Dissertation Research: A Molecular Phylogeny of the Icterina

论文研究：黄疸的分子系统发育

• 批准号: 8800710
• 负责人: Sievert Rohwer
• 金额: $ 1万
• 依托单位: University of Washington
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1988
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1988-06-01 至 1990-11-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=8800710&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Molecular; Phylogeny; Icterina

The goal of this project is to reconstruct the evolutionary history of what may be the world's most diverse family of birds: the blackbirds. The blackbird family, or Icterinae, includes the familiar red-winged blackbirds, meadowlarks, and orioles of North America, as well as many species native to Mexico and Central and South America. The blackbirds range in size from the tiny orchard oriole to the gigantic Montezuma oropendula, in mating systems from the strictly monogamous melodious blackbird to the highly polygynous Mexican cacique, and in color from the radiant orange of northern orioles to the velvet black of mountain grackles. Our task is to compare the DNA of different species and reconstruct the group's phylogeny, or family tree. Using this tree, we will try to answer several important questions: Have the highly social lineages evolved more rapidly than the solitary ones? The astonishingly rapid evolution of human posture, brain size, and hand morphology may have resulted from intense selection for novel adaptations triggered when individuals in social groups learned new food-gathering techniques. Has this type of evolution occurred in birds? In some Icterine lineages males (primarily) use elaborate displays and songs and bright coloration to compete for mates and food. Have these "conspicuous" groups speciated more rapidly than the more dully-colored, "quieter" lineages? Perhaps an entirely new species could arise when a mutation introduced a novel type of song or patch of color to use in acquiring or defending resources. A molecular phylogeny of the Icterinae should produce a wealth of insights into the evolutionary process.

该项目的目标是重建可能是世界上最多样化的鸟类家族：黑鸟的进化历史。 黑鸫科（黄鹂亚科）包括北美常见的红翅黑鸫、草地鹨和黄鹂，以及许多原产于墨西哥和中南美洲的物种。 黑鸫的体型从微小的果园黄鹂到巨大的蒙特祖马奥彭杜拉，交配系统从严格的一夫一妻制的悠扬黑鸫到高度一夫多妻制的墨西哥酋长，颜色从北方黄鹂的光芒四射的橙色到山鹩莺的天鹅绒黑色。 我们的任务是比较不同物种的 DNA 并重建该群体的系统发育或家谱。 利用这棵树，我们将尝试回答几个重要问题：高度社会化的谱系比孤独的谱系进化得更快吗？ 人类姿势、大脑大小和手部形态的惊人快速进化可能是由于社会群体中的个体学习新的食物采集技术时引发的对新适应的强烈选择的结果。 这种类型的进化发生在鸟类身上吗？ 在一些黄疸属谱系中，雄性（主要）使用精心设计的表演、歌曲和鲜艳的色彩来争夺配偶和食物。 这些“显眼”的群体是否比颜色更暗淡、“安静”的谱系更快地形成物种？ 当突变引入一种新型的歌曲或一种新的颜色来获取或保护资源时，也许会出现一个全新的物种。 黄疸亚科的分子系统发育应该能够为进化过程提供丰富的见解。