Starter Grant: Patterns and Processes of Genetic Differentiation in Pond-Breeding Amphibians

本研究计划的目的是研究斑点蝾螈（Ambystoma maculatum）种群间的种群生物学和遗传分化程度之间的关系。首先，将利用专门为该物种开发的核分子标记（微卫星）描述纽约中部Ambystoma育种群体的遗传分化模式。此外，对一个繁殖种群进行详细的实地研究将确定个体行为（如扩散、返回特定繁殖池的倾向和繁殖成功）对这些模式的影响程度。这项研究的重要性在于阐明有助于生物分化和最终多样性的过程。生物如何成为不同物种的研究一直是生物学家关注的焦点，但仍然是一个悬而未决的问题。这项研究将调查某些生活史特征和动物行为如何影响种群基因差异的程度；这些过程可能与影响物种分化的最初步骤相同，从而有助于生物多样性的起源和维持。

Zamudio9907798 This goal of this research program is to examine the relationship between the population biology and degree of genetic differentiation among populations of the spotted salamander, Ambystoma maculatum. First, the patterns of genetic differentiation among lineages of Ambystoma breeding populations in central New York will be described using nuclear molecular markers (microsatellites) developed specifically for this species. In addition, a detailed field study of one breeding population will determine the extent to which individual behaviors such as dispersal, tendency to return to specific breeding ponds, and reproductive success contribute to these patterns. The importance of this study lies in elucidating the processes contributing to differentiation and, ultimately, diversity among organisms. The study of how organisms become different species has been a main focus among biologists, but is still a mostly unanswered question. This research will investigate how certain life history characteristics and an animal's behavior affect the degree to which populations become genetically distinct; these processes are possibly the same first steps that affect diverging species, thus contributing to the origin and maintenance of biodiversity.