A novel approach to the identification of independent evolutionary lineages

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This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).Incipient species (species that form during the very early stages of divergence from a common ancestor) are difficult to diagnose using morphological or behavioral data. The phenotypic similarity of novel species complicates investigations into the generation of biodiversity because it can be difficult to identify speciation processes once the novel species are recognizably distinct. However, novel species can potentially be identified at very early stages in their divergence using information contained within DNA sequences and population genetic theory. This project develops new theories and methods to delimit species at the initial stages of divergence. Additionally, data analysis software will be produced that will allow evolutionary geneticists to apply these methods to their research systems, and its utility will be demonstrated using data from two empirical systems.Since species are the fundamental unit of biological research, this work will have broad impacts throughout evolutionary biology, ecology, and conservation biology. It will also result in the employment and training of two graduate students and a post-doctoral researcher, and will benefit society by increasing knowledge of North American Biomes and the processes that generate biodiversity.