Multiple Gene Study of Diversification in Woodpeckers

9726512摩尔分子生物学的最新进展不仅使更详细地研究生物多样性的历史成为可能，而且使更详细地研究产生生物多样性的遗传、生态和地质过程成为可能。南美洲的鸟类种类比世界其他地区要多。威廉·摩尔的这项研究集中在两组啄木鸟身上，这两组啄木鸟是研究南美洲鸟类多样性起源的范例。这两个类群是Colaptes(Flickers)属和近缘关系密切的Pylus属。初步证据表明，这些群体的祖先大约在300-350万年前巴拿马地峡形成时从北美进入南美洲。随后物种的激增似乎与大约200万年前安第斯山脉的形成密切相关。物种形成与新物种生态适应的巨大变化有关；例如，森林栖息物种产生了草原物种。摩尔博士将根据线粒体基因的DNA序列和核基因的内含子重建这些群体的系统发展史。这些序列的突变速度对重建2000万年前的生物群的遗传史是有用的。系统发育将被用作一个框架，在此基础上更好地了解物种是如何以及何时在这些群体中形成的，并获得它们的形态、生态和行为特征。

9726512 Moore Recent advances in molecular biology made it possible to study in much greater detail not only the history of biological diversity but the genetic, ecological and geological processes that produce biological diversity. The number of species of birds is higher in South America than in other regions of the world. This research by William Moore focuses on two groups of woodpeckers that serve as paradigms for studying the origin of avian diversity in South America. The groups are the genus Colaptes (flickers) and the closely related genus Piculus. Preliminary evidence suggests that the ancetors of these groups entered South America from North America when the Isthmus of Panama was formed approximately 3 - 3.5 million years ago. The subsequent proliferation of species appears to be closely associated with the formation of the Andes Mountains approximately 2 million years ago. Speciation was associated with dramatic changes in the ecological adaptations of new species; for example, forest dwelling species giving rise to grassland species. Dr. Moore will reconstruct a phylogeny for these groups based on DNA sequences from mitochondrial genes and introns from nuclear genes. These sequences mutate at rates that are useful for reconstructing the genetic history of groups of organisms that are up to 20 million years old. The phylogeny will be used as a framework upon which a better understanding of how and when species formed in these groups and obtained their morphological, ecological and behavioral characteristics.