Biosystematics of Indo-Chinese Flora

Research Project

Project/Area Number	05041083
Research Category	Grant-in-Aid for international Scientific Research
Allocation Type	Single-year Grants
Section	Field Research
Research Institution	The University of Tokyo
Principal Investigator	IWATSUKI Kunio Univ.of Tokyo, Faculty of Science, Professor, 理学部, 教授 (10025348)
Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha)	THIN Nguyen ベトナム, ハノイ大学, 教授 SVENGSUKUSA B. Dongdok University, Vice Rector, ドンドク大学, 副学長 PHENGKLAI C. Royal Forest Dept.of Thailand, Professor, 教授 VIDAL J.e. Paris Natural History Museum, Honorary Staff, 名誉館員 MURAKAMI Noriaki Univ.of Tokyo, Faculty of Science, Research Associate, 理学部, 助手 (60192770) FUKUOKA Nobuyuki Shouei Junior Coolege, Professor, 教授 (90071430) KOYAMA Hiroshige National Science Museum, Div.of Botany, Head Botanist, 植物研究部, 室長 (90000132) THIN N.n. Hanoi University, Professor THIN N.N. ハノイ大学 (ベトナム), 教授 SVENGSUKSA B ドンドク大学 (ラオス), 副学長 PHENGKHLAI C タイ王立森林局, 教授
Project Period (FY)	1993 – 1994
Project Status	Completed (Fiscal Year 1994)
Budget Amount *help	¥12,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥12,000,000) Fiscal Year 1994: ¥6,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,000,000) Fiscal Year 1993: ¥6,000,000 (Direct Cost: ¥6,000,000)
Keywords	Indo-China / Vietnam / Laos / Flora / Pteridophytes / Hymenasplenium / Neottopteris / Molecular phylogeny / タイ / 多様性 / 分類学
Research Abstract	In June, 1994, K.Iwatsuki visited Paris Natural History Museum and investigated "Flora of Indo-China" based on the specimen deposited in their herbarium. During December, 1994 - January, 1995, K.Iwatsuki, N.Murakami and J.Yokoyama (assistant member of this project) visited Vietnam, Laos, and Thailand. Collaborating with C.Phengklai (Thailand), B.Svengsukusa (Laos) and N.N.Thin (Vietnam), we collected more than 2000 numbers of herbarium specimens and many DNA samples. This year, we got important results from our expedition to Northern Vietnam. This area is plant geographically important place, especially when we consider speciation of Japanese and Chinese plants. However, this area has not been well botanized and thus our expedition can contribute to great advances in understanding of the Flora and its evolutionary origin. For seed plants, we collected many specimen of Moraceae, Araceae, Rubiaceae, Cameliaceae and Compositae which had flowers and fruits in that season. We collected a new species of Arisaema (Araceae) from the mountain forest of Sapa. No related species to the new species have ever been collected in China, and thus is valuable when we consider speciation of Arisaema. Our study on these herbarium specimens are in progress. For ferns, we collected many specimens of Hymenasplenium and Neottopteris (Aspleniaceae). Both of the groups are very simple in morphology and hard to recognize the species. Therefore, we collected DNA samples as well as herbarium specimens from every localities where we found these plants, and made detailed comparison between them after we came back to Japan. We already determined nucleotide sequences of rbcL gene from some of these samples, and found several molecularly distinguishable taxonomic units. Further analyzes on our samples and specimen from Indo-China will lead us to deep understanding of the group.