刺山柑是第三纪古地中海的孑遗植物，在西部干旱区以单种属的形式分布于西喜马拉雅、东帕米尔、天山南北和河西走廊。作为旱生物种的典型代表，其防风固沙能力卓著，同时兼具药用和能源价值，存在过度人为开采和资源锐减的隐患。前期研究发现仅依据叶绿体基因片段不易全面评估刺山柑种群的整体遗传分化格局与资源现状。本项目拟对刺山柑在干旱区的分布地进行全面深入地调查，通过表型形态学、细胞学和SSR分子水平三个层面的差异，运用谱系地理学的方法，旨在获得不同分布地居群的系统发育多样性和遗传结构特征，研究刺山柑的谱系格局与地理环境的关系，对保护其遗传多样性，以及合理、可持续地开发利用其生物资源，深入评估其潜在进化能力具有重要的科学和现实意义。预期成果也将为今后有关旱生植物进化过程对古地质、古气候变迁逐步响应机制的研究提供一定的科学依据。

As a Tertiary relic plant originated from the arid Tethyan Flora, Capparis spinosa is distributed in the Western Himalayas, Eastern Pamir, the north and south sides of Tianshan Mountains and Hexi Corridor, in the form of only one single genus with one single species belonging exclusively to its family. As a typical xerophyte in western region, its ability for wind break and sand fixation is excellent, and it has both medicinal and energy value. However, there is too much crisis for its excess development and resource decrease. Preliminary study has found that only on the basis of chloroplast gene segments is not easy to comprehensively assess the whole pattern of genetic differentiation and resource situation of C. spinosa. Here we conduct a comprehensive investigation of the distribution of C. spinosa in arid region, through the differences from phenotypic morphology, cytology and SSR molecular marker. By using the method of phylogeography, we aim to obtain the phylogenetic diversity and genetic structure characteristics of different distributed groups. The study of the relationship between the phylogeographic pattern and geographical environment has important scientific and practical significance in protecting the genetic diversity, the reasonable and sustainable development of biological resources, and further evaluating the evolutionary potential of C. spinosa. Expected results will also provide the basis for future studies on how xerophytes gradually responded to ancient geological and climatic events.