Evolutionary history of Colobanthus quitensis and its associated micro-organisms

本研究的主要目的是通过评估（i）其遗传多样性在种群内和种群间的分布，（ii）历史进程如何影响了南极洲和南美洲南部的Colobanthus quitensis的现代分布，（iii）南极洲和南美洲南部的Colobanthus quitensis的进化历史。quitensis在其南部的分布范围，以及（iii）遗传变异的地理模式是否与微生物区系的多样性及其共生效应相一致。这些预测将使用实验方法以及人口遗传和地理分析进行测试。这项研究计划将为南美洲和南极洲之间的植物群的进化历史提供新的基本线索。

The main goals of this proposal are to assess the evolutionary history of Colobanthus quitensis in Antarctica and southern South America by evaluating: (i) how its genetic diversity is distributed within and among populations, (ii) how historical processes have influenced the contemporary distribution of C. quitensis across its southern range of distribution, and (iii) whether geographical patterns of genetic variation are consistent with the diversity of microflora and their symbiotic effects. These predictions will be tested using experimental approaches as well as population genetic and phylogeographic analyses. This research proposal will shed fundamental new light on the evolutionary history of the flora between South America and the Antarctica.