Examining inter- and Intra-Continental Biogeographic Patterns and Processes in the Old World Using a Diverse Avian Subfamily as a Model System

解开导致生物有机体现代分布的历史模式和事件继续给生物地理学家带来挑战。在非洲和欧亚大陆尤其如此，我们对导致鸟类物种形成的历史事件的了解在很大程度上局限于每个大陆相对较小的部分。作为在这些大陆进行生物地理分析的模式系统，这项研究将对蝇亚科(画眉、苍蝇和苍蝇)组成的315个物种之间的系统发育关系进行全面的DNA研究。这些系统发育学将允许在洲际和洲内水平上测试生物地理假说，包括评估气候循环和生态梯度在驱动物种形成中的潜在作用。总的来说，这项研究将导致改进鸟类分类学，以及更好地理解生物多样性和鸟类保护的起源和维持。这项研究将进一步引导进行实证研究，试图识别物种和进化谱系的起源、多样化和分布并建立模型，并确定进化变化的速度和模式。这些生物地理研究将是首批建立广泛模式的研究之一，说明鸟类生物群是如何在这些很少被探索的大陆地区聚集在一起的，从而将成为未来对不同动植物群体进行研究的模板。

Disentangling historical patterns and events that have resulted in the modern day distributions of living organisms continues to provide a challenge to biogeographers. This is particularly true in Africa and Eurasia, where our knowledge of historical events leading to avian speciation is largely restricted to relatively small portions of each continent. As a model system from which to conduct biogeographic analyses on these continents, this study will perform a sweeping DNA study of phylogenetic relationships among the 315 species comprising the subfamily Muscicapinae (thrushes, chats and flycatchers). These phylogenies will allow tests of biogeographic hypotheses at inter- and intra-continental levels, to include assessing the potential roles of climatic cycling and ecological gradients in driving speciation.Broadly, this research will lead to improved avian taxonomy, as well as a better understanding of the origin and maintenance of biodiversity and avian conservation. This study will further lead to empirical studies seeking to identify and model the origin, diversification, and distribution of species and evolutionary lineages, and to determining the tempo and mode of evolutionary change. The biogeographical studies will be some of the first to establish broad patterns illustrating how avian biotas are assembled in these little explored continental regions and will thus serve as a template for future studies of diverse plant and animal groups.