DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Evolution of Migration in Ficedula Flycatchers (Muscicapidae)

迁徙是各种鸟类普遍存在的现象。虽然有许多假设可以解释导致迁徙进化的因素，但很少有经过严格测试的。在进化框架中评估这些假设可以检验共同因素是否可以解释鸟类迁徙的进化。地理假说预测，在季节性环境中是否发现物种与物种进化迁徙行为的倾向之间存在关系。本研究通过首先重建分子系统发育，然后检查迁徙与地理之间的进化关系（相关性），在一个广泛分布的物种属（Ficedula）中验证了地理假设。就科学重要性而言，许多候鸟的数量已经显示出迅速下降，这似乎与人类造成的栖息地丧失有关——这在发现了Ficedula捕蝇鸟的东南亚尤其是个问题。我们必须了解这些系统，以及它们在进化过程中是如何变化的，正如这项研究试图做的那样，以便在面对快速的环境变化时更好地保护它们。就教育界而言，正在进行拟议研究的孟菲斯大学（University of Memphis）拥有多元化的学生群体。研究人员的主要目标是招募和培训在分子系统技术方面代表性不足的本科生。

Migration is a widespread occurrence among species of birds. While there are many hypotheses to explain the factors that cause migration to evolve, few have been rigorously tested. Evaluating these hypotheses in an evolutionary framework examines whether common factors can account for the evolution of migration across bird species. Geographical hypotheses predict that there is a relationship between whether species are found in seasonal environments and a species' propensity to evolve migratory behavior. This study tests geographical hypotheses in a widespread and speciose genus of flycatchers (Ficedula), by first reconstructing a molecular phylogeny, then examining the evolutionary relationship (correlation) between migration and geography. In terms of scientific importance, many migratory birds have shown rapid declines in numbers that seem to be tied to human-induced habitat loss - this is especially a problem in Southeast Asia where Ficedula flycatchers are found. We must understand these systems, and how they have changed over evolutionary time, as this study attempts to do, to better protect them in the face of rapid environmental change. With regard to the educational community, the University of Memphis, where the proposed research is being conducted, has a diverse student body. It is a major goal of the investigators to recruit and train underrepresented undergraduate students in molecular systematic techniques.