Bamboos, with about 1,400 described species, are members of the grass family associated with tropical to temperate forests worldwide. Bamboos are economically important as building materials and household items (among many other uses) and are ecologically significant as a key component of many remnant habitats that preserve threatened and endangered plant and animal species. Despite this importance, bamboo diversity and evolutionary relationships (= family tree or phylogeny) are poorly known relative to other grasses and bamboo classification remains unstable. These issues create difficulties for biologists, conservationists, and those interested in developing bamboo as a sustainable resource. The principal goals of this project are to 1) generate a phylogeny for the bamboos using DNA data, data on the physical structure of bamboos, and innovative analytical and statistical methods; 2) construct a stable classification of bamboos at the genus level that reflects this phylogeny; 3) use the phylogeny to study the evolution and biology of selected features (such as vegetative branching) of these unusual grasses; 4) establish an umbrella Web site for bamboo biodiversity to host a comprehensively illustrated and interactive identification resource to the genera of bamboos and to make information on bamboo biodiversity more readily available to users around the world. An international team of bamboo biologists (the Bamboo Phylogeny Group) with complementary expertise will be established to achieve these goals.
This collaborative effort will result in a much-improved understanding of the evolutionary history and biodiversity of bamboos. A stable generic classification will facilitate communication about bamboos and in conjunction with an accessible identification resource will be valued by a wide range of users, including ecologists, conservation biologists, foresters, biologists, bamboo enthusiasts, architects, engineers, and others interested in developing bamboo as a sustainable resource. Graduate and undergraduate students will receive training in plant classification and the construction of phylogenies (both important components of systematic biology) as well as current techniques of DNA manipulation and bioinformatics through participation in all phases of the project. Improvements and innovations in analytical methods that result from this project will be applicable to a wide range of fields that use bioinformatics or phylogenetic methods, such as developmental genetics, conservation genetics, genomics, and medical research. Existing museum and living collections will be strengthened through the fieldwork. Results will be widely disseminated to both the general public and the scientific community through presentations, publications, and the Bamboo Biodiversity Web site.
Bamboos are the only major group of grasses to diversify in forests. Well known to the public, bamboos have long contributed to local economies and natural ecosystems in tropical and warm temperate regions worldwide. Scientists have described more than 1,400 species of bamboo that are divided into two categories: woody (about 1300 species) and herbaceous (about 120 species). Relationships among bamboo groups are still poorly understood despite centuries of study by botanists. With this grant from the National Science Foundation, the Bamboo Phylogeny Group was formed to coordinate research efforts of more than 20 international specialists interested in bamboo diversity and evolution. Aims of the group include the following: (1) generate the first comprehensive and rigorously tested evolutionary tree for bamboos based upon DNA and morphological evidence; (2) construct a stable scientific classification system based on that evolutionary tree; (3) test ideas about the origin of bamboo features that might have contributed to their diversity and success in forest habitats; and (4) establish an umbrella website for bamboo biodiversity that features keys, images, DNA sequences and other resources for worldwide use in the identification of bamboos. Intellectual contributions of the project are numerous. Three major groups of bamboos are now recognized, two of which are woody. The unusual herbaceous bamboos form a single lineage that might be derived from a woody ancestor. By rigorously testing the evolutionary tree of DNA relationships, we created the best supported estimate ever produced for bamboos which can now be used to stabilize their scientific classification. Many new lineages of bamboos were revealed for the first time, each with a consistent pattern of geography and evolutionary history. The subsequent reclassification of bamboo tribes and subtribes is readily interpretable in light of these patterns and unique morphological features. Methodology used for DNA analysis in this study has widespread applications in biology, particularly in the way scientists do DNA comparison among organisms and estimate evolutionary trees of relationship. Several new DNA regions were developed for future use in the analysis of genetic similarity in plants. A stabilized classification system from this work will greatly ease the scientific study and description of bamboos as well as provide a critical tool for the monitoring and management of endangered bamboo habitats. Activities of the project have several broader impacts to science and society. Most prominent among these is the direct training by individual research experiences of nearly 30 university students, both graduate and undergraduate, most of whom are women. High school students and teachers were also involved in aspects of the work and many are authors on a scientific publication. The research fostered interactions with faculty and students in several countries and offered the opportunity for more than 70 presentations to the general public and scientific community here and abroad. Several partnerships were begun that will continue the work related to the project even though funding has expired. Establishment of the Bamboo Biodiversity Website and the Bamboo Phylogeny Database now provides an online knowledge repository; the sites will be further developed with tools for internet-based identification of bamboos anywhere in the world. The improved knowledge of bamboo relationships offered by this study is an essential component for advancing bamboo research and use by human societies, particularly in the areas of horticulture, agroforestry, and conservation. To date, the project has generated more than 20 peer-reviewed articles in scientific journals, with another dozen in various stages of preparation. Nearly 40 presentations have been made at scientific conferences, and more than 20 invited talks and workshops have been given at scientific institutions around the world. Fieldwork was conducted in nine countries in South America and Asia which greatly increased the tissue and DNA collections available for bamboo analysis. The Bamboo Phylogeny Database was developed to serve as a research repository for bamboo DNA sequences and the Bamboo Biodiversity Website was established for further development as an umbrella site for bamboo images, descriptions, databases and identification keys. The project has greatly enhanced the future potential of bamboo scientific research.
