Dissertation Research: Molecular Examination of the Relationship Between the Skunks (Mephitinae) and the Rest of the Mustelidae

9310553 Bickham and Dragoo尽管食肉目鼬科（鼬鼠、獾、水獭和臭鼬）的单个物种很容易识别，但它们之间的分类关系和系统发育联系是有问题的，基于形态学和染色体证据存在许多相互矛盾的假设。形态形态、行为和生态偏好的多样性被认为代表了中新世以来平行或趋同进化变化的几个实例。臭鼬亚科，特别是臭鼬，被认为是极端分化的，可能是这个群体中最早的进化谱系。在Bickham博士的指导下，研究生Dragoo的工作目的是获取新的DNA核苷酸序列数据，用于比较分析所有臭鼬物种之间以及臭鼬科其他四个亚科代表之间的突变差异。线粒体和核基因都是分析的目标，以提供母系和双亲遗传的证据。对哺乳动物分类学中传统形态特征的相互矛盾的解释使得鼬科、黄鼠狼、獾、水獭和臭鼬的系统发育问题悬而未决。来自线粒体和核基因的DNA核苷酸序列的独立和强大的数据集将有助于解决这一问题，并反过来为生物地理学，行为变化和生态转变的进化分析提供方向。

9310553 Bickham and Dragoo Although individual species of the family Mustelidae (weasels, badgers, otters, and skunks) in the mammalian order Carnivora are easy to recognize, taxonomic relationships among them and their phylogenetic connections are problematic, with numerous conflicting hypotheses based on morphological and chromosomal evidence. The diversity of morphological form, of behaviors, and of ecological preferences among mustelids is thought to represent several instances of parallel or convergent evolutionary change since the Miocene. The subfamily Mephitinae, the skunks, in particular is recognized as extremely divergent and perhaps is the earliest evolutionary lineage in the group. The purpose of work by graduate student Dragoo under the supervision of Dr. Bickham is to acquire new DNA nucleotide sequence data for comparative analysis of mutational difference among all species of skunks and among representatives in the four other subfamilies of Mustelidae. Both mitochondrial and nuclear genes are targeted for analysis, to provide evidence on both maternal lineages and biparental inheritance. %%% Conflicting interpretations of traditional morphological characters in mammal taxonomy have left unresolved the phylogeny of the family Mustelidae, the weasels, badgers, otters, and skunks of the world. An independent and robust dataset of DNA nucleotide sequences from both mitochondrial and nuclear genes will help resolve this problem, and in turn provide direction for evolutionary analysis of biogeography, behavioral changes, and ecological shifts.