This project is a two-year collaborative study of the fern genus Megalastrum, which comprises about 60 species worldwide. The project has two goals: first, to produce a taxonomic treatment of the genus that will determine what the species are and where they occur, and that will also provide a means to identify the species and give basic information about them. Second, the project will produce an evolutionary tree showing the relationships between species. The tree will serve as a framework to pose and answer interesting questions about biogeography and character evolution in the genus.
The project's scientific importance and broader significance are several. Fundamentally, it will result in an improved understanding of the taxonomy and evolution of Megalastrum, including the likely discovery of species new to science. The project will examine factors responsible for fern diversification in general in tropical America where the genus is most diverse. A full-time post-doc and female graduate student will be trained on this project, as well as a Brazilian collaborator who will spend one month with the post-doc learning the techniques of DNA analysis. All results will be posted on a project website that will be maintained at the PI's home institution, The New York Botanical Garden.
