Evolutionary and Conservation Genetics of Reptiles and Polar Bears

爬行动物和北极熊的进化和保护遗传学

• 批准号: 3148-2012
• 负责人: Murphy, Robert
• 金额: $ 1.89万
• 依托单位: University of Toronto
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2012
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2012-01-01 至 2013-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=506889
• 关键词: Evolutionary; Conservation; Genetics; Reptiles; Polar

Molecular approaches to understanding the evolution of species have led to remarkable discoveries. For example, closely related females of wild species are often side-by-side rather than being broadly mixed with more distantly related females of the same species. In Baja California, Mexico, most species of animals show a pattern of neighbouring lineages on the middle of the peninsula. These have lived side-by-side for more than 3 million years without mixing and in some cases for a much longer period of time. A key focus of this research is to determine why. One hypothesis suggests that the lineages do not mix because their energy-producing enzymes do not work efficiently when they are mixed. Another possibility is that females protect their families against intruders, perhaps termed as the sisterhood hypothesis. A suite of experiments using tree lizards as model animals will be used to evaluate the relative roles played by each of these mechanisms in maintaining the pattern of side-by-side maternal lineages, if any. The analyses have implications for not only understanding how species evolve, but also for conservation and management initiatives, especially as they relate to species translocations.

用分子方法来理解物种的进化已经带来了许多令人瞩目的发现。例如，野生物种的近亲雌性通常是并排的，而不是与同一物种的远亲雌性广泛混合。在墨西哥的下加利福尼亚，大多数动物物种在半岛中部显示出相邻谱系的模式。它们已经并排生活了300多万年而没有混合，在某些情况下，时间要长得多。这项研究的重点是确定原因。一种假说认为，血统不混合，因为他们的能量生产酶不能有效地工作时，他们混合。另一种可能性是，女性保护她们的家庭免受入侵者的侵害，也许被称为姐妹关系假说。一系列使用树蜥蜴作为模型动物的实验将用于评估这些机制中的每一种在维持并排母系谱系模式（如果有的话）方面所发挥的相对作用。这些分析不仅对了解物种如何进化有影响，而且对保护和管理举措也有影响，特别是当它们与物种易位有关时。