DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Causes of divergence in multiple sexually selected traits: implications for speciation by sexual selection

在野生种群中研究物种形成一直很困难，因为大多数物种是很久以前形成的，而最初导致它们形成的过程往往模糊不清。绿莺提供了一个罕见的“行动中的物种形成”的例子，它提供了一个机会来观察一个物种内部地理变异产生的潜在机制，以及地理上分离的种群之间的分歧。在过去的一万年里，绿莺的活动范围向北扩展，穿过中亚，进入西伯利亚。在其活动范围的极端处，种群被认为是两个不同的物种。然而，这种分裂并不完全，因为这两个物种是通过不断交换遗传物质的种群链联系在一起的。该项目将调查导致绿莺分化和物种形成的过程，通过检查栖息地，相关特征，包括鸣叫和羽毛颜色，以及遗传相关性，在莺的范围内的三个种群。这些数据将用于检验选择压力在地理上如何变化并导致种群间差异的其他假设。该项目有助于发展国际合作，并为亚洲偏远地区提供宝贵的生物多样性数据和保护效益。除了为该研究所的研究生提供培训外，该项目还让俄罗斯和吉尔吉斯斯坦的学生参与科学研究，并通过该研究所举办的讲习班向这些国家的生物学家提供服务。此外，将向公共数据库提供生物多样性和遗传数据。

Speciation has been difficult to study in wild populations, because most species were formed long ago and the processes that originally led to their formation are often obscured. The Greenish warbler provides a rare example of 'speciation in action', providing the chance to observe the mechanisms underlying production of geographic variation within a species and divergence between geographically separated populations. In the last 10,000 years, the Greenish warbler has expanded its range northwards through Central Asia and into Siberia. The populations at the extremes of its range are recognized as two distinct species. However, the split is not complete, since these two species are connected by a chain of populations that continue to exchange genetic material. This project will investigate the process leading to divergence and speciation in the Greenish warbler, though examination of habitat, associated traits, including song and plumage color, and genetic relatedness, in three populations across the warbler's range. These data will be used to test alternative hypotheses of how selective pressures vary geographically and cause divergence between populations. This project contributes to development of international collaborations and provides valuable biodiversity data from and conservation benefits to remote regions of Asia. In addition to providing training to the graduate student CoPI, the project provides involvement in scientific research to students within Russia and Kyrgyzstan and outreach to biologists in those countries through workshops developed by the CoPI. Additionally, biodiversity and genetic data will be provided to public data bases.