RUI: Diversification of New World Silversides (Atherinopsidae: Tribe Menidiini)

解释为什么特定的分类群比其他分类群更多样化，以及为什么有些分类群在进化史上表现出爆炸性的适应性辐射，长期以来一直是进化生物学家的目标。银边鱼属Chirostoma(Atherinopsidae：部落Menadiini)，是一种高度多样化的种群，仅限于墨西哥中部的台地。鼻咽癌以前被认为是适应性放射的经典例子，然而，现代方法还没有对其进行充分的测试。这个多学科项目的目标是使用DNA序列数据来研究梅尼迪尼部落内属和种之间的进化关系，并收集生态和形态数据，以具体解决手口内多样性的节奏和模式。这项实地和实验室研究将培养包括分子系统学和几何形态计量学在内的各种科学学科的新一代学生。协作、教育和学生培训是该项目的关键组成部分。手口目鱼是墨西哥经济和文化上最重要的鱼类之一，这项研究的结果将引起生物学家和其他人的兴趣。将开发一个网站和墨西哥梅尼迪纳银河的照片钥匙，这将对对墨西哥鱼类保护感兴趣的科学家、资源管理人员和政府机构特别有用。

Explaining why particular taxonomic groups are more diverse than others, and why some appear to exhibit explosive adaptive radiations during evolutionary history, has long been a goal of evolutionary biologists. The silverside fish genus Chirostoma (Atherinopsidae: Tribe Menidiini), is a highly diverse group restricted to the Mesa Central of Mexico. Chirostoma has previously been referred to as a classic example of an adaptive radiation, however this has not be adequately tested with modern methods. The objective of this multidisciplinary project is to use DNA sequence data to investigate the evolutionary relationships among the genera and species within the Tribe Menidiini, and to gather ecological and morphological data to specifically address the tempo and mode of diversification within Chirostoma.This field and lab study will train a new generation of students in a variety of scientific disciplines, including molecular systematics and geometric morphometrics. Collaboration, education, and student training are key components of the project. Chirostoma represents one of the most economically and culturally important groups of fishes in Mexico, and the results of this study will be of interest to biologists and others. A website and a photographic key to the Menidiine silversides of Mexico will be developed, and will be particularly useful to scientists, resource managers, and government agencies interested in fish conservation in Mexico.