Collaborative Research: Molecular Phylogenetics of the Globally Distributed Polychaete, Polydora cornuta

南佛罗里达大学的斯蒂芬·卡尔博士和坦帕大学的斯坦利·赖斯获得了DEB-03219424/0317890A奖学金，以利用线粒体编码的细胞色素氧化酶C亚基I基因的DNA序列数据来揭示多毛虫全球种群之间的进化关系。目标是确定种群是否在遗传上是不同的(因此可能是独立的物种)，或者实际上是世界范围内分布的单一物种。样本将在北美(特别是东海岸)以及加勒比海地区、欧洲、南美洲、澳大利亚和新西兰集中采集。一旦确定了角对虾种群的全球系统发育，这些数据就可以用来开发一个研究基因流和物种形成的海洋模型系统。最终，这项研究将有助于更好地理解海洋物种形成的机制，以及生殖不亲和性、遗传差异和形态变异是如何相互关联的。

Abstract DEB-03219424/0317890A grant has been awarded to Dr. Stephen Karl of University of South Florida and Stanley Rice of the University of Tampa to uncover evolutionary relationships among global populations of the polychaete worm, Polydora cornuta using DNA sequence data from the mitochondrially encoded cytochrome oxidase c subunit I gene (COI). The goal is to determine whether populations are genetically distinct (and therefore may be separate species) or are in fact a single species with world-wide distribution. Samples will be collected intensively around North America (particularly the east coast) and from the Caribbean, Europe, South America, Australia, and New Zealand. Once a global phylogeny of P. cornuta populations is determined, the data can be used to develop of a model marine system for the study of gene flow and speciation. Ultimately, the study will lead to a better understanding of mechanisms of speciation in the sea and how reproductive incompatibility, genetic divergence, and morphological variation are interrelated.