PRF: Molecular and Morphological Evolution of the Finfoots (Aves: Heliornithidae)

鸟类的进化关系将通过溶液DNA杂交和核苷酸序列比较来确定。通过对生物体关系的分子与形态和古生物学研究的假设，不同的日鸟关系假说被不同地预测。这些假设包括但不限于，系统发育和生物地理的相关性，DNA进化速度的恒定，以及形态特化的不可逆转性。鳍脚关系的解决将间接检验这些假设，因此它们对其他群体的普遍适用性。这项研究之所以可行，只是因为一些非常稀有物种的DNA将从死亡已久的博物馆标本中克隆出来，这证明了博物馆藏品的不可预见的用途。Peter W.Houde博士将在普林斯顿大学为期两年的任期内进行这项博士后研究。

The evolutionary relationships of the avian family Heliornithidae will be determined by solution DNA hybridization and nucleotide sequence comparisons. Alternate hypotheses of heliornithid relationships are predicted differentially by the assumptions of molecular versus morphological and paleontological studies of organismal relationships. The assumptions include, but are not limited to, the correlation of phylogeny and biogeography, the constancy of the rate of evolution of DNA, and the irreversibility of morphological specializations. Resolution of finfoot relationships will test these assumptions indirectly, hence their general applicability to other groups. This study is feasible only because the DNA of some very rare species will be cloned from long-dead museum specimens, demonstrating unforeseen utility of museum collections. Dr. Peter W. Houde will conduct this postdoctoral fellowship research during a two-year tenure period at Princeton University.