SG: A revised taxonomy of the palm genus Iguanura

该项目旨在记录一组亚洲棕榈树的生物多样性并更新其分类。该项目将提高对这些棕榈树物种的地理分布和丰富度的了解，使其能够就保护优先事项做出明智的决定。此外，该项目的结果将与许多其他关于棕榈树的类似研究的结果结合起来，有助于进一步了解具有重要经济意义的棕榈树家族的生物学。项目产生的所有数据将免费提供给任何感兴趣的各方，最后的出版物将以开放获取的格式出版。该项目还将作为其他物种划界研究的范本，采用严格的科学方法对棕榈树进行系统研究。鬣蜥是指一群小的、根深蒂固的下层棕榈树，有不分的或羽状的叶子，边缘参差不齐的小叶，以及异常可变的果实。该属分布于缅甸、泰国半岛、马来西亚半岛、新加坡、苏门答腊岛和婆罗洲的热带雨林。目前已确认的物种约有34种，其中包括最近发现的一个物种，该物种是在泰国半岛最近的已知地点以北1800多公里处发现的，这突显了人们对该属的了解是如何很少。最近对整个属的系统研究是在45年前进行的，完全依靠当时存在的相对较少的标本馆标本。另一项重要的研究发表于15年前，仅涉及马来西亚半岛的物种，并依赖于广泛的田野调查和收集。这两项研究都没有采用明确的物种划分方法。目前对鬣蜥的研究将采用一种明确的、可重复的方法，其基础是明确陈述的物种概念。它将根据数据的定量分析，使用美国、欧洲和亚洲较大的草本植物中的所有相关标本，测试以前发表的物种作为假说。这一分析，以及对标本标本的广泛研究，将为该属的现代分类学修订奠定基础。这一奖项反映了NSF的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的智力优势和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This project aims to document the biodiversity of a group of Asian palms and update its classification. This project will improve understanding of the geographic distribution and abundance of these species of palms, enabling informed decisions about conservation priorities. Additionally, the results of the project will be combined with results from many other, similar studies on palms and serve to further the understanding of the biology of the economically important palm family. All the resulting data from the project will be freely available to any interested party, and the final publication will be in open access format. This project will also serve as a model for other studies of species delimitation by employing a rigorous scientific methodology to the systematic study of palms. Iguanura is the name given to a group of small, stilt-rooted, understory palms with undivided or pinnate leaves, leaflets with jagged margins, and unusually variable fruits. The genus occurs in tropical rainforests in Myanmar, Peninsular Thailand, Peninsular Malaysia, Singapore, Sumatra, and Borneo. Approximately 34 species have been recognized, including a recently described species that was discovered over 1,800 km north of the nearest known locality in Peninsular Thailand, emphasizing how the genus has been poorly understood. The most recent systematic study of the whole genus was carried out over 45 years ago and relied entirely on the relatively few herbarium specimens existing at that time. A second important study, published over 15 years ago, dealt only with species from Peninsular Malaysia and relied on extensive field work and collecting. Neither of these studies employed an explicit species delimitation methodology. The present study of Iguanura will employ an explicit, repeatable methodology based on a clearly stated species concept. It will test previously published species as hypotheses based on the quantitative analysis of data, using all relevant specimens in the larger herbaria in the US, Europe, and Asia. This analysis, along with extensive study of herbarium specimens, will form the basis for a modern taxonomic revision of the genus.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.