DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Molecular Systematics of the Family Drosophilidae

9623559基德韦尔这项奖励将提供材料和用品的资金以及旅费，以支持在哥斯达黎加收集标本和在纽约的美国自然历史博物馆研究标本。这项支持将加强帕特里克·M·奥格雷迪二世的论文，他是亚利桑那大学玛格丽特·G·基德韦尔博士的研究生。学生的论文项目包括对两个独立基因(ADH和COII)的分子序列数据进行系统发育分析，以评估果蝇科(昆虫纲：双翅目)果蝇属之间的关系。果蝇属一直是一个经典的模式系统，这一类群的良好系统发育将对其他研究人员研究生殖生物学、发育、生态学、生物地理学、遗传史等问题具有广泛的实用价值。到目前为止，假设的果蝇科的系统发育表明了相互矛盾或不协调的关系模式。该项目希望纠正这种情况，并使用获得的两个分子数据集来解决分析问题，如量化相互竞争的假说/系统发生之间的一致性程度，以及联合证据或单独分析是否更有用。该奖项将为一名研究生提供支持，该研究生将继续研究果蝇属所属苍蝇家族中各属之间的关系。这些苍蝇在生物学的许多领域都是众所周知的实验动物，了解它们的历史关系将在许多类型的研究中具有价值。该项目还将研究分析复杂、有时相互冲突的分子数据的方法。支持对研究生进行现代系统生物学和种群生物学方法论方面的培训，对于保持一支能够解决日益引起全球关注的生物多样性问题的科学家队伍十分重要。

9623559 Kidwell This award will provide funds for materials and supplies as well as travel funds to support both collecting in Costa Rica and study of specimens at the American Museum of Natural History in New York. The support will enhance the dissertation of Patrick M. O'Grady II who is a graduate student with Dr. Margaret G. Kidwell at the University of Arizona. The student's dissertation project involves phylogenetic analysis of molecular sequence data from two independent genes (Adh and COII) to assess relationships among genera of flies in the family Drosophilidae (Insecta: Diptera). The genus Drosophila has been and is such a classic model system that a well-supported phylogeny of this group will have broad utility to other researchers addressing questions of reproductive biology, development, ecology, biogeography, genetic history, etc.. To date, hypothesized phylogenies for the family Drosophilidae have suggested contradictory or incongruent patterns of relationships. This project hopes to correct that situation and to use the two molecular data sets obtained to address analytical issues such as quantifying levels of congruence among competing hypotheses/phylogenies and whether combined evidence or separate analyses are of greater utility. This award will provide support for a graduate student pursuing studies of relationships among genera in the family of flies to which the genus Drosophila belongs. These flies are well known experimental animals for many areas of biology and understanding of their historical relationships will be of value in many kinds of research. The project will also investigate means of analyzing complex and sometimes conflicting molecular data. Support for the training of graduate students in modern systematic and population biology methodologies is important for maintaining the workforce of scientists capable of addressing the questions and issues of biodiversity which are of increasing global concern.