Dissertation Research: Phylogenetic Relationships and the Evolution of Venoms in the South American "Triad" Coral Snakes (Micrurus, Elapidae)

9412285个地点的珊瑚蛇组成了一个大而五颜六色的高度神经毒性的新大陆蛇类，它们在热带地区获得了高度的物种多样性，并成为各种拟态研究的模型。最近对它们的系统发育(谱系)关系的研究在许多方面都失败了；物种群只被初步确定，而且支持力度仍然很弱。本研究将结合形态、同工酶和线粒体DNA序列数据来解决这个问题。它的第二个目标将是利用10-12种常用的蛇毒酶来建立一个关于这一组蛇的毒液生化变化历史的假说。这一假说将为在生态背景下对该物种进行更多的自然历史和毒液毒性研究提供一个框架。

9412285 Sites Coral snakes (Elapidae:Micrurus) constitute a large and colorful group of highly neurotoxic New World snakes that attain high species diversity in the tropics and have served as models for a variety of studies of mimicry. Recent studies of their phylogenetic (genealogical) relationships have failed in many respects; species groups have only been tentatively identified and remain weakly supported. The present study will address this problem using a combination of morphological, isozyme, and mtDNA sequence data. Its second objective will be to develop a hypothesis about the history of change in venom biochemistry within this group of snakes using 10-12 commonly assayed venom enzymes. This hypothesis will provide a framework for additional natural history and venom toxicity studies of the species within an ecological context.