NSFDEB-NERC: Subtribal classification and generic delimitation among Eastern Hemisphere ironweeds (Vernonieae, Compositae)

生物多样性危机是人类面临的最紧迫的全球性威胁之一。面对这一挑战，了解植物多样性和评估保护优先事项至关重要。由于分类学上的障碍，物种在被发现和描述之前就已经灭绝了。增加对数字化收藏品及其数据的访问可能会为分类障碍提供一个解决方案，全球菊科数据库（GCD）就是为此目的建立的。几乎每十种开花植物中就有一种属于向日葵科（菊科）。菊科的分类是复杂的物种（超过33，000）和属（约30，000）的数量。1 800）。斑鸠菊族是这个科中最大的一个族，它被证明是如此难以进行分类修订，因此它通常被称为“邪恶的族”。“从历史上看，超过1,000的CA。斑鸠菊属斑鸠菊科有1,500种。该属最近被重新界定为仅包括美洲的21种，这促使了对ca的重新分类。从斑鸠菊属到其他属有1,000种。大部分的工作已经在西半球完成，但很少有研究已经进行了超过700种的东半球斑鸠菊。目前，至少有200种东半球的斑鸠菊属物种仍然存在，但由于该部落的属划分不明确，因此尚不清楚它们属于哪个属。本研究旨在通过新的、变革性的分类学方法解决东半球斑鸠菊族的分类学障碍，包括五个目标：（1）通过详细的标本室研究和五次采集考察，克服阻碍东半球斑鸠菊族综合分类的关键性取样差距;（2）建立东半球斑鸠菊族植物的进化框架，并探索一套宏观的进化机制。（3）开展系统研究，结合植物基因组学和形态学数据，解决东半球斑鸠菊族所有种的属位问题;（4）通过全球菊科数据库传播分类信息;（5）培养下一代植物系统学家和菊科分类学专家。

OVERVIEW:The biodiversity crisis is among the most urgent global threats facing humanity. Confronted by this challenge, it is critical to understand plant diversity and assess conservation priorities. Exacerbated by the taxonomic impediment, species are going extinct before they are discovered and described. Increased access to digitized collections and their data may offer a solution to the taxonomic impediment and the Global Compositae Database (GCD) was established for this purpose. Nearly one in every ten species of flowering plant belongs to the sunflower family (Compositae). Classification of Compositae is complicated by the number of species (more than 33,000) and genera (ca. 1,800). One of the largest tribes in this family, Vernonieae, has proven so intractable for taxonomic revision it is often referred to as the "evil tribe." Historically, more than 1,000 of the ca. 1,500 species in Vernonieae were recognized in the genus Vernonia. This genus has recently been recircumscribed to include just 21 species in the Americas, which instigated the necessary reclassification of ca. 1,000 species from Vernonia to other genera. Much of this work has been completed in the Western Hemisphere, but few studies have been undertaken for the more than 700 species of Eastern Hemisphere Vernonieae. At least 200 Eastern Hemisphere species currently remain in Vernonia but because of poor generic delimitation in this tribe it is unclear in which genus they belong. This proposal will address the taxonomic impediment in Eastern Hemisphere Vernonieae using novel and transformative approaches to taxonomy that comprise five objectives: (1) overcome critical sampling gaps preventing integrative taxonomy of Eastern Hemisphere Vernonieae through detailed herbarium study and five collecting expeditions; (2) develop a robust evolutionary framework of Eastern Hemisphere Vernonieae with phylogenomics and explore a suite of macro- and micromorphological characters to facilitate taxonomic revision; (3) undertake systematic study that combines phylogenomic and morphological data to resolve generic placement of all species of Eastern Hemisphere Vernonieae; (4) disseminate taxonomic information via the Global Compositae Database; and (5) provide training for the next generation of plant systematists and taxonomic experts in Compositae.