Genetic History of Woodpeckers, Based on mtDNA Sequences

小行星9316452摩尔 啄木鸟是鸟类的一大类群，约有171种，分布在四大洲。 尽管有这种多样性，化石记录和种群的遗传分化程度表明啄木鸟的年龄很小，起源于大约600万年前。 啄木鸟除了擅长在木头上凿凿和击鼓之外，还具有明亮而对比鲜明的羽毛图案，这些图案在物种之间非常独特。 我们目前对这个群体的历史的理解主要是基于羽毛的相似性。 基于线粒体细胞色素B基因的分子和DNA结构的历史重建表明，对啄木鸟关系存在实质性的误解，并且有许多情况下，由于独立的历史而不是共同的祖先，羽毛图案相似。 PI将扩大他的初步工作，根据代表所有主要啄木鸟类群的大约200个标本的细胞色素B基因长序列重建啄木鸟的遗传历史。 除了澄清我们对一个主要鸟类群体的遗传史的理解外，这项研究还将作为理解单个基因（细胞色素B）和物种（啄木鸟）历史之间关系的模型。 ***

9316452 Moore The woodpeckers are a large group of birds, numbering about 171 species, and are distributed over four continents. Despite this diversity, the fossil record and the degree of genetic differentiation in the group suggest the woodpeckers are young in age, originating only about 6 million years ago. In addition to being specialized for chiseling and drumming on wood, woodpeckers are characterized by bright and contrasting plumage patterns that are highly distinctive among species. Our present understanding of the history of this group is based largely on plumage similarities. Reconstructions of history based on molecular, DNA structure of the mitochondrial cytochrome b gene indicate that there is substantial misunderstanding of woodpecker relationships, and there are numerous cases where plumage patterns are similar due to independent history rather than common ancestry. The PI will expand his preliminary work to reconstruct the genetic history of the woodpeckers based on a long sequence of the cytochrome b gene for approximately 200 specimens representing all the major groups of woodpeckers. In addition to clarifying our understanding of the genetic history of a major group of birds, the study will serve as a model for understanding the relationship between the histories of individual genes (cytochrome b) and species (the woodpeckers). ***