CAREER: Using Multiple Nuclear Introns to Reconstruct the History of Plumage Dichromatism in Orioles (Icterus).

职业：利用多个核内含子重建金莺（黄鹂）羽毛二色性的历史。

• 批准号: 0347083
• 负责人: Kevin Omland
• 金额: $ 51.54万
• 依托单位: University of Maryland Baltimore County
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-05-01 至 2012-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0347083&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: CAREER; Using; Multiple; Nuclear; Introns

Recent advances including the use of DNA sequencing in systematics have made Darwin's vision of a Tree of Life, showing evolutionary relationships among all organisms, a feasible goal. However, there are still challenges that must be addressed before this vision can become reality. One of the main challenges is that virtually all current molecular phylogenies (evolutionary trees) for closely related animals are based on maternally inherited mitochondrial DNA sequences. Mitochondrial DNA works well for many reasons, but independent nuclear sequences are needed to test these mitochondrial trees where they are controversial. The published mitochondrial tree for orioles is one of the most controversial in all of bird systematics, so it is an ideal phylogeny to test using nuclear sequences. Five different nuclear intron regions will be sequenced to evaluate the oriole evolutionary tree. Nuclear introns are free to mutate more rapidly than protein coding gene regions, so they are good candidate regions for rapidly evolving sequences in the nuclear genome. The resulting evolutionary tree will be used to infer the history of plumage color differences (dimorphism between the sexes) in orioles. In some groups of animals, changes in female color may be the main cause of gains and losses of dimorphism. In orioles and many other groups of birds, females in temperate migratory species are generally dull colored, whereas females in tropical non-migratory species are generally elaborately colored. These orioles therefore present an excellent opportunity to reconstruct changes in plumage color dimorphism, and investigate the possible causes of changes in female plumage brightness. In addition, this project will test and demonstrate the value of combining data from introns, mitochondrial DNA and morphology. Combining multiple nuclear intron sequences may provide a basis for constructing whole genome trees for all closely related animal species. This research program by Prof. Kevin Omland at University of Maryland Baltimore County provides many opportunities for education and outreach activities. The project includes an international student exchange program between the University of Maryland Baltimore County (UMBC) and the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM). Over the last six years, Prof. Omland has been developing a research and undergraduate exchange program with researchers at UNAM. This exchange model will be expanded to include UMBC students, especially from UMBC's well-known minority science programs, who will assist with field and museum research in Mexico. Undergraduate students from Maryland and Mexico will have the opportunity to travel internationally and participate in a wide range of systematics research. The research team will produce a bilingual website on orioles to help disseminate findings to both English and Spanish speakers, and to promote understanding of evolution, systematics and biodiversity. In the classroom at UMBC the oriole research program will be used as an extended case study in active learning exercises to help illuminate the process of science. The Baltimore Oriole is the state bird and the mascot of the local baseball team, which helps make this research accessible to students and the public. This international research and exchange program will foster US-Mexico collaboration, and promote systematics research to a diverse audience.

最近的进展，包括DNA测序在系统学中的应用，使达尔文的生命之树愿景成为一个可行的目标，显示了所有生物体之间的进化关系。然而，在这一愿景成为现实之前，仍然存在必须解决的挑战。其中一个主要的挑战是，几乎所有目前的分子亲缘关系（进化树）密切相关的动物是基于母系遗传的线粒体DNA序列。 线粒体DNA工作良好的原因有很多，但需要独立的核序列来测试这些线粒体树，它们是有争议的。已发表的黄鹂线粒体系统树是鸟类系统学中最具争议的系统树之一，因此它是一个理想的利用核序列进行系统发生学检验的系统树。五个不同的核内含子区域将被测序，以评估黄鹂进化树。核内含子比蛋白质编码基因区域更快地自由突变，因此它们是核基因组中快速进化序列的良好候选区域。由此产生的进化树将被用来推断黄鹂的羽毛颜色差异（两性之间的二型性）的历史。在某些动物群体中，雌性体色的变化可能是二型性获得和丧失的主要原因。在黄鹂和许多其他鸟类中，温带迁徙物种的雌性通常是深色的，而热带非迁徙物种的雌性通常是精心着色的。因此，这些黄鹂提供了一个很好的机会，重建羽毛颜色二型性的变化，并调查可能的原因，在女性羽毛亮度的变化。此外，该项目还将测试和证明结合内含子、线粒体DNA和形态学数据的价值。结合多个核内含子序列可能为构建所有密切相关的动物物种的全基因组树提供基础。马里兰州巴尔的摩县大学的Kevin Omland教授的这项研究计划为教育和推广活动提供了许多机会。该项目包括马里兰州巴尔的摩县大学（UMBC）和墨西哥国立自治大学（UNAM）之间的国际学生交流计划。在过去的六年里，教授Omland一直在与UNAM的研究人员开展研究和本科生交流计划。这种交流模式将扩大到包括UMBC的学生，特别是来自UMBC著名的少数民族科学项目的学生，他们将协助墨西哥的实地和博物馆研究。来自马里兰州和墨西哥的本科生将有机会到国际旅行，并参加广泛的系统学研究。研究小组将制作一个关于黄鹂的双语网站，以帮助向英语和西班牙语人士传播研究结果，并促进对进化、系统分类和生物多样性的了解。在UMBC的课堂上，黄鹂研究项目将被用作主动学习练习的扩展案例研究，以帮助阐明科学的过程。巴尔的摩黄鹂是州鸟和当地棒球队的吉祥物，这有助于使这项研究向学生和公众开放。这项国际研究和交流计划将促进美墨合作，并促进系统学研究，以不同的观众。