DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Thrice through Beringia? Unraveling the evolution of North American pikas

论文研究：三次穿越白令海峡？

• 批准号: 0808619
• 负责人: Link Olson
• 金额: $ 0.93万
• 依托单位: University of Alaska Fairbanks Campus
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-07-15 至 2010-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0808619&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Thrice; through; Beringia

The ice-free corridor between Russia and Alaska, known as Beringia, has facilitated transcontinental species exchange and provided a refugium for many species during the last ice age. It is therefore an important arena for testing theories regarding dispersal and survival of many species. Climate has shifted rapidly in this region, and recent warming trends are predicted to be strongest in the Arctic. Small mammals, such as the collared pika, provide important information on the effects of climate change. Collared pikas are found only on talus slopes in Alaska and northwest Canada. This is one of only two species of North American pikas, and their range is far to the north of the other species. When the fossil record of pikas is contrasted with genetic data, a history of recent range contraction and subsequent rapid expansion is suggested for collared pikas. This is consistent with the idea that collared pikas entered their northern habitat from refugia in the south, and not from Russia.This award supports the research of a doctoral degree candidate at the University of Alaska, Fairbanks. The study has implications for understanding the persistence and evolution of lineages in arctic and subarctic ecosystems. It will help determine the rate of faunal turnover in northern regions, and distinguish between chance events and recurrent evolutionary trends. This project also provides an important empirical context for understanding the long-term effects of climate change on the demographics of an iconic alpine mammal.

俄罗斯和阿拉斯加之间的无冰走廊，被称为白令海峡，促进了跨大陆的物种交流，并在上一个冰河时代为许多物种提供了避难所。 因此，它是一个重要的竞技场，用于测试有关许多物种的扩散和生存的理论。 该地区的气候变化迅速，预计北极地区最近的变暖趋势最强。 小型哺乳动物，如有领鼠兔，提供了关于气候变化影响的重要信息。 领鼠兔只在阿拉斯加和加拿大西北部的岩屑坡上发现。这是北美鼠兔仅有的两个物种之一，它们的分布范围远至其他物种的北部。当将鼠兔的化石记录与遗传数据进行对比时，发现有领鼠兔的活动范围近期缩小，随后迅速扩张。这与有领鼠兔是从南方的避难所进入它们的北方栖息地，而不是从俄罗斯进入的想法是一致的。这个奖项支持了阿拉斯加大学费尔班克斯的一名博士学位候选人的研究。这项研究对了解北极和亚北极生态系统中谱系的持久性和进化具有重要意义。它将有助于确定北方地区动物更替率，并区分偶然事件和经常性演变趋势。该项目还为了解气候变化对一种标志性高山哺乳动物人口统计学的长期影响提供了重要的经验背景。