DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Phylogeography of Rakaia denticulata (Arachnida, Opiliones, Cyphophthalmi) in the South Island of New Zealand

像许多与世隔绝的岛屿一样，新西兰是各种动物群体进化辐射的家园，如天鹅绒蠕虫、蟑螂、陆生平面动物或更知名的扁平鸟(猕猴桃鸟、巨型MOAS及其盟友)。其中一次辐射发生在蜘蛛科Pettalidae，这是一群微小的收割者，分布在南半球前冈瓦那温带的碎片上。令人惊讶的是，这个家族所描述的多样性有60%是在新西兰发现的。这项研究侧重于一种常见物种(齿齿蛙属)，将有助于洞察生活在森林凋落物中的小型生物的物种形成过程，这些过程对土壤生态系统的功能至关重要。此外，这笔赠款将用于培训一名女研究生，支持女本科生和少数族裔本科生，以及制定K-12外联方案。

Like many isolated islands, New Zealand is home to evolutionary radiations in various animal groups such as velvet worms, cockroaches, land planarians, or the better-known ratite birds (kiwi birds, giant moas and allies). One of these radiations has occurred in the arachnid family Pettalidae, a group of tiny harvestmen with Southern Hemisphere distribution across the fragments of the former temperate zone of Gondwana. A remarkable 60% of the described diversity of this family is found in New Zealand. This study, focusing in one common species (Rakaia denticulata), will provide insight into the processes contributing to speciation in small organisms that live in the forest litter and that are essential for the functioning of soil ecosystems. In addition, this grant will contribute to the training of a female graduate student, support of female and minority undergraduates, and the development of K-12 outreach programs.