A taxon-rich phylogeny of Galliformes: using multiple loci to resolve conflicts among previous studies

该项目将使用多个基因为雀形目创建一个解析良好的进化树，其中包括两种最重要的经济鸟类(鸡和火鸡)，一些最壮观和可识别的鸟类(如孔雀和野鸡)，以及一些最重要的鸟类模式系统(如鸡和日本鹌鹑)。这一目还包括一些最常见的被猎杀的鸟类，其中许多一直是管理学研究的重点。狩猎，再加上栖息地丧失等其他因素，导致了种群数量的下降，其中许多物种现在受到保护。这一群体中的进化关系没有得到很好的解决，这限制了将有关扇形物种的广泛信息纳入比较框架的能力，并阻碍了关于保护优先事项的决定。除了建立一个清晰的雀形目系统发育图外，收集许多物种的大量基因座将使我们能够探索其他几个问题，包括在不同进化深度的几次快速辐射，以及可能导致个体基因和物种历史之间不一致的因素的影响。该项目产生的数据还将用于开发遗传学和进化论本科课程的课堂练习，使大量学生能够在课堂上进行研究。这将促进我们改进科学教育学的努力，并允许学生为尖端进化研究做出贡献。这项研究的数据将通过公共数据库和我们自己的网站广泛提供，供其他研究人员使用。

This project will use multiple genes to produce a well-resolved evolutionary tree for the avian order Galliformes, which includes the two most economically important birds (the chicken and turkey), some of the most spectacular and recognizable birds (such as peafowl and pheasants), and some of the most important avian model systems (e.g., the chicken and Japanese quail). This order also includes some of the most commonly hunted birds, many of which have been the focus of management studies. Hunting, combined with other factors such as habitat loss, has led to population declines, and many of these species are now of conservation concern. Evolutionary relationships in this group are poorly resolved, which has limited the ability to put the extensive information about galliform species into a comparative framework and hindered decisions regarding conservation priorities. In addition to producing a well-resolved phylogeny of the Galliformes, the collection of large numbers of loci for many species will allow us to explore several other issues, including several rapid radiations at different evolutionary depths and the impact of factors that can cause discordance between individual genes and the species history. The data generated from this project will also be used to develop classroom exercises for undergraduate courses in genetics and evolution, allowing large numbers of students to conduct research in the classroom. This will facilitate our efforts to improve science pedagogy and allow students to contribute to cutting-edge evolutionary research. The data from this study will be made broadly available through public databases and our own websites for other researchers to use.