Enhancement for Research and Teaching Capabilities in Ecological, Environmental and Evolutionary Biology

该奖项将支持新墨西哥州州立大学生物系生态和进化遗传学实验室的研究。 1）Michele Nishiguchi博士（PI），他研究乌贼发光细菌模型系统中共生体的进化和物种形成，并对与传染病的辐射和传播有关的弧菌属病原菌的感染机制的进化感兴趣。 2)Peter Houde博士（合作PI），其研究项目侧重于鸟类的系统学，重点是鸟类Gruiformes的分子系统学，这是鸟类遗传学中一个定义不清的群体。 3)丹尼尔霍华德博士（合作PI），他的小组对物种形成感兴趣，这是一个负责地球上生命多样性的过程，使用了一个密切相关的地面蟋蟀模型系统。 4)布鲁克·米利根博士（合作PI），其研究兴趣包括开发统计方法，以解开影响数量性状的遗传和环境因素，从而确定自然种群的重要医学，生理或生态特征的遗传结构。 5)Kevin Oshima博士（合作PI），其研究主要集中在表征和检查影响鱼类弹状病毒多样性，生态和进化的环境因素。 6)Geoffrey Smith博士（共同主要研究者），其主要兴趣包括研究微生物群落中生物降解微生物对氯化污染物暴露作出反应时的代谢功能与系统发育结构之间的关系。 该奖项将用于购买应用生物系统（ABI）377XL自动测序仪。 除了测序之外，这台机器还可以运行微卫星凝胶（用于群体遗传学，用于从个体标本中识别特定的DNA片段），以及用于农业和进化生物学等领域基因组作图的AFLP（扩增片段长度多态性）技术。 ABI系统不需要任何放射性标记，从而在实验室中实现无辐射环境。 生态和进化遗传学实验室的教师对生物体的进化和辐射与环境和生态影响的主要兴趣。 ABI 377XL将为众多在这些领域从事职业的研究生和本科生的研究和教学做出贡献。

This award will support research at the Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics in the Department of Biology at New Mexico State University. A number of investigators will make use of the DNA sequencer including: 1) Dr. Michele Nishiguchi (PI), who studies the evolution and speciation of symbionts in a squid-luminous bacterium model system and is interested in the evolution of infection mechanisms in related pathogenic bacteria of the genus Vibrio, which are responsible for the radiation and spread of infectious disease. 2) Dr. Peter Houde (co-PI), whose research program focuses on the systematics of birds, with an emphasis in the molecular systematics of the avian order Gruiformes, an ill-defined group within avian phylogenetics. 3) Dr. Daniel Howard (co-PI), whose group is interested in species formation, the process responsible for the diversity of life on earth using a model system of closely related ground crickets. 4) Dr. Brook Milligan (co-PI), whose research interests include developing statistical methods to disentangle genetic and environmental factors affecting quantitative traits thereby identifying the genetic architecture of important medical, physiological, or ecological traits of natural populations. 5) Dr. Kevin Oshima (co-PI), whose research focuses primarily on characterizing and examining environmental factors that influence the diversity, ecology and evolution of fish rhabdoviruses. 6) Dr. Geoffrey Smith (co-PI), whose primarily interests include investigating the relationships in the microbial community between metabolic function and phylogenetic structure of biodegradative microorganisms as they respond to chlorinated pollutant exposure. This award will be used to purchase an Applied Biosystems (ABI) 377XL automated sequencer. In addition to sequencing, this machine can also run microsatellite gels (used in population genetics for identifying specific DNA fragments from individual specimens), as well as AFLP (amplified fragment length polymorphism) techniques used in genome mapping in areas such as agricultural and evolutionary biology. The ABI system does not require any radioactive labeling, enabling a radiation-free environment in the laboratory. The faculty of the Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Genetics have major interests in the evolution and radiation of organisms with respect to environmental and ecological influences. The ABI 377XL will contribute to the research and teaching of numerous graduate and undergraduate students who are pursuing careers in those fields.