NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for FY 2000

这项行动为2000年国家科学基金会少数民族博士后研究金提供资金。研究和培训计划是在人口生物学领域，题为“渐新世晚期/中新世时期古生物地理模式的阐明”。 该项目评估了3000万至500万年前美国西部大规模构造和气候扰动对化石和现存哺乳动物类群分布的影响。 这些影响是通过使用化石分类群的GIS数据库、地方性的简约分析和现存分类群的生物地理信息来确定的。 三个假设进行测试：1。300万至500万年前的大规模构造变化限制了哺乳动物的基因流动，增加了哺乳动物的特有性;现代地理模式更深地植根于地球历史，而不是最近的气候事件，如更新世冰川的结果; 3。哺乳动物物种在气候变化期间表现出个体性，而不是保持静态的物种协会。 这项研究将使人们更好地了解自然环境对进化所起的作用，并进一步了解未来气候和构造变化将如何影响生物多样性。

This action funds an NSF Minority Postdoctoral Research Fellowship for 2000.The research and training plan is in the area of Population Biology and is entitled, "Elucidation of Paleobiogeographic Patterns of Late Oligocene/Miocene Time Period". This project assesses the effects of large-scale tectonic and climatic perturbations from 30 to 5 million years ago in the western United States on the distributions of fossil and extant mammalian taxa. These effects are determined through the use of a GIS database of fossil taxa, Parsimony Analysis of Endemicity, and biogeographic information on extant taxa. Three hypotheses are tested: 1. Large-scale tectonic changes between thirty and five million years ago restricted gene flow and increased endemism in mammals; 2. Modern biogeographic patterns are more deeply rooted in Earth history rather than being the result of recent climatic events such as Pleistocene glaciation; 3. Mammalian species behave individualistically during times of climate change as opposed to maintaining static species' associations. This study will provide a better understanding of the role played by the physical environment on evolution as well as an increased understanding of how future climate and tectonic changes will affect biodiversity.