Dissertation Research: A Comparative Analysis of Two Orthopteran Hybrid Zones

9321453杂交区是指两个遗传上不同的群体（如“物种”）至少在有限范围内成功地相互繁殖的区域。对杂交带的研究使我们能够了解生殖隔离及其进化的机制，对这些机制的理解对我们理解物种形成至关重要。根据最广为接受的物种定义，两组互不干涉的生物属于两个不同的物种。杂交带代表了物种形成的中间阶段，“物种”之间的基因流动有限：这两个群体既不是完全干涉，也不是完全生殖隔离。这种中间状态为生物学家提供了一个独特的机会，可以应用为研究单一物种群体而开发的分析技术——这些技术在完全没有基因流的情况下无法使用——来提高我们对新物种如何发展的理解。这项研究将采用几乎独特的方法来比较两个地理上分离良好的杂交区，涉及相同的两个“物种”。在行为，形态，蛋白质，DNA和染色体的变化模式将跨杂交区进行比较。通过将这些信息与每个区域两个“物种”之间不同的生态和接触历史信息相结合，本研究将提高对生态和历史如何影响不完全隔离分类群之间相互作用模式的理解。这项研究还将深入了解杂交群体可能进化成生殖隔离物种的情况。除了这些可能从这项研究中得出的推断（然后需要在其他接触区进行测试）之外，为描述混合区而收集的基本信息将允许在未来进行详细的研究，以解决各种问题。以及两个区域随时间的轨迹。U W你知道吗，我想我是你的朋友！​!!F W W (Times New Roman Symbol & Arial j j j j " h # EL* EL* e u # 7 Crystal Blackshear

9321453 Futuyma Hybrid zones are areas in which two genetically distinct groups (e.g., "species") successfully reproduce with each other to at least a limited extent. The study of hybrid zones allows us to learn about the mechanisms of reproductive isolation and their evolution, an understanding of which is critical to our understanding of speciation. According to the most widely accepted species definition, two groups of organisms that are not interfertile belong to two different species. Hybrid zones represent an intermediate stage of speciation, with limited gene flow between the "species": the two groups are neither completely interfertile nor completely reproductively isolated. This intermediate situation provides a unique opportunity for biologists to apply analytical techniques developed for the study of single species population--techniques that cannot be used in the total absence of gene flow--to improve our understanding of how new species develop. This study will take the nearly unique approach of comparing two geographically well separated hybrid zones involving the same two " species". Patterns of variation in behavior, morphology, proteins, DNA, and chromosomes will be compared across the hybrid zones. By combining this information with information about the differing ecology and history of contact between the two "species" in each zone, this research will improve understanding of how ecology and history may influence patterns of interactions between incompletely isolated taxa. The research will also produce insight into the circumstances under which hybridizing groups may evolve into reproduc tively isolated species. In addition to such inferences that may emerge from this study (which would then require testing in other contact zones), the basic information gathered to describe the hybrid zones will permit detailed studies addressing a variety of questions in the future, as well as the tracking of the two zones through time. U W U E G I K M O Q S U W ! ! ! F W W ( Times New Roman Symbol & Arial j j j j " h # EL* eL* e u # 7 Crystal Blackshear Crystal Blackshear