Resolving intricate taxonomies by using type material, Hyb-Seq and geometric morphometrics. – A proof-of-concept from the nasty Xanthium L.

分类学是系统生物学的重要基石。在谱系之间形态和/或遗传分化不明显的复合体中，产生可靠的分类尤其具有挑战性。在这些复合体中，经常提出相互矛盾的分类，分类名称被递归地误用。本项目旨在建立一个概念性的工作流程，利用标本馆材料(包括模式)、系统发育学(Hyb-Seq)和几何形态计量学，以及基于聚合体的物种划分方法，在复杂的分类群中划定连贯的进化谱系。在分析中包括命名模式将极大地促进分类学评估，加快命名工作。我们将测试Xanthium的工作流程，Xanthium是向日葵科的一个形态复杂的属。如今苍耳属的几个谱系都分布在世界各地，这使得仅基于野外采集完成全面的系统发育研究是不可能的。我们将使用大约240个标本(大部分是标本馆材料)，详尽地涵盖在该属两个复杂的复合体(即东方X.orientale复合体和尖刺X.spinosum s.l.)中登记的整个地理分布和形态多样性。基因组数据将用Hyb-Seq技术收集，使用“Asteraceae COS诱饵试剂盒”。叶的形状和特征的毛刺(即雌头状突起)将用于几何形态分析。使用综合方法(能够同时分析遗传和表型数据)，我们将划定连贯的进化谱系。最后，我们将把谱系与分类学名称联系起来，这要归功于分析中包含的类型材料。与SPP计划的其他项目合作，我们将致力于在非常不同的分类学类别(如植物和动物)中对这种工作流程进行方法论综合。

Taxonomy is an important cornerstone of systematic biology. Producing reliable taxonomies is particularly challenging in complexes in which morphological and/or genetic differentiation is not substantial among lineages. In these complexes, contradicting taxonomies have been often proposed and taxonomic names are recursively misapplied.The present project aims at setting up a conceptual workflow for delimiting coherent evolutionary lineages in intricate taxonomic groups, using herbarium material (including types), phylogenomics (Hyb-Seq) and geometric morphometrics, along with coalescent-based species delimitation approaches. The inclusion of name-bearing types in the analyses will tremendously facilitate taxonomic assessments, accelerating nomenclatural work.We are going to test the workflow on Xanthium, a morphologically intricate genus of the sunflower family. Several lineages of Xanthium nowadays have a cosmopolitan distribution, making impossible the completion of a comprehensive phylogenetic study based solely on field-collections. We are going to employ approximately 240 specimens (in a large part herbarium material), exhaustively covering the whole geographic distribution and morphological diversity registered in two intricate complexes of the genus (i.e., the X. orientale complex and X. spinosum s.l.). Genomic data will be gathered with Hyb-Seq techniques, using the "Asteraceae COS baits kit". Leaf shape and traits of the burs (i.e., the female capitula) will be used in geometric morphometric analyses. Using integrative approaches (capable to simultaneously analyse genetic and phenotypic data) we are going to delimit coherent evolutionary lineages. Finally, we will link lineages to taxonomic names, thanks to the inclusion of type material in the analyses. In collaboration with other projects of the SPP program, we will work towards a methodological synthesis of such workflows in very different taxonomic groups (such as plants and animals).