海洋未知环境中纤毛虫的分布和区系研究为当今原生动物学领域中突出的薄弱环节之一，而全球范围内热带-亚热带水体中的研究尤为欠缺，此现状构成了海洋生物多样性、环境变化、生物地理学以及微食物网内能量循环与评估等研究的瓶颈。本项目以我国广东、海南沿海的自由生纤毛虫为目标，聚焦在地理区系、多样性、分子及生态学信息构建等。主要工作包括：1）开展对红树林等典型生境中纤毛虫形态种鉴定、新阶元描述、时空分布、生态学-区系资料库建立及关键类群的细胞分化模式研究，填补热带－亚热带海域中纤毛虫物种-生态系多样性研究的空白；2）构建和完善国际间分子信息缺失的海洋类群的DNA种库；3）完成迄今空缺类群的标记性基因的测序和提交；4）在分子信息采集的基础上，开展代表性类群基因条形码与宏基因条形码的研究；5）在分子与个体发生学信息分析的基础上，完成对钩刺类、叶咽类等6个纲级、约15个目级类群的系统发育分析与系统数的构建。

Researches on geographic distribution and diversity of ciliated protozoan in marine unknown environments, especially representative habitats, is one of most weakness and blank area in the current international ciliatology; furthermore, studies on tropical and subtropical marine taxa are particularly lacking. Previous work performed by the applicant group in last decades was mainly focusing on the groups in northern China seas while those in southern China waters remain largely unknown. The application project will target at long-term insufficiently explored, free-living forms in various Guangdong coastal mangrove wetlands and other biotopes in south China Sea, and focus on geographic fauna and distribution, community structure, taxonomy and systematics, and ecological function and change. Main research contents include: 1). To carry out studies on species identification and descriptions, spatial and temporal distribution, ecological characteristics of ciliates in mangrove wetlands along the coasts of southern China, and developmental mode of representative forms. It aims to fill in the gaps of study in diversity of ciliates in tropical – subtropical oceans at gene, species and ecosystem levels by means of classic, modern taxonomy and ecology; 2). To construct DNA library of many molecular information missing morphospecies; 3). To sequence about 2000 molecular mark genes (e.g. SSU rDNA, 5.8S, LSU rDNA, alpha-tubulin etc) of unknown taxa and submit data to the international GeneBank; 4). To carry out researches on gene and metagenomic barcoding of representative species based on the above marker gene screening and to perform ontogeny of some evolutionarily important taxa; 5). To complete phylogenetic analysis and system reconstruction of six classes (e.g. Haptoria, Karyorelictea, Phyllopharyngean) and ca. 15 orders of ciliates on the basis of analyseis of molecular and ontogenetic information.