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

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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.