Collaborative Research: Higher-Level Relationships Among Microchiropteran Bats Based On Mitochondrial Gene Sequences, Morphology, and Echolocation Call Structure

货车登布舍DEB 9873657几乎五分之一的现存哺乳动物物种是回声定位蝙蝠的亚目小蝙蝠。 这些动物扮演着各种重要的生态角色。 大多数物种捕食夜间昆虫，而另一些则是植物授粉或种子传播所必需的。 人类对蝙蝠种群和物种的影响越来越大，对农业和害虫管理产生了严重影响。 尽管之前有许多研究，生物学家们对不同蝙蝠群体之间的关系仍然没有达成一致。 特别值得关注的是更高级别的蝙蝠群体之间的关系（例如，属和科）。 如果没有这些知识，就很难解释不同蝙蝠群体在翅膀结构、声纳能力和生态学方面的广泛变化。 清楚地了解蝙蝠的多样性，重要的是设置保护的优先事项，也取决于解决蝙蝠的关系。 在这项研究中，蝙蝠关系的问题将通过详细分析线粒体基因的DNA结构，解剖结构和各种蝙蝠物种的回声定位呼叫（声纳信号）的结构来解决。 这些研究的目的是确定可用于评估历史关系的相似性和差异性。 在这项研究中收集的数据将采用各种计算机辅助分析，旨在产生可检验的假设之间的关系和家庭内的microchiropteran蝙蝠。 也将调查microchiropteran蝙蝠与其他哺乳动物谱系的关系。 这项研究将为理解蝙蝠的结构设计，行为和生态学提供一个新的框架。

Van Den Bussche DEB 9873657Almost one-fifth of living mammal species are echolocating bats of the suborder Microchiroptera. These animals play a variety of important ecological roles. Most species prey on nocturnal insects, while others are essential for plant pollination or seed dispersal. Increasing human impact on bat populations and species has serious implications for agriculture and pest management. Despite many previous studies, there is still little agreement among biologists concerning relationships among the different groups of bats. Of particular concern are relationships among higher-level bat groups (e.g., genera and families). Without such knowledge, it is difficult to interpret the wide ranges of variation in wing architecture, sonar capabilities, and ecology seen in different bat groups. A clear understanding of bat diversity, important for setting conservation priorities, also depends upon resolving the relationships of bats. In this study, the problem of bat relationships will be addressed through detailed analyses of DNA structure of mitochondrial genes, anatomy, and structure of the echolocation calls (sonar signals) of a wide variety of bat species. The objective of these studies will be to identify similarities and differences that can be used to evaluate historical relationships. Data collected in this study will be employed in a variety of computer-assisted analyses designed to produce testable hypotheses of relationships among and within families of microchiropteran bats. The relationships of microchiropteran bats to other mammalian lineages will also be investigated. This study will provide a new framework for understanding the structural design, behavior, and ecology of bats.