COLLABORATIVE RESEARCH: Historical Inference in the Emberizinae (Aves: Passeriformes) Using a Complete Species-Level Phylogeny

明尼苏达大学的Scott Lanyon博士和Keith Barker博士、圣地亚哥州立大学的Kevin Burns博士、内华达大学拉斯维加斯分校的John Klicka博士和康奈尔大学的Irby Lovette博士被授予研究800多种鸟类的DNA序列。这些物种(包括黑鸟、水鸟、林莺和麻雀)是世界上研究得最好的鸟类之一，但这些物种之间的进化关系仍然存在争议，在某些情况下完全未知。研究人员将检查这一多样化类群中几乎所有824个物种的DNA序列数据，这类物种几乎占现代鸟类物种的十分之一。由此得到的生命树的一部分将提供对未来研究西半球鸣鸟的形态、行为和分布至关重要的信息。我们对鸟类多样性起源的认识的增加对西半球生物多样性的一般研究也将是重要的。这组鸟类中的物种在生态和经济上都具有重要的意义，了解这一组的历史将刺激和促进未来的研究和管理。这一组包括从重要的农作物害虫到极度濒危物种的一切。此外，这些鸟类代表了从后院喂食者到严肃的鸟类爱好者每个人都享有的多样性的很大比例。观鸟是美国增长最快的休闲活动之一，每年有7040万人参加，相关支出超过140亿美元。这个项目的重点是美国许多最常见和最容易观察到的鸟类物种，这是一个让公众参与关于生命树的讨论的理想机会。参与机构将通过其现有的教育计划产生这样的讨论，向广大社区传达当前研究的重要性和相关性。

A grant has been awarded to Dr. Scott Lanyon and Dr. Keith Barker at the University of Minnesota, Dr. Kevin Burns at San Diego State University, Dr. John Klicka at the University of Nevada-Las Vegas, and Dr. Irby Lovette at Cornell University to examine DNA sequences from over 800 bird species. These species (including blackbirds, tanagers, warblers, and sparrows) are among the best studied birds in the world and yet evolutionary relationships within this group remain controversial or in some cases completely unknown. The investigators will examine DNA sequence data from nearly all of the 824 species in this diverse group which represents nearly one-tenth of modern bird species. The resulting piece of the tree-of-life will provide information that will be essential to future studies of the morphologies, behaviors, and distributions of western hemisphere songbirds. This increase in our knowledge of the origins of bird diversity will also be of importance to general studies of the biodiversity of the western hemisphere. Species in this group of birds are ecologically and economically important, and understanding the group's history will stimulate and inform future research and management. This group includes everything from important crop pests to critically endangered species. Furthermore, these birds represent a huge percentage of the diversity enjoyed by everyone from backyard feeder enthusiasts to serious birders. Birding is one of the fastest growing leisure-time activities in the United States with 70.4 million participants and in excess of $14 billion dollars in related expenditures annually. This project, focused as it is on many of the most common and easily observed bird species in the US, represents an ideal opportunity to engage the public in a discussion about the Tree of Life. The participating institutions will generate such discussions through their existing education programs that communicate the importance and relevance of current research to the community at large.