Dissertation Research: Molecular Examination of the Relationship Between the Skunks (Mephitinae) and the Rest of the Mustelidae

论文研究：臭鼬（Mephitinae）与其他鼬科动物之间关系的分子研究

• 批准号: 9310553
• 负责人: John Bickham
• 金额: $ 0.95万
• 依托单位: Texas A&M Research Foundation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1993
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1993-08-01 至 1996-07-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9310553&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Molecular; Examination; Relationship

9310553 Bickham and Dragoo Although individual species of the family Mustelidae (weasels, badgers, otters, and skunks) in the mammalian order Carnivora are easy to recognize, taxonomic relationships among them and their phylogenetic connections are problematic, with numerous conflicting hypotheses based on morphological and chromosomal evidence. The diversity of morphological form, of behaviors, and of ecological preferences among mustelids is thought to represent several instances of parallel or convergent evolutionary change since the Miocene. The subfamily Mephitinae, the skunks, in particular is recognized as extremely divergent and perhaps is the earliest evolutionary lineage in the group. The purpose of work by graduate student Dragoo under the supervision of Dr. Bickham is to acquire new DNA nucleotide sequence data for comparative analysis of mutational difference among all species of skunks and among representatives in the four other subfamilies of Mustelidae. Both mitochondrial and nuclear genes are targeted for analysis, to provide evidence on both maternal lineages and biparental inheritance. %%% Conflicting interpretations of traditional morphological characters in mammal taxonomy have left unresolved the phylogeny of the family Mustelidae, the weasels, badgers, otters, and skunks of the world. An independent and robust dataset of DNA nucleotide sequences from both mitochondrial and nuclear genes will help resolve this problem, and in turn provide direction for evolutionary analysis of biogeography, behavioral changes, and ecological shifts.

9310553 Bickham和Dragoo 虽然属于食肉目的鼬科（鼬鼠、獾、水獭和臭鼬）的个别物种很容易辨认，但它们之间的分类关系和系统发育关系是有问题的，有许多基于形态学和染色体证据的相互矛盾的假设。 鼬科动物形态、行为和生态偏好的多样性被认为代表了中新世以来平行或趋同进化变化的几个实例。 特别是臭鼬亚科，被认为是极其分歧的，可能是该组中最早的进化谱系。 研究生Dragoo在Bickham博士的指导下工作的目的是获得新的DNA核苷酸序列数据，用于比较分析所有臭鼬物种和其他四个亚科的代表之间的突变差异。 线粒体和核基因都是分析的目标，以提供母系和双亲遗传的证据。 %%% 在哺乳动物分类学中，对传统形态学特征的错误解释，使得世界上鼬科、鼬鼠、獾、水獭和臭鼬的系统发育问题没有得到解决。 来自线粒体和核基因的DNA核苷酸序列的独立和强大的数据集将有助于解决这个问题，并反过来为生物学，行为变化和生态变化的进化分析提供方向。