Dissertation Research: Nuclear and Mitochondrial Phylogeny of the Lesser Apes (Hylobates)

这个项目将在几个方面帮助我们了解长臂猿(较小的类人猿)。首先，将为所有长臂猿物种生成新的DNA序列。这些新序列将被用来构建长臂猿的进化树，这棵树形成了研究其他进化问题的基础。将使用三个独立的DNA序列数据集构建一棵由四个亚属和九个种组成的长臂猿树：一个来自线粒体细胞色素氧化酶亚基II基因，一个来自编码在X染色体上的葡萄糖-6-磷酸脱氢酶基因，以及一个来自Y染色体编码的锌指基因。DNA序列差异水平也将被用来评估物种和亚种相对于其他被广泛接受的灵长类动物对的分类地位。这些数据还将被用来估计长臂猿从类人猿中分离出来的日期，以及随后的长臂猿辐射。形态、声音和行为特征将被映射到树上，以研究特征进化的各个方面。最后，将确定特定物种的诊断地点，这可能有助于保护工作，因为几个长臂猿物种被列为濒危物种。

This project will contribute to our knowledge of gibbons (the lesser apes) in several ways. First, new DNA sequences will be generated for all of the gibbon species. These new sequences will be used to construct an evolutionary tree for the gibbons, and this tree forms a base from which to study other evolutionary questions. A tree of the four subgenera and nine species of gibbons will be constructed using three independent DNA sequence data sets: one from the mitochondrial cytochrome oxidase subunit II gene, one from the glucose-6-phosphate-dehydrogenase gene encoded on the X chromosome, and one from the zinc finger gene encoded on the Y chromosome. Levels of DNA sequence divergence will also be used to assess taxonomic status of species and subspecies relative to other well-accepted primate pairs. These data also will be used to estimate the date of the split of gibbons from the great apes, and the subsequent gibbon radiation. Morphological, vocal, and behavioral characters will be mapped onto the tree to study aspects of character evolution. Finally, species-specific diagnostic sites will be identified, which may assist in conservation efforts since several gibbon species are classified as endangered.