DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of nest association in North American minnows (Cyprinidae)

许多北美鲦鱼都表现出一种繁殖策略，即巢协，这种策略被认为是筑巢物种和在宿主巢穴中产卵的一系列伴生物种之间的共生关系。在一个密切相关的北美鲦鱼群体中，对宿主特异性进化的研究将为共生繁殖行为的进化提供见解。这项研究将结合多种技术（基于遗传学的系统发育、行为和实验），并将首次在巢关联进化的背景下包括宿主特异性、关联组合和幼虫发育的变化。特别是，这将是第一个明确调查这种繁殖系统中专才-通才进化趋势的研究。与陆生脊椎动物相比，鱼类的生殖策略高度多样化，为检验历史上偏向于陆生系统的进化假设提供了完美的舞台。该项目的一个主要目标是通过在科学会议上发表报告和在同行评议的期刊上发表出版物来传播研究结果。由于这项研究的双重领域和实验室组成部分，有充分的机会，代表性不足的学生参与。研究人员的目标不仅是让学生接触研究，还要鼓励他们扩展并形成自己的研究目标。

The breeding strategy known as nest association is exhibited by many North American minnows and is regarded as a symbiotic relationship between a nest-building species and an array of associate species which spawn in the host's nest. Examination of the evolution of host specificity within a closely related group of North American minnows will provide insight into the evolution of symbiotic breeding behavior. This study will incorporate multiple techniques (genetics-based phylogenetic, behavioral, and experimental), and will be the first to include variations in host specificity, associate assemblage, and larval development in the context of the evolution of nest association. In particular this will be the first study to explicitly investigate the specialist-generalist evolutionary trends in this breeding system. Reproductive strategies of fishes are highly diverse compared to those of terrestrial vertebrates and provide the perfect arena in which to test evolutionary hypotheses which have been historically biased towards terrestrial systems. A major goal of this project is the dissemination of the results through presentations at scientific meetings and publications in peer-reviewed journals. Due to the dual field and laboratory components of this study, there are ample opportunities for underrepresented student participation. It is the goal of the researchers to not only expose students to research but to encourage them to expand and form their own research goals.