Molecular Systematics, Biogeography, and Invasion Identity of Neogobiin Fishes

调查的目的是阐明黑海和里海特有的一种鱼类的进化历史、物种鉴定和生物地理多样化模式，这种鱼类在入侵北美和欧亚生态系统时已成为一个日益严重的问题。许多生态学家认为，这种外来物种的引入对世界各地的本地生态系统构成了最严重的威胁之一。例如，北美五大湖的生态系统已经被一波又一波的入侵者所重构，这些入侵者是由船只压载水意外引入的，包括蓬托-里海圆虾虎鱼和它的猎物斑马贻贝。两种虾虎鱼——圆虾虎鱼和结节虾虎鱼——在20世纪90年代初入侵，前者迅速蔓延到五大湖。相关类群的入侵越来越多地表现为外来群落的特征，它们可能相互促进。由于运河建设、航运和栖息地干扰，其他几种新戈比林物种也在欧亚水道中“移动”。其中一些——包括猴子、大头虾虎鱼和虎鱼——预计会入侵北美，可能已经在这里了，但还没有被识别出来。本研究将开发诊断性DNA序列特征和构建分类键，以便在所有生活史阶段正确识别新戈比星。此外，序列数据将为阐明外来入侵来源、鉴定隐种、分析亲缘种是否也入侵或可能入侵、确定新的定殖是来自传播还是来自独立引进提供手段。研究结果将为生态学家、环境管理人员和水生危害特别工作组等国际机构提供基础资料，使其能够快速、经济地识别分类群，并划定其种群起源区域。

The objectives of the investigation are to elucidate the evolutionary history, species identifications, and biogeographic diversification patterns of a remarkable endemic "species flock" of fishes native to the Black and Caspian Seas that has become a growing problem in its invasions of North American and Eurasian ecosystems. Many ecologists believe that such introductions of exotic species pose one of the most serious threats to native ecosystems worldwide. For example, the ecology of the North American Great Lakes has been restructured by waves of invaders that were accidentally introduced from ships' ballast water, including the Ponto-Caspian round goby and its zebra mussel prey. Two goby species - the round goby and the tubenose goby - invaded in the early 1990's, and the former spread rapidly to all five Great Lakes. Invasions by suites of related taxa increasingly appear to characterize exotic communities, which may facilitate one another. Several other neogobiin species also have been "on the move" in Eurasian waterways due to construction of canals, shipping, and habitat disturbances. Some of these - including the monkey, bighead, and racer gobies - are predicted to invade North America and may already be here, but are not yet identified. This study will develop diagnostic DNA sequence characters and construct taxonomic keys to permit correct identification of the neogobiins at all life history stages. In addition, the sequence data will provide the means to elucidate the sources of exotic invasions, identify cryptic species, analyze whether relatived species also invade or are likely to, and determine whether new colonizations arise from spread or from independent introductions. Results will be of fundamental use to ecologists, environmental managers, and international agencies such as the Aquatic Nuisance Task Force in allowing rapid and cost-effective identification of taxa, and delineating their population area of origin.