Dissertation Research: The Role of Landscape Barriers in Population Structure of a Neotropical Lekking Forest Bird

0073432 Kirsch法医DNA分析彻底改变了我们基于少量遗传物质识别个体的能力。类似的技术为以前所未有的精确度研究野生种群的遗传学提供了一种有价值的新工具。威斯康星大学麦迪逊分校开发的一种新技术将用于确定热带森林鸟类（Manacus manacus）后代的亲子关系和传播。通过比较不同环境下的DNA指纹，可以确定地理因素对这些鸟类扩散的影响，从而实现本研究的目的。 这些目标是：以确定（1）鸟类之间的亲缘关系，（2）它们和它们的后代分散多远，（3）种群在多大程度上彼此分化。这项调查直接解决的基本问题，地形是否限制扩散，如果是这样，是否更多变的景观导致遗传上更独特的种群。该研究的方法适用于包括人类在内的任何物种，并提供了识别和应对栖息地改变对物种造成的威胁的关键信息。因此，该项目的成果将成为确认濒危物种和随后设计保护区的模式。

0073432KirschForensic DNA analysis has revolutionized our ability to identify individuals based on small amounts of genetic material. Similar technology offers a valuable new tool for studying the genetics of wild populations with an unprecedented degree of precision. A novel technique developed at the University of Wisconsin-Madison will be used to determine the parentage and dispersal of offspring in a tropical forest bird (Manacus manacus). By comparing the DNA fingerprints of this species in different environments, geographic influences on dispersal of these birds can be ascertained, thus realizing the goals of this study. These goals are: to determine (1) relatedness among the birds, (2) how far they and their offspring disperse, and (3) to what extent populations have diverged from each other. This investigation addresses directly the fundamental questions of whether topography limits dispersal and if so, whether more variable landscapes lead to genetically more distinct populations. The methodology of the study is applicable to any species, including humans, and provides information crucial to recognizing and meeting threats to species that arise from habitat alteration. Therefore, the project outcome will serve as a model for the recognition of species-at-risk and for the subsequent design of protected areas.