Collaborative Research: Phylogeography, Ecology and Reproductive Isolation in the Fundulus notatus Complex

生物学中最大的挑战之一是解释物种多样性的水平和模式。杂交区是密切相关的物种共生和杂交的地方，为研究产生和维持物种多样性的过程提供了理想的环境。这项研究将结合现场观察、对照实验室实验和现代分子工具来解决关于在Fundulus notatus物种复合体中观察到的三个毛鱼物种之间的分布格局的基本问题。在美国中西部和南部，这两个物种在许多杂交区域相遇，使它们成为一个理想的研究群体。这项拟议的研究将全面阐述华支睾吸虫种群的进化史，并将加深我们对进化和生态过程在产生和维持我们今天观察到的物种多样性方面所起的作用的理解。此外，这项研究具有重要的保护意义，并将引起各州机构的兴趣。该研究计划将通过让本科生和研究生参与两所不同大学的研究事业来整合教学和研究。积极参与研究的人员将参与现有的外联计划，旨在招募代表性不足的群体进入科学界，并提高预科学生的科学素养。

One of the greatest challenges in biology is to explain the levels and patterns of species diversity. Hybrid zones, where closely related species co-occur and hybridize, provide an ideal setting in which to study the processes that generate and maintain species diversity. This research will combine field observations, controlled laboratory experiments and modern molecular tools to address fundamental questions regarding the distributional patterns observed among three topminnow species in the Fundulus notatus species complex. Throughout the Midwestern and Southern United States, the species encounter one another in numerous hybrid zones, making them an ideal group for study. The proposed research will comprehensively address the evolutionary history of the F. notatus species group and will increase our understanding of the role evolutionary and ecological processes play in producing and maintaining the species diversity we observe today. Moreover, this research has important conservation implications and will be of interest to various state agencies. The research program will integrate teaching and research by involving undergraduate and graduate students in the research enterprise at the two diverse universities. Personnel active in the research will participate in existing outreach programs aimed at recruiting underrepresented groups into the sciences and improving science literacy in pre-collegiate students.