Dissertation Research: The Comparative Method: Examples from the Avian Genus Piranga and its Relatives

9321316约翰逊这项研究使用了各种数据，包括羽毛图案、蛋白质电泳、线粒体DNA和形态等，研究了Piranga(Tanagers)及其近缘鸟类的历史。这些数据将为这一群体生成系统发育(家谱)假说，这将被用作研究羽毛二型性(雄性和雌性具有不同的羽毛颜色和图案)、季节性迁徙和发声的背景。这项研究将证明羽毛二型性与各种生活史特征之间是否存在相关性，这些信息将被用来检验关于鸟类羽毛二型性重要性的假说。

9321316 Johnson This study examines the history of the avian genus Piranga (tanagers) and its relatives using a variety of kinds of data including plumage patterns, protein electrophoresis, mitochondrial DNA, and morphology. These data will allow generation of phylogenetic (genealogical) hypotheses for this group, which will be used as a backdrop for study of plumage dimorphism (males and females have different plumage colors and patterns), seasonal migration, and vocalizations. %%% The study will demonstrate whether correlations exist between plumage dimorphism and various life history traits, and this information will be used to test hypotheses about the significance of plumage dimorphism in birds.