Biogeography and Evolution of American Cottontails, Lagomorpha: Sylvilagus, From Morphology and Molecules, Emphasizing South and Mesoamerican Taxa

棉尾兔是美洲研究最少的哺乳动物之一，处于狩猎和非狩猎物种之间的裂缝中。因此，即使是一些基本的问题，如：在特定地区有哪些物种，棉尾物种的生物学极限是什么，等等，也几乎没有人知道。1992年，在华盛顿特区外发现了一种新物种。因此，研究人员建议对棉尾虫进行遗传分析，以解决他们的假设，即棉尾虫的生物物种多样性比我们目前的理解要大。该研究对生物防治具有重要意义。用于控制欧洲兔种群的黏液瘤病毒，自然存在于南美棉尾兔中，这是本提案的重点。然而，我们并不确切地知道，这种病毒最初是在南美洲哪一种棉尾虫身上发现的。对物种限制的研究可以结合病毒测序来确定这一点。此外，研究人员还建议让来自拉丁美洲国家的学生和研究人员参与其中，他们将在那里进行研究。因此，外联部分将为美国和拉丁美洲带来长期的生产性研究利益。

Cottontail rabbits are among the least studied mammal groups in the Americas, falling in the crack between game and non-game species. Accordingly, little remains known regarding even such fundamental questions as: what species are present in particular areas, what are the biological limits of cottontail species, etc. This can be encapsulated by pointing out that a new species was described in 1992 from right outside Washington DC! The investigators therefore propose to conduct genetic analyses of cottontails in order to address their hypothesis that the biological species diversity in cottontails is greater than what our current understanding suggests.The work is important in biological control. Myxoma virus, used to control European rabbit populations, is naturally found in South American cottontails, the focus of this proposal. We do not know, however, exactly from what species of South American cottontail the virus was originally found. Research into species limits may determine this in conjunction with viral sequencing. In addition, the investigators are proposing to involve students and investigators from the Latin American countries where they will undertake the research. The outreach component will therefore yield long-term productive research benefits to the United States and Latin America.