Microscopy and digital imaging tools for biodiversity research

申请资助显微镜和数字成像系统，以支持生物多样性和进化研究。生物多样性研究中的一个基本问题是不同种类的生物是如何相互联系的。重建不同物种的“家谱”提供了一个关于它们如何起源的历史视角，也允许生物学家对它们的进化史提出无数的问题。我的研究重点是重建不同鱼类群体的进化树，包括针鱼、飞鱼和凤尾鱼。我们使用形态和分子（DNA）特征来实现这一目标。所要求的显微镜和成像系统将用于：(1)使用形态学准确识别物种，(2)收集对系统发育重建有用的形态学数据，(3)了解解剖特征的进化变化，以及(4)训练学生解释形态学。

Funding is requested for a microscope and digital imaging system to support biodiversity and evolutionary research. A basic question in studies of biodiversity is how different species of organisms are related to one another. Reconstructing the "family tree" for different species provides a historical perspective on how they originated, and also allows biologists to ask a myriad of questions about their evolutionary history. My research focuses specifically on reconstructing the evolutionary tree for different groups of fishes, including needlefishes, flyingfishes, and anchovies. We use both morphological and molecular (DNA) characters to accomplish this goal. The requested microscope and imaging system will be used to: (1) accurately identify species using morphology, (2) collect morphological data useful for phylogenetic reconstructions, (3) understand evolutionary changes in anatomical features, and (4) train students in the interpretation of morphology.