Dissertation Research: Molecular Systematics, Origin, and Conservation of the Hawaiian Damselfly Genus Megalagrion

0073314西蒙和乔丹夏威夷活跃、色彩斑斓的巨型豆蛉（pinao 'ula）一直是岛上最美丽、最引人注目的昆虫之一。大约有23种豆娘的不同寻常之处在于，它们被认为是同一个殖民祖先的后代，这个祖先的后代现在占据了世界上所有其他豆娘的幼虫栖息地的总和，从湍流的溪流、高地沼泽、池塘和咸水池塘，到蕨类植物的叶基和潮湿的落叶层。在本世纪，由于人类的干扰，许多物种在当地已经变得稀缺。一些低地物种在某些岛屿上已经找不到了。根据《濒危物种法》，目前有六个物种或亚种被列入受威胁或濒危名单。由于其高度变化的形态特征和可能正在进行的物种形成，megagrion物种的谱系关系长期以来一直存在争议和问题。研究生斯蒂芬·乔丹在克里斯汀·西蒙博士的指导下，正在研究太平洋地区巨巨龙及其最接近的亲属之间的系统发育关系，以及与岛屿地理和幼虫栖息地的关系。在这项研究中，他将收集核和线粒体DNA序列数据，以比较这些和其他太平洋地区豆娘之间的突变差异。关于在保护生物学中使用分子和系统数据，已经积累了大量的工作。这些文献和新的结果将为资源管理者提供建议的基础，以保护夏威夷淡水生态系统中这些重要而脆弱的成员。

0073314Simon and Jordan Hawaii's active and colorful Megalagrion damselflies (pinao 'ula) have always been among the most beautiful and conspicuous insects in the islands. The roughly 23 species are unusual in that they are thought to be descended from a single colonizing ancestor that has given rise to descendants that now occupy as many different kinds of larval habitats as all other damselflies in the world put together, from swift streams, upland bogs, ponds and brackish pools, to plant leaf bases and damp leaf litter beneath fern banks. During this century, many species of Megalagrion have become locally scarce due to human disturbance. Some lowland species are no longer found on certain islands. Six species or subspecies are currently candidates for listing as threatened or endangered under the Endangered Species Act. The genealogical relationships of the species of Megalagrion have long been debated and are problematic because of their highly variable morphological features and probable ongoing speciation. Graduate student Stephen Jordan, under the direction of Dr. Christine Simon, is studying the phylogenetic relationships of species of Megalagrion and its closest presumed relatives in the Pacific region, in relation to island geography and larval habitats. In this study, he will gather nuclear and mitochondrial DNA sequence data for comparative measures of mutational differences among these and other Pacific area damselflies. A large body of work has accumulated concerning the use of molecular and systematic data in conservation biology. This literature and the new results will provide a basis for recommendations to resource managers working to conserve these important and vulnerable members of Hawaii's freshwater ecosystems.