DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of a Mesoamerican Rodent Clade: Phylogenetics and Testing Biogeographic Hypotheses

这项研究有几个目标。首先是为一组啮齿类动物(Handley？（鼠）中美洲和南美洲北部中、高海拔森林特有的。来自10个不同基因的DNA序列数据将用于估计这一啮齿动物群体成员之间的家谱关系。恢复的进化关系将用于研究几个重要的生物学问题。在这个群体的进化史中，生态需求是否发生了变化？这种啮齿动物的祖先是在中美洲进化，然后在南美洲殖民，还是相反？这个群体的成员之间可能的物种形成模式是什么？过去（和预测未来）的气候变化如何影响汉德利物种的分布？老鼠?更广泛地说，这项研究的结果可以应用于具有类似分布和进化历史的其他生物群体，以增加我们对中美洲生物地理学的了解。这一点尤其重要，因为该地区拥有超过其份额的生物多样性，而景观正因森林砍伐而迅速改变。研究成果将通过同行评议的出版物和面向公众的博物馆展览进行传播。

This research has several objectives. The first is to develop a robust genealogy for a group of rodents (Handley?s mice) endemic to medium and high elevation forests in Central America and northern South America. DNA sequence data from 10 different genes will be used to estimate genealogical relationships among members of this rodent group. The evolutionary relationships recovered will be used to examine several important biological questions. During the evolutionary history of this group, have ecological requirements changed? Did ancestors of this rodent group evolve in Central America and then colonize South America or vice versa? What is/are the likely mode(s) of speciation among members of this group? How have past (and predicted future) climatic changes impacted the distributions of species of Handley?s mice? More broadly, the results of this study can be applied to other groups of organisms with similar distributions and evolutionary histories in order to increase our knowledge of the biogeography of Central America. This is particularly important because this region harbors more than its share of biological diversity and the landscape is rapidly be altered by deforestation. Research results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and a museum exhibit for the general public.