Examining inter- and Intra-Continental Biogeographic Patterns and Processes in the Old World Using a Diverse Avian Subfamily as a Model System

解开导致现代生物分布的历史模式和事件对生物地理学家来说仍然是一个挑战。在非洲和欧亚大陆尤其如此，我们对导致鸟类物种形成的历史事件的了解主要局限于每个大陆相对较小的部分。作为在这些大陆上进行生物地理分析的一个模型系统，这项研究将对构成Muscicapinae亚科（画眉、聊天鸟和捕蝇鸟）的315种物种之间的系统发育关系进行全面的DNA研究。这些系统发育将允许在大陆间和大陆内水平上测试生物地理学假设，包括评估气候循环和生态梯度在推动物种形成方面的潜在作用。从广义上讲，这项研究将有助于改进鸟类分类学，以及更好地了解生物多样性的起源和维持以及鸟类保护。本研究将进一步引导实证研究，寻求识别和模拟物种和进化谱系的起源、多样化和分布，并确定进化变化的速度和模式。这些生物地理学研究将是第一批建立广泛模式的研究，说明鸟类生物是如何在这些很少被探索的大陆地区聚集的，因此将作为未来研究各种植物和动物群体的模板。

Disentangling historical patterns and events that have resulted in the modern day distributions of living organisms continues to provide a challenge to biogeographers. This is particularly true in Africa and Eurasia, where our knowledge of historical events leading to avian speciation is largely restricted to relatively small portions of each continent. As a model system from which to conduct biogeographic analyses on these continents, this study will perform a sweeping DNA study of phylogenetic relationships among the 315 species comprising the subfamily Muscicapinae (thrushes, chats and flycatchers). These phylogenies will allow tests of biogeographic hypotheses at inter- and intra-continental levels, to include assessing the potential roles of climatic cycling and ecological gradients in driving speciation.Broadly, this research will lead to improved avian taxonomy, as well as a better understanding of the origin and maintenance of biodiversity and avian conservation. This study will further lead to empirical studies seeking to identify and model the origin, diversification, and distribution of species and evolutionary lineages, and to determining the tempo and mode of evolutionary change. The biogeographical studies will be some of the first to establish broad patterns illustrating how avian biotas are assembled in these little explored continental regions and will thus serve as a template for future studies of diverse plant and animal groups.