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.

了解地球上众多物种的产生过程是自达尔文时代至今一直困扰着生物学家的一项根本挑战。通过利用大规模并行 DNA 测序方法，该项目将解决有关印度尼西亚群岛苏拉威西岛上发现的一群鸟类（绣眼鸟或大叶鸟）快速多样化的问题。这项研究将利用全基因组测序来比较一系列密切相关的 Zosterops 物种之间的分化水平。这种方法将允许检测基因组区域，这些区域可能导致我们在雀形目鸟类的这种显着辐射中看到的羽毛快速分化。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揭示隐秘的多样性，从而发现更多需要保护的潜在濒危物种。通过描述新的种群和/或物种，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和多样化的生物群。这项研究采用综合方法来阐明华莱士独特多样性背后的系统地理学和进化过程。该项目的基因组数据将为推动华莱士地区特有性和物种丰富度高水平的潜在过程提供无与伦比的视角。此外，它将详细介绍地球上最奇特的鸟类之一（Zosterops）的多样化过程。在这种背景下，只有另一项研究（达尔文雀）在岛屿之间和沿着快速物种形成谱系内的环境梯度进行。此外，整个华莱士地区和澳大利亚热带地区仍然没有得到充分研究。了解苏拉威西带状疱疹物种复合体成员之间的基因组变化将揭示进化和生态上重要的基因座，这些基因座使该群体辐射到整个旧世界，从而提供对全球鸟类多样化驱动因素的深入了解。