Cone and Ovule Development in Relation to Systematics       and Evolution of Taxodiaceae and Cupressaceae
{'Code': '08010207', 'Directorate': {'Abbreviation': 'BIO', 'LongName': 'Direct For Biological Sciences'}, 'Division': {'Abbreviation': 'DEB', 'LongName': 'Division Of Environmental Biology'}}
{'SignBlockName': 'Penelope L. Firth', 'PO_EMAI': None, 'PO_PHON': None}
Dr. Tomlinson and Japanese postdoctoral associate Dr. Takaso            of Harvard University will study the classification of two                      families of conifers, the Taxodiaceae (swamp-cypress family) and                Cupressaceae (true cypress family).  Taxonomic distinctions among               these conifers are limited by knowledge of reproductive features;               much of our current understanding depends upon data provided by                 morphologists of the last century.  On the other hand, conifers                 provide the opportunity to examine evolutionary processes and                   establish precise phylogenetic classifications because they have                an extended fossil record so that it should be possible to trace                lineages directly by comparing existing species with extinct                    forms.  This comparison is made difficult, however, because cone                morphology, upon which classification is partly based, is                       determined by processes of reduction so that the identity of                    reduced structures in modern forms is often difficult to                        establish in preserved fossils.  The proposed research will look                at the way in which these controversial structures originate in                 the growth of individual cones, starting from early stages of                   development.  Scanning electron microscopy, which greatly                       facilitates the examination of early developmental stages, will                 be used extensively in conjunction with standard histological                   study of anatomy and vasculature.  The information will help                    clarify taxonomic relationships among living genera and provide                 models for the interpretation of the morphology of fossil cones                 that have been proposed as ancestral forms of these conifers.
{'FirstName': 'Philip', 'LastName': 'Tomlinson', 'PI_MID_INIT': 'B', 'PI_SUFX_NAME': None, 'PI_FULL_NAME': 'Philip B Tomlinson', 'EmailAddress': 'pbtomlin@fas.harvard.edu', 'NSF_ID': '000267476', 'StartDate': '04/15/1988', 'EndDate': None, 'RoleCode': 'Principal Investigator'}
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[{'Code': '1127', 'Text': 'Evolutionary Processes'}, {'Code': '9120', 'Text': 'CROSS-DIRECTORATE PROGRAMS'}]
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