Collaborative Research: Discovery and analysis in the cradle of speciation theory: biotic surveys of Melanesia's terrestrial vertebrates

西南太平洋岛链的陆地动物表现出独特的多样化模式。 对这些模式的解释已经影响了生态学和进化领域，但产生这些模式的过程却很少被研究。 此外，很少有科学家访问过这个岛屿地区的许多更偏远和崎岖的地方，这些地区的动物也鲜为人知。该项目包括两个主要组成部分：（1）实地调查脊椎动物群落（鸟类、青蛙、蜥蜴、蛇和哺乳动物），并收集西南太平洋各种生物群落的标本材料;（2）实验室遗传分析，研究这些动物群体的进化历史以及岛屿种群之间的当代相互作用。野外和实验室工作将有助于描述新物种，重新定义生物多样性模式，并为世界级的全球收藏提供急需的比较材料。重要的是，对美国大学生的培训和教育贯穿于这项工作。美国本科生和研究生将与来自东道国的学生密切合作，在团队负责人和高年级研究生的指导下实施实地研究项目。 美国和当地科学家，学生和非政府利益相关者之间的这种合作将有助于澄清这一鲜为人知的生物多样性热点中脊椎动物生物多样性的区域模式。从西南太平洋群岛收集的现代陆生脊椎动物将允许测试和重新解释基本的生态和进化假设。生物多样性调查将侧重于鸟类、哺乳动物、爬行动物和两栖动物的收集。地理参考样本将包括多种制备类型、遗传样本、血涂片、胃肠道内容物和相关寄生虫区系。 高质量的物种发声录音将记录这些经常被忽视的表型方面。 音频数据将包括有针对性的个别鸟类，蝙蝠，青蛙和壁虎的录音，以及黎明和黄昏合唱的环境录音。将使用群体的简化代表性基因组采样（RAD-seq和序列捕获）来重建物种和群体之间的系统发育关系，以及评估具有不同地理隔离程度的岛屿群体之间的基因流动水平。数据将通过开放式资料库提供，结果将在所有陆地脊椎动物的比较框架中综合。

Land animals of Southwest Pacific island chains exhibit unique patterns of diversification. Explanations for these patterns have influenced the fields of ecology and evolution, yet the processes that produced these patterns are little studied. Furthermore, few scientists have visited many of the more remote and rugged parts of this island region, and animals in these areas are poorly known. This project contains two major components: (1) fieldwork to survey vertebrate communities (birds, frogs, lizards, snakes and mammals) and collect specimen material across the diverse biological communities of the Southwest Pacific; and (2) laboratory-based genetic analysis to study the evolutionary history of these animal groups as well as contemporary interactions among island populations. Field and laboratory work will enable the description of new species, redefine patterns of biodiversity, and provide much-needed comparative material for world-class global collections. Importantly, training and education of US university students is integrated throughout this work. US undergraduate and graduate students will work closely with students from host countries, implementing field research projects under the guidance of team leaders and senior graduate students. This collaboration between US and local scientists, students, and non-government stakeholders will help clarify regional patterns of vertebrate biodiversity within this poorly known biodiversity hotspot. Modern terrestrial vertebrate collections from the Southwest Pacific archipelagos will allow testing and reinterpretation of fundamental ecological and evolutionary hypotheses. Biodiversity surveys will focus on collections of birds, mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Georeferenced collections will include multiple preparation types, genetic samples, blood smears, gastrointestinal contents, and associated parasite faunas. High quality audio recordings of species vocalizations will document these often overlooked aspects of the phenotype. Audio data will include targeted recordings of individual birds, bats, frogs, and geckos, as well as environmental recordings of dawn and dusk choruses. Reduced representation genomic sampling of populations (RAD-seq and sequence capture) will be used to reconstruct phylogenetic relationships among species and populations, as well as to assess levels of gene flow among island populations with varying degrees of geographic isolation. Data will be made available through open-access repositories and results will be synthesized in a comparative framework across all terrestrial vertebrates.