis for further study of their biology and conservation in a manner not possible before. Two postdoctoral researchers, two graduate, five undergraduate, and multiple high school students will be trained in techniques ranging from systematics to field surveys and museum curation. Broad multidisciplinary research training will foster the next generation of conservation biologists and systematists while providing the means to conserve a vanishing fauna. Results will be widely available through peer-reviewed publications, public workshops, and electronic resources, providing data for a more profound understanding of evolution and biodiversity and giving conservationists the tools to develop appropriate management strategies.