Award Abstract # 1403150
DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Uncovering the geographic pattern of species evolution in Madagascar using the myrrh genus (Commiphora Jacq.) and a target-enriched nuclear genomic approach

NSF Org: DEB
Division Of Environmental Biology
Recipient: GEORGE MASON UNIVERSITY
Initial Amendment Date: April 28, 2014
Latest Amendment Date: April 28, 2014
Award Number: 1403150
Award Instrument: Standard Grant
Program Manager: Simon Malcomber
smalcomb@nsf.gov
 (703)292-8227
DEB
 Division Of Environmental Biology
BIO
 Directorate for Biological Sciences
Start Date: July 1, 2014
End Date: June 30, 2016 (Estimated)
Total Intended Award Amount: $19,309.00
Total Awarded Amount to Date: $19,309.00
Funds Obligated to Date: FY 2014 = $19,309.00
History of Investigator:
  • Andrea Weeks (Principal Investigator)
    aweeks3@gmu.edu
  • Morgan Gostel (Co-Principal Investigator)
Recipient Sponsored Research Office: George Mason University
4400 UNIVERSITY DR
FAIRFAX
VA  US  22030-4422
(703)993-2295
Sponsor Congressional District: 11
Primary Place of Performance: George Mason University
VA  US  22030-4422
Primary Place of Performance
Congressional District:
11
Unique Entity Identifier (UEI): EADLFP7Z72E5
Parent UEI: H4NRWLFCDF43
NSF Program(s): PHYLOGENETIC SYSTEMATICS
Primary Program Source: 01001415DB NSF RESEARCH & RELATED ACTIVIT
Program Reference Code(s): 9169, 9179, EGCH, SMET
Program Element Code(s): 117100
Award Agency Code: 4900
Fund Agency Code: 4900
Assistance Listing Number(s): 47.074

ABSTRACT

In the last decade, scientific exploration of Madagascar's remarkable biodiversity and its origin has shifted to characterizing the drivers of evolution within the island. This project will use two endemic lineages of the myrrh tree genus (50 spp., Commiphora, Burseraceae) as models to test hypotheses regarding the influence of geography on species diversification in the seasonally dry tropical forests of western Madagascar. These hypotheses predict that species have arisen as a consequence of isolation caused by 1) watershed expansion and contraction, 2) river barriers, and 3) historical climate change. A subset of 959 nuclear genes will be sampled from all endemic species using a cost-effective high-throughput method that combines microfluidic amplification and massively-parallel sequencing. The resulting data will be used to reconstruct the evolutionary history of these species and will be combined with specimen-based mapping to test the overarching biogeographical hypotheses.

Genomic markers developed as part of this research will also be evaluated for their transferability to other species across the angiosperm tree of life, which may expand the methodological toolkit for all plant systematists. This research will provide mentorship opportunities for two undergraduate students and will support their professional development, including presentation of their research at a national meeting. Additional outreach will be provided to involve K-12 and undergraduate students through ongoing mentorship activities.

PUBLICATIONS PRODUCED AS A RESULT OF THIS RESEARCH

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Morgan Gostel, Kiera Coy, and Andrea Weeks "Microfluidic PCR?based target enrichment: A case study in two rapid radiations of Commiphora (Burseraceae) from Madagascar" Journal of Systematics and Evolution , v.53 , 2015 , p.411
Morgan Gostel, Peter B. Phillipson, and Andrea Weeks "Phylogenetic Reconstruction of the Myrrh Genus, Commiphora (Burseraceae), Reveals Multiple Radiations in Madagascar and Clarifies Infrageneric Relationships" Systematic Botany , v.41 , 2016 , p.67

PROJECT OUTCOMES REPORT

Disclaimer

This Project Outcomes Report for the General Public is displayed verbatim as submitted by the Principal Investigator (PI) for this award. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this Report are those of the PI and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation; NSF has not approved or endorsed its content.

NSF Award 1403150 provided support for the improvement of co-PI Gostel’s doctoral dissertation research. The activities completed as a result of this support included the development of new molecular resources to uncover evolutionary relationships in the myrrh genus (Commiphora, Burseraceae). A key broader impact of this work included successfully testing the applicability of these new molecular resources to other flowering plants besides Commiphora. These new resources will continue to help other researchers to understand how closely related species of plants are to one another and, as a result, test hypotheses regarding features of the plants or environment that may have played a role in resulting organismal evolution. For our project, these resources were used to understand the evolution of closely related plant species in one of the world’s hottest biodiversity hotspots, Madagascar. Madagascar is home to hyper-diverse flora; the majority of flowering plant species found here is found nowhere else. For example, all of the Madagascar species in the myrrh genus are unique to this island. Causes for the evolution of such diversity are not well understood, however several recent hypotheses have suggested the environment and climate have played an important role in shaping the flora of this unique island. In order to test these hypotheses for the myrrh genus, we sequenced DNA from regions of plant’s genome that have never been sampled before in order to compare species to one another and reconstruct their historical evolutionary relationships. We found that the new genomic resources we sequenced were very effective for this purpose. Using this ‘map’ of evolutionary history of Commiphora, we traced the steps of its evolution to reconstruct when and where it colonized the unique habitats of Madagascar. Our results suggest that the evolution of these plants in Madagascar has resulted from four independent invasions from continental Africa followed by two rapid, near simultaneous radiations of species. The pattern of speciation is not consistent with any one individual biogeographic hypothesis, however. We have published four articles in peer-reviewed journals that discuss the results of work supported by this project and we anticipate at least two more to be published in the next two years.

The research supported by this project resulted in the training and professional development for multiple students and numerous presentations to disseminate results to the botanical community. Critical training was provided to two graduate students pursuing their doctoral degree as a result of this project. One of these students, co-PI Gostel, completed their work and defended his dissertation research. The other student, Elizabeth Collins, will use the resources produced as a result of this project in her ongoing dissertation research. Furthermore, we have collaborated with other researchers working on similar projects by sharing our unpublished results and molecular resources. One undergraduate research student worked helped analyze initial results and co-authored a publication with the PI’s. Results from this work have been disseminated at four national meetings in the form of two posters and three oral presentations. The data produced by this work continues to be utilized in research for the myrrh genus, Commiphora, as well as other closely and distantly related groups of plants. The PI and co-PI continue to work with student mentees and collaborators (nationally and internationally) to expand resources developed as a result of this project.


Last Modified: 09/13/2016
Modified by: Morgan R Gostel

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