US-Brazil Dissertation Enhancement: Systematics and Evolution of Neotropical Fire-eye Antbirds (Thamnophilidae, Aves): Integrating Voice, Morphology and Molecules

该博士论文增强奖将为密苏里大学圣路易斯分校的博士生提供资金，以在巴西和秘鲁进行研究。该研究将利用声音、形态和分子特征，以综合、比较的方法来了解新热带火眼蚁属的进化史和物种界限的定义。这项研究将是首次研究分布在南美洲三个主要森林区（大西洋、安第斯和亚马逊森林）的一个谱系中的多个特征的研究之一。从这项研究中产生的这些数据将对根据表型和遗传多样性确定该地区的保护优先事项产生影响。研究人员将由圣保罗大学的Cristina Y. Miyaki教授主持，并将在巴西的实验室进行重要的分子工作，这将促进与当地学生的互动，并促进对未来研究的讨论。该项目的成果将通过同行评议的文献和在科学会议上的报告广泛传播。这项拟议的研究将提供一个最全面的数据集来研究多个字符集之间的对应关系，但将有助于阐明南美洲主要森林生物群落的进化史。此外，该研究将刺激系统中的类似研究，并有望加强未来与国内和国际同事的合作研究努力。

This Doctoral Dissertation Enhancement award will provide funding for a PhD student from the University of Missouri Saint Louis to conduct research in Brazil and Peru. The research will use vocal, morphological and molecular characters in an integrative, comparative approach to understand evolutionary history and the definition of species limits in the Neotropical fire-eye antbird genus. The study will be one of the first to examine multiple characters in a lineage distributed throughout three major forest blocks (Atlantic, Andean, and Amazonian forests) of South America. These data that will be produced from the study will have implications for determining conservation priorities in the region based on phenotypic and genetic diversity. The researcher will be hosted by Professor Cristina Y. Miyaki at the Universidade de Sao Paulo and will conduct a significant part of the molecular work at the laboratory in Brazil, which will promote interactions with local students and foster discussions about future research.Results of this project will be made widely available through peer reviewed literature and presentations at scientific meetings. The proposed study will provide one the most comprehensive data sets to study the correspondence between multiple character sets, but will help to shed light on the evolutionary history of the major forest biomes in South America. Also, the study will stimulate similar research in the systems and hopefully, enhance future collaborative research efforts with national and international colleagues.