DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Genetics of Adaptation and Diversification in the avian genus Zosterops

论文研究： 禽类 Zosterops 适应和多样化的遗传学

• 批准号: 1601814
• 负责人: Rauri Bowie
• 金额: $ 2.04万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-06-01 至 2018-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1601814&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Genetics; Adaptation; Diversification

Understanding the processes generating the multitude of species on earth is a fundamental challenge that has preoccupied biologists since Darwin's time to the present. By utilizing massive-parallel DNA sequencing methodologies this project will address questions concerning the rapid diversification of a group birds (White-eyes or Zosterops) found on the island of Sulawesi in the Indonesian archipelago. This study will make use of whole genome sequencing to compare levels of divergence among a suite of closely related Zosterops species. This approach will permit the detection of regions of the genome that are potentially responsible for the rapid divergence in plumage that we see among this remarkable radiation of passerine birds. Further, Indonesia is home to many birds that are on the brink of extinction, and with the advent of new genetic techniques, research such as this study will likely uncover cryptic diversity and hence many more potentially endangered species requiring conservation efforts. Through the description of new populations and/or species, the research findings will be shared with the Indonesian government in hopes of informing conservation policy and helping to preserve their unique and diverse biota.This study takes an integrated approach to elucidate phylogeographic, and evolutionary processes that underlie the unique diversity of Wallacea. Genomic data from this project will provide an unparalleled perspective on the underlying processes that are driving high levels of endemism and species richness in the region of Wallacea. Furthermore, it will provide a detailed view into the processes underlying the diversification of one of the most speciose groups of birds on the planet (Zosterops). Only one other study has ever been performed in this context (Darwin's Finches), between islands and along environmental gradients within a rapidly speciating lineage. Furthermore the entire region of Wallacea and the Australasian tropics remains vastly understudied. Understanding the genomic changes among members of the Sulawesi Zosterops species complex will reveal evolutionarily and ecologically important loci underlying the processes that have allowed this group to radiate across the Old World and thus provide insight into the drivers of global avian diversification.

从达尔文时代到现在，生物学家们一直致力于了解地球上众多物种产生的过程，这是一个基本的挑战。该项目将利用双平行DNA测序方法，解决印度尼西亚群岛苏拉威西岛上发现的一组鸟类（绣眼鸟或Zosterops）迅速多样化的问题。本研究将利用全基因组测序来比较一组密切相关的Zosterops物种之间的分歧程度。这种方法将允许检测基因组的区域，这些区域可能是我们在雀形目鸟类中看到的这种显着辐射中羽毛快速分化的原因。此外，印度尼西亚是许多濒临灭绝的鸟类的家园，随着新的遗传技术的出现，像这项研究这样的研究可能会发现神秘的多样性，因此需要保护更多的潜在濒危物种。通过对新种群和/或新物种的描述，研究结果将与印度尼西亚政府分享，希望为保护政策提供信息，并帮助保护其独特而多样的生物群。本研究采用综合方法来阐明Wallacea独特多样性的地理和进化过程。该项目的基因组数据将为推动Wallacea地区高水平特有性和物种丰富度的潜在过程提供无与伦比的视角。此外，它还将详细介绍地球上最具物种多样性的鸟类之一（Zosterops）多样化的过程。只有一个其他的研究曾经在这种情况下进行（达尔文的雀），岛屿之间和沿着环境梯度在一个快速物种形成的谱系。此外，整个Wallacea地区和澳大拉西亚热带地区仍然严重不足。了解苏拉威西岛Zosterops物种复合体成员之间的基因组变化将揭示进化和生态重要的基因座，这些基因座是使该群体辐射到整个旧世界的过程的基础，从而为全球鸟类多样化的驱动因素提供了深入了解。