MCA: Avian systematics, speciation, and adaptation across large island archipelagos

确定物种之间的界限对于回答生物多样性科学中的基本问题以及保护立法和野生动物管理计划的应用至关重要。基因组学影响了生物学的各个领域，生物多样性的研究也不例外；然而，有意义的基因组技术培训分布不均。该中期职业奖通过与俄亥俄州立大学的独特培训合作，为西弗吉尼亚州马歇尔大学的教职员工和学生提供关于物种边界和物种形成研究的基因组工具培训。该项目利用国际合作来研究日本、台湾和菲律宾岛屿上三组鸣禽的系统学、生物地理学和物种形成。由于岛屿只占地球面积的7%，但却拥有地球上20%的生物多样性，因此研究岛屿物种以了解适应性辐射尤为重要。这项研究将培养对东亚岛屿鸟类的新认识，并为了解物种边界和物种形成提供更好的工具。这项工作还将为阿巴拉契亚一所本科大学的教职员工和学生提供尖端基因组方法和分析方面的培训和研究机会，这些方法和分析适用于整个生命科学。中期职业发展（MCA）计划的目标是提高中期职业科学家的研究生涯。基因组学在系统学和进化生物学中的应用彻底改变了这些领域；然而，许多小型院校的教师背负着教学和其他义务，这限制了他们投入新方法培训的时间。随着系统生物学和进化生物学中问题的复杂化，典型的低通量测序技术已不再适用。这个MCA奖的合作伙伴是西弗吉尼亚州马歇尔大学（EPSCoR州）的教师和学生，以及俄亥俄州立大学在人口基因组学和分子系统学方面经验丰富的教师。这一伙伴关系将使在物种划界、物种形成、种群遗传学、适应性进化和生物地理学研究中应用尖端基因组工具方面的培训成为可能。具体而言，该项目将为东亚共分布的三个鸟类类群——黄胸捕蝇群、多样性山雀群和亚洲白眼鸟——制作和分析基因组规模和全基因组数据集。应用于这些群体的基因组数据将使研究人员能够评估不同物种划分方法的可靠性、岛屿地理对种群参数的影响以及适应性进化对基因组的影响。该项目由进化过程计划和促进竞争研究的既定计划（EPSCoR）共同资助。该奖项反映了美国国家科学基金会的法定使命，并通过使用基金会的知识价值和更广泛的影响审查标准进行评估，被认为值得支持。

Determining the boundaries between species is critical for answering basic questions in biodiversity science and in the application of conservation legislation and wildlife management plans. Genomics has influenced every field in biology and the study of biodiversity is no exception; however, meaningful training in genomic techniques is unevenly distributed. This Mid-Career Award supports training in genomic tools in the study of species boundaries and speciation for faculty and students at Marshall University in West Virginia, through a unique training partnership with Ohio State University. This project leverages an international collaboration to study systematics, biogeography, and speciation in three groups of songbirds on the islands of Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Because islands cover only 7% of the earth but harbor 20% of the planet’s biodiversity, studying island species in order to understand adaptive radiations is especially important. This research will cultivate new knowledge of the island birds of East Asia and foster better tools for understanding species boundaries and speciation. The work will also enable training and research opportunities in cutting-edge genomic methodologies and analyses, applicable across the life sciences, to faculty and students at a primarily undergraduate university in Appalachia. The goal of the Mid-Career Advancement (MCA) program is to enhance the research careers of mid-career scientists. The application of genomics in systematics and evolutionary biology has revolutionized these fields; however, faculty at many smaller institutions are saddled with teaching and other obligations that limit the amount of time to devote to training in new methods. As the sophistication of the questions addressed in systematics and evolutionary biology grow, typical low-throughput sequencing techniques are no longer adequate. This MCA award partners faculty and students at Marshall University in West Virginia (EPSCoR state) with faculty at Ohio State University experienced in population genomics and molecular systematics. This partnership will enable training in the application of cutting-edge genomic tools in the study of species delimitation, speciation, population genetics, adaptive evolution, and biogeography. Specifically, this project will produce and analyze genome-scale and whole genome datasets for three codistributed avian groups in East Asia – the yellow-breasted flycatcher complex, the varied tit complex, and the Asiatic white-eyes. Genomic data applied to these groups will allow researchers to assess the reliability of different species delimitation methods, the influence of island geography on population parameters, and the impact of adaptive evolution on the genome.This project is jointly funded by the Evolutionary Processes Program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.