DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Reassessing the role of the Great American Biotic Interchange in the evolution of the raccoon family

论文研究：重新评估大美国生物交换在浣熊家族进化中的作用

• 批准号: 1500535
• 负责人: Larry Rockwood
• 金额: $ 1.65万
• 依托单位: George Mason University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2015
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2015-06-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1500535&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Reassessing; role; Great

The Great American Biotic Interchange (GABI) was a major biogeographic event that connected the terrestrial animal communities of North and South America via the closure of the Panamanian Isthmus. Geological evidence and the fossil record have suggested that the closure of the isthmus occurred 3 million years ago (mya), but more recent studies suggest a much older age for the formation of a landbridge between North and South America, around 15 mya. Among mammals of North American origin, the raccoon family (Procyonidae), which also includes coatis, kinkajous, olingos, and ringtails, has one of the longest histories in South America. The fossil record shows that an extinct member of this group was the first North American mammal to immigrate to South America, approximately 7-9 mya. While the prevailing hypothesis states that immigration of modern members of this group took place 3 mya, recent estimates based on DNA sequence data revealed that this family has had a much longer tenure in South America. This study will more thoroughly test competing hypotheses regarding the process and timing of evolution of this group, with the potential to revise our understanding of mammal evolution in the Neotropics, while contributing to advancement in the fields of genomics, systematics, taxonomy, and biogeography, as well as promoting the professional development of an early-career female STEM researcher. This project will use an integrative approach to test competing hypotheses based on genomic analyses of museum specimens, morphometrics, and biogeographic modeling. Ancient DNA techniques in combination with high-throughput sequencing methods will be used to sequence mitochondrial genomes as well as to sample the nuclear genome using a novel intron-capture microarray. Morphometric data will be analyzed separately and in conjunction with comparative genomic data to test hypotheses regarding procyonid evolution and revise the taxonomy of this group. A new biogeographic model for the evolution of the raccoon family that accommodates the most recent DNA and geological evidence will be tested against the traditional fossil-based hypothesis, and will integrate phylogenetic data to reassess the tempo and geographic pattern of diversification associated with the GABI. Results will be shared through scientific publications co-authored by the PI, Co-PI, and collaborators. Genomic and morphological data, protocols, scripts and parameters used in the analyses will be made publicly available through the electronic repositories of NCBI?s Genbank and Dryad.

美洲生物大交换（GABI）是一个重大的生物地理学事件，它通过巴拿马地峡的关闭连接了北美和南美的陆生动物群落。地质证据和化石记录表明，地峡的关闭发生在300万年前（mya），但最近的研究表明，南北美洲之间陆桥的形成时间要早得多，大约在1.5亿年前。在原产于北美的哺乳动物中，浣熊科（原浣熊科）是南美洲历史最悠久的哺乳动物之一，它还包括浣熊、蜜熊、灰熊和环尾浣熊。化石记录显示，大约7-9万年前，这一类群中有一种已经灭绝的成员是第一个移民到南美洲的北美哺乳动物。虽然普遍的假设认为，这一群体的现代成员的移民发生在3000万年前，但最近基于DNA序列数据的估计显示，这一家族在南美洲的生存时间要长得多。这项研究将更彻底地测试关于这一群体进化过程和时间的相互竞争的假设，有可能修改我们对新热带哺乳动物进化的理解，同时有助于基因组学、系统学、分类学和生物地理学领域的进步，并促进早期职业女性STEM研究人员的专业发展。该项目将采用综合方法来检验基于博物馆标本基因组分析、形态计量学和生物地理模型的竞争性假设。古DNA技术结合高通量测序方法将用于对线粒体基因组进行测序，并使用新型内含子捕获微阵列对核基因组进行采样。形态计量学数据将单独分析，并与比较基因组数据相结合，以检验有关原卵突进化的假设，并修订该群体的分类。研究人员将对浣熊科进化的一个新的生物地理模型进行测试，该模型包含了最新的DNA和地质证据，并将整合系统发育数据，以重新评估与GABI相关的多样化速度和地理格局。结果将通过PI、Co-PI和合作者共同撰写的科学出版物共享。分析中使用的基因组和形态学数据、协议、脚本和参数将通过NCBI的电子存储库公开提供。Genbank和Dryad。