Starter Grant: Patterns and Processes of Genetic Differentiation in Pond-Breeding Amphibians

Zamudio 9907798本研究的目的是探讨斑点钝口螈种群生物学与种群间遗传分化程度之间的关系。 首先，在纽约中部的Ambystoma繁殖种群的谱系之间的遗传分化模式将使用专门为这个物种开发的核分子标记（微卫星）进行描述。 此外，一个繁殖种群的详细的实地研究将确定在何种程度上个人行为，如分散，倾向于返回特定的繁殖池塘，繁殖成功有助于这些模式。这项研究的重要性在于阐明有助于分化的过程，并最终，生物体之间的多样性。 生物如何变成不同物种的研究一直是生物学家的主要焦点，但仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。 这项研究将调查某些生活史特征和动物的行为如何影响种群在遗传上变得独特的程度;这些过程可能是影响不同物种的相同的第一步，从而有助于生物多样性的起源和维持。

Zamudio9907798 This goal of this research program is to examine the relationship between the population biology and degree of genetic differentiation among populations of the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum. First, the patterns of genetic differentiation among lineages of Ambystoma breeding populations in central New York will be described using nuclear molecular markers (microsatellites) developed specifically for this species. In addition, a detailed field study of one breeding population will determine the extent to which individual behaviors such as dispersal, tendency to return to specific breeding ponds, and reproductive success contribute to these patterns. The importance of this study lies in elucidating the processes contributing to differentiation and, ultimately, diversity among organisms. The study of how organisms become different species has been a main focus among biologists, but is still a mostly unanswered question. This research will investigate how certain life history characteristics and an animal's behavior affect the degree to which populations become genetically distinct; these processes are possibly the same first steps that affect diverging species, thus contributing to the origin and maintenance of biodiversity.