Molecular Phylogenetics of the Major Lineages of Adephagan Beetles (Insecta: Coleoptera), with an Emphasis on Carabid Diversification

9420219 MADDISON本项目将利用分子序列数据重建粘虫亚目（昆虫纲：鞘翅目）甲虫主要谱系的亲缘关系或模式。 嗜脂甲虫是一个地质上古老的甲虫谱系，目前在陆地、树木和水生栖息地发现成员。 它们有30，000多个物种，比哺乳动物、鸟类和爬行动物的总和还要多样化，是温带和北极地区占主导地位的小型掠食者之一。 以前的研究基于形态学数据已经产生了大量的竞争假说的关系和生态变化的性质的亚目。 预计分子数据将解决其中一些冲突。 该项目所寻求的系统发育框架对于特定家族和部落内的多样性研究是必要的，例如快速辐射的bembidiine步甲，或对Adephaga整体的结构，细胞遗传学，地理学和生态多样性的研究。对于这个项目，将使用分子序列数据来探索adephagan家庭的关系，以及地面甲虫的主要谱系的关系，60个焦点分类群已被选择，以涵盖的多样性的亚目，以及外群代表从其余三个甲虫亚目。 所选择的adephagan代表物种代表了当前争议或相互冲突的关系假设的主要参与者。 分类群的选择是为了挑战每个科的单系性，并尽量减少单系发生中长谱系的数量（因为这些增加了系统发育推断方法的错误率）。 三个基因的部分，总共约2,600个碱基对，将被测序：18 S核糖体DNA（核基因），12 S核糖体DNA（线粒体），和一个蛋白质编码基因。 在检查一组多样化的基因时，任何一个基因片段中由不同的变化模式所引起的潜在偏见都将是无效的。 这项研究的最终产品预计将是一个良好的支持adephagan家庭和步甲的主要谱系的关系或地图，这将作为这些甲虫群体内的未来比较研究的基础。 支持这项研究将有助于我们通过建立主要群体之间的关系来了解大量甲虫谱系的生物多样性。 这些信息将成为未来对这些群体进行生态研究的重要基础，这些群体包括许多重要的捕食者，因此是食物网多样性的主要组成部分。 ***

9420219 MADDISON This project will reconstruct the phylogeny or pattern of relationships of the major lineages of beetles of the suborder Adephaga (Insecta: Coleoptera) using molecular sequence data. Adephagans are a geologically old lineage of beetles with members currently found in terrestrial, arboreal and aquatic habitats. With over 30,000 species, they are more diverse than mammals, birds and reptiles combined and are among the dominant small predators in temperate and arctic regions. Previous studies based on morphological data have yielded a large number of competing hypotheses about relationships and the nature of ecological change within the suborder. It is anticipated that molecular data will resolve some of these conflicts. The resolved phylogenetic frame sought with this project is necessary for studies of diversification within particular families and tribes, for example the rapidly radiating bembidiine carabids, or studies of the structural, cytogenetic, biogeographic and ecological diversity in Adephaga as a whole. For this project which will use molecular sequence data to explore the relationships of adephagan families as well as the relationships of the major lineages of ground beetles, 60 focal taxa have been chosen to encompass the diversity of the suborder as well as outgroup representatives from the three remaining beetle suborders. The adephagan representative species chosen represent major players in the current controversies or conflicting hypotheses of relationships. Taxa have been chosen to challenge the monophyly of each family and to minimize the number of long lineages on the phylogeny (as these increase the error rate of phylogenetic inference methods). Portions of three genes, totalling about 2,600 base pairs, will be sequenced: 18S ribosomal DNA (a nuclear gene), 12S ribosomal DNA (mitochondrial), and one protein-coding gene. In examining a diverse collection of genes, the potential biases caused by distinctive modes of change in any one piece will be a voided. The end product of this study is expected to be a well-supported phylogeny or map of relationships of adephagan families and the major lineages of carabid beetles, that will serve as a foundation for future comparative studies within these beetle groups. %%% Support of this research will contribute to our knowledge of biodiversity of a large number of beetle lineages by establishing relationships among major groups. This information will form an important basis for future ecological studies of these groups which include many important predators and are thus a major component of a diversity of food webs. ***