DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Speciation Genomics: Expanded Sampling of a Remarkable Avian Radiation

物种形成是从一个单一的祖先种群进化出新的、不同的物种，是地球形成的基本过程吗？的生物多样性。这个项目的重点是一组12种雀叫？你说什么？这是鸟类快速物种形成的最不寻常的例子之一。这12个物种大多生活在新几内亚或周边岛屿，基因几乎相同，但进化出了惊人的羽毛颜色和图案多样性，以及喙大小的差异。该项目结合了对这些鸟类的首次重要实地研究，（该赠款专门支持在巴布亚新几内亚的Trans Fly地区进行实地考察，在那里将对另外两个物种进行采样），用现代基因组测序技术重建这些物种的进化历史，并确定负责物种间差异的基因的数量和身份，鉴于它们的形态多样性和最近的起源，物种形成基因组学是一个新的领域，旨在了解导致新物种进化的遗传变化模式。这项研究将检验一个假设，即自然选择对少数基因就足以产生新物种，挑战全基因组逐渐分化的经典模型。因此，这些结果可能会推翻关于物种和物种形成的普遍假设。这项研究还将促进我们对鸟类羽毛颜色演变的理解，并将为生物多样性保护优先事项的明智决策提供关键数据。

Speciation, the evolution of new, distinct species from a single ancestral population, is the fundamental process generating the earth?s biodiversity. This project focuses on a group of twelve finch species called ?munias? that represent one of the most extraordinary examples of rapid speciation in birds. The twelve species, most living in New Guinea or surrounding islands, are nearly identical genetically, but have evolved an astounding diversity of plumage colors and patterns, as well as differences in bill size. This project combines the first significant field research on these birds (the grant specifically supports fieldwork in the Trans Fly region of Papua New Guinea, where two additional species will be sampled) with modern genome sequencing technology to reconstruct the evolutionary history of these species and determine the number and identity of genes that are responsible for differences among species.Given their morphological diversity and recent origin, the munias provide an exceptional opportunity to advance the new field of speciation genomics, which seeks to understand the patterns of genetic change responsible for the evolution of new species. The research will test the hypothesis that natural selection on a small number of genes is sufficient to generate new species, challenging a classic model of gradual genome-wide divergence. As such, the results may overturn commonly held assumptions about the nature of species and speciation. The research will also advance our understanding of the evolution of plumage coloration in birds generally and will provide critical data for making informed decisions on priorities for biodiversity conservation.