CAREER: Population Subdivision and Reproductive Isolation in Drosophila Silvestris and D. Hawaiiensis

我们理解地球上生物多样性的一个核心科学问题是，在种群内和种群之间产生个体差异的生物过程如何转化为我们在物种之间看到的差异。 生殖隔离是创造和维持这种生物多样性的最重要的生物学过程之一。当来自不同种群的个体不交配时，种群就可以独立进化，并有可能创造新的物种。夏威夷画翅蝇和夏威夷果蝇一般是一个高度物种化的动物群，有500多个物种，仅在夏威夷群岛发现。由于岛上的熔岩流和多变的气候，适宜的栖息地破碎化，限制了物种的分布，使其成为许多孤立的种群。本研究将利用分子遗传学技术比较不同生境中种群间的遗传隔离程度和生殖隔离程度。 对这些生物过程的理解将影响夏威夷乃至整个地球的保护生物学管理策略。夏威夷群岛，特别是夏威夷大岛为研究生物多样性的形成和维持提供了独特的机会。 大约81%的鸟类，89%的开花植物和99%的陆地无脊椎动物都是夏威夷群岛的本地物种。这些动物和植物中有许多受到威胁或濒临灭绝。独特的动物和植物加上许多物种的高度分散的种群，给岛屿的生物多样性保护带来了困难的挑战。该项目将被纳入一个生态学，进化和保护生物学计划正在开发的夏威夷大学希洛。在环境生物学的一般领域的研究和教育的整合是至关重要的夏威夷的生物多样性的保护。

Price9875785A core scientific issue for our understanding of biodiversity on the planet is how the biological processes that generate differences among individuals within and among populations translate into the differences we see among species. Reproductive isolation is one of the most important biological processes for creating and maintaining this biodiversity diversity. When individuals from different populations do not mate then the populations can evolve independently and potentially create new species. The Hawaiian picture-winged flies and Hawaiian Drosophila in general are a highly speciose group of animals with over 500 species that are found only in the Hawaiian Islands. The fragmentation of suitable habitat due to lava flows and variable climates across the island restricts the distribution of species into many isolated populations. This study will use molecular genetic techniques to compare the degree of genetic isolation to the degree of reproductive isolation among populations in these different habitats. The understanding of these biological processes will influence management strategies for conservation biology in Hawaii and across the planet.The Hawaiian Islands and especially the Big Island of Hawaii offer unique opportunities to investigate the formation and maintenance of biodiversity. Approximately 81% of the birds, 89% of the flowering plants and 99% of the terrestrial invertebrates are native only to the Hawaiian Islands. Many of these animals and plants are threatened or in danger of extinction. The unique animals and plants coupled with the highly fragmented populations of many species provide the islands with difficult challenges for the conservation of biological diversity. This project will be integrated into an ecology, evolution and conservation biology program being developed at the University of Hawaii at Hilo. The integration of research and education in the general area of environmental biology is vital to the preservation of Hawaii's biodiversity.