Dissertation Research: Species Boundaries and Conservation Units in the Family Lemuridae

研究人员将使用诊断分子技术来研究狐猴科三个濒危物种的物种边界、杂交区域和保护单位，这三个物种是：黄狐猴(棕色狐猴)、马卡科狐猴(黑狐猴)和花斑狐猴(黑白相间的褶皱狐猴)。诊断是一种客观的方法，可以直接评估人群之间的固定差异。为了实现诊断，必须在不同群体之间找到固定和不同的属性。这些属性将被用来将种群描述为彼此不同，这有助于研究人员探索影响物种边界、杂交区和保护单位的进化过程。在这项研究中，研究人员将使用快速进化的DNA作为诊断特征的来源。诊断将用于评估杂交区域对Eulemur属两个物种的影响。将使用母体线粒体(d-loop、细胞色素-b和12S)以及母体和父本核标记对马达加斯加西北部的黄花狐猴和马达加斯加东南部的白额狐猴(白颈狐猴)和红额狐猴(红额狐猴)之间的所谓杂交进行检查。诊断线粒体DNA(d-loop)也将被用于确定各种不同野生狐猴的保护单位，决定哪些野生捕获的个体应该被引入圈养种群，并确定最适合引入多变野生狐猴种群的动物。

The researchers will use diagnostic molecular techniques to investigate species boundaries, hybrid zones, and conservation units in three endangered species from the family Lemuridae, Eulemur fulvus (brown lemur),Eulemur macaco (black lemur), and Varecia variegata variegata (black and white ruffed lemur). Diagnosis is an objective methodology which allows for the straightforward assessment of fixed differences between populations. In order for diagnosis to be achieved, fixed and different attributes must be found between populations. These attributes will be used to characterize populations as distinct from one another which can help in the researchers' exploration of evolutionary processes that impact species boundaries, hybrid zones, and conservation units. In this study, the researchers will use rapidly evolving DNA as their source for diagnostic characters.Diagnosis will be used to assess the impact hybrid zones have on two species in the genus Eulemur. Purported hybrids between E. f. fulvus and E. m. macaco in the northwest of Madagascar and between E. f. albocollaris(white-collared lemur) and E. f. rufus (red-fronted lemur) in the southeast of the island will be examined using the maternal mitochondrial (d-loop, cytochrome - b and 12S) and maternal and paternal nuclear markers.Diagnostic mitochondrial DNA (d-loop) will also be used to determine conservation units in Varecia variegata variegata , to determine which wild caught individuals should be introduced into the captive population, and to determine the most genetically appropriate animals for introduction into asmall wild Varecia variegata variegata population.