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

许多北美米诺鱼都表现出被称为巢关联的繁殖策略，并被视为筑巢物种与在宿主巢中产卵的一系列关联物种之间的共生关系。对密切相关的北美米诺鱼群体中宿主特异性的进化进行检查将有助于深入了解共生繁殖行为的进化。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），并且将是第一个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的研究。特别是，这将是第一项明确调查该育种系统中的专家-通才进化趋势的研究。 与陆地脊椎动物相比，鱼类的繁殖策略高度多样化，并为检验历史上偏向陆地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的演讲和同行评审期刊上的出版物来传播结果。由于这项研究的双重领域和实验室组成部分，代表性不足的学生有充足的参与机会。研究人员的目标不仅是让学生接触研究，而且鼓励他们扩展和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.