WANG, HONGSHAN1*, DOUGLAS E. SOLTIS2, PAMELA S. SOLTIS1, DAVID L. DILCHER1, and PATRICK S. HERENDEEN3. 1Florida Museum of Natural History, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL32611-7800, U.S.A; 2Department of Botany, The University of Florida, Gainesville, FL32611-8526, U.S.A; 3Department of Biological Sciences, The George Washington University, 2023 G Street NW, Washington, DC 20052, U.S.A. - Deep Time: A Comprehensive Phylogentic Tree of Living and Fossil Angiosperms.
The Deep Time project is funded through a Research Coordination
Network grant from NSF. About 50 scientists representing 23
institutions from 10 countries have participated in the project. The
objective of Deep Time is to facilitate, coordinate, and stimulate new
research at the interface of paleobotany, geology, and
systematics/phylogenetics. Integrating fossils into phylogenetic trees
of living taxa remains essential for understanding the origin of
extant angiosperms and the origins of morphological features. However,
attempts at such integrations have been rare. Five "Focus
Groups" will work on the following basic areas in this
collaboration: 1) Prioritization and correct characterization of
fossils; 2) Correct time estimation of fossils; 3) Construction of a
morphological data matrix for clades of extant angiosperms; 4)
Integration of fossils into the angiosperm tree; and 5) Calibration of
branch points in the cladogram and studies of molecular evolution.
Deep Time activities include annual meetings, workshops, student
travel and research training awards, and website development. The goal
of Deep Time is to explore the ways in which angiosperm fossils can be
appropriately integrated into the phylogenetic framework for extant
taxa, with the ultimate goal of forming a comprehensive phylogenetic
tree of living and fossil angiosperms. The Deep Time RCN has had two
meeting/workshops during the past year. The general Deep Time RCN
website was set up at http://www.flmnh.ufl.edu/deeptime. Student
travel grants were awarded, enabling 5 in 2001 and 8 so far in 2002
graduate students and post-docs to attend Deep Time workshops and/or
BSA annual meetings. Two graduate student training grants were awarded
to support extended research in labs of other Deep Time participants.
An initial "test case" research on Juglandaceae for the
methods of fossil integration shows quite promising results. Several
publications have already resulted from the Deep Time RCN including
Sun et al. (2002).
Key words: angiosperms, Juglandaceae, phylogentic tree, Research Coordination Network