MCA: Phylogenetic and Biogeographic Analyses and Infrageneric Classification of Hypoestes (Acanthaceae)

这个中期职业发展（MCA）项目将研究植物的进化和分类，该植物属有130多种已知物种，其中大多数原产于马达加斯加的生物多样性热点地区。人们对马达加斯加这一群体的多样性知之甚少，有证据表明有许多未被描述的物种。为了更好地了解马达加斯加的生物多样性和保护状况，有必要明确物种识别并了解它们的进化关系。该项目将使用DNA序列和其他数据来识别物种并重建其进化史，为改进分类学和了解该群体的生物多样性奠定基础。这个MCA项目将允许首席研究员与专家合作开发新的技能，以加强他们的研究和培训计划，为本科生和研究生的研究经验创造机会，并通过密苏里植物园的外展项目提供公众教育和参与。利用Angiosperms-353探针对拟南芥进行系统发育研究。该方法持续提供超过100,000个碱基对的低拷贝核DNA序列，可用于降解DNA。大多数样品将使用改良的CTAB方法从植物标本馆标本中提取。将使用PI准备的未发表资源并与在线类型标本图像进行比较，初步确定标本。其中一些将被确定为可能的新物种，本科生研究实习生将帮助进行物种描述。另外五个属的部落justiciae将被用作外群体。基因组文库将使用商业试剂盒制备，使用Angiosperms-353 myBaits®Expert Panel目标捕获试剂盒进行汇总、富集、多路复用，并发送到商业实验室进行Illumina®测序。将使用四种不同的分析方法从清理和对齐的序列数据中产生基因和物种树。将使用两种方法来制作使用棘科化石校准的年代树，并预测祖先的地理范围。本文将提出一种基于分子和形态特征的亚群分类方法。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

This Mid-Career Advancement (MCA) project will study the evolution and taxonomy of the plant genus Hypoestes, a group of over 130 known species, most of which are native to the biodiversity hotspot of Madagascar. The diversity of this group in Madagascar is poorly known and evidence suggests that there are many undescribed species. To better understand the biodiversity and conservation status of the group in Madagascar, it is necessary to clearly identify species and understand their evolutionary relationships. This project will use DNA sequence and other data to identify species and reconstruct their evolutionary history, laying the groundwork for an improved taxonomy and understanding of biodiversity in the group. This MCA project will allow the principal investigator to work with an expert collaborator to develop new skills that will enhance their research and training program, generate opportunities for undergraduate and graduate student research experience, and provide for public education and engagement through outreach programs at the Missouri Botanical Garden.A phylogenetic study of Hypoestes will be conducted using the Angiosperms-353 probe set. This method consistently supplies over 100,000 base pairs of low-copy nuclear DNA sequences and can be used on degraded DNA. Most samples will be extracted from herbarium specimens using a modified CTAB method. Specimens will be tentatively identified using an unpublished resource prepared by the PI and comparison to online type specimen images. Some will be identified as possible new species, and undergraduate research interns will aid in species descriptions. Five other genera of tribe Justicieae will be used as outgroups. Genomic libraries will be prepared using commercial kits, pooled, enriched using the Angiosperms-353 myBaits® Expert Panel target capture kit, multiplexed, and sent to a commercial laboratory for Illumina® sequencing. Four different analytical methods will be used to produce gene and species trees from cleaned and aligned sequence data. Two methods will be used to produce dated trees calibrated using Acanthaceae fossils, and ancestral geographic ranges will be predicted. An infrageneric classification of Hypoestes globally will be proposed, which will recognize subgroups supported by both molecular and morphological characters.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.