DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Spatial variation in bill morphology and genetic structure in the Island Scrub-Jay: Adaptive divergence within a single-island endemic?

自达尔文以来，适应性分化的空间尺度及其驱动机制一直是进化论争论的前沿。由于鸟类会飞，种群之间的扩散和基因流动传统上被认为是高的，导致对当地适应和分化的限制。然而，越来越多的证据表明，即使存在基因流，趋异选择也能促进相邻鸟类种群之间的适应性差异。最近，小规模的模式，自适应分化的法案形态中检测到的岛屿灌丛，周杰伦（Aphelocoma insularis），一个物种，仅限于一个单一的岛屿在南部加州。这项工作将被扩展到测试机制假设，以促进分歧与基因流，包括破坏性选择栖息地交错区和与交配选择相关的性状。除了了解适应性分化的规模的影响，收集的数据将用于通知管理策略，旨在保护岛灌丛周杰伦？一个总人口估计为3000人的物种。对这一独特的岛屿地方病的研究还将通过为高中生创造教育活动，并通过在开展工作的岛屿上进一步发展和促进公民科学方案，来吸引公众参与。

The spatial scale of adaptive differentiation and the mechanisms that drive it has been at the forefront of evolutionary debate since Darwin. Because birds can fly, dispersal and gene flow between populations has traditionally been thought to be high, leading to constraints on local adaptation and divergence. Yet, increasingly evidence is accumulating that divergent selection can promote adaptive differences between adjacent bird populations even in the presence of gene flow. Recently, small-scale patterns of adaptive differentiation in bill morphology were detected in the Island Scrub-Jay (Aphelocoma insularis), a species that is confined to a single island in southern California. This work will be extended to test mechanisms hypothesized to facilitate divergence with gene flow, including disruptive selection across habitat ecotones and linkage with traits related to mate choice. Beyond the implications for understanding the scale of adaptive differentiation, the data collected will be used to inform management strategies aimed at conserving the Island Scrub-Jay ? a species that has a total population size estimated at 3000 individuals. Research on this unique insular endemic will also be used to engage the public by creating educational activities for high school students and by further developing and promoting a citizen science program on the island where the work is conducted.