DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Role of Migratory Behavior in the Process of Avian Diversification

据估计，每年有100亿只陆鸟在南北纬度之间迁徙，为繁殖和越冬寻找合适的栖息地。长途迁徙既昂贵又危险，这为确保旅程顺利进行的强大自然选择创造了可能性。迁徙鸿沟被定义为具有不同迁徙路径的种群之间的接触区域，它提供了一个独特的机会来研究迁徙行为的差异如何降低不同迁徙形式之间的交配成功率。这项研究将检验这样一种假设，即跨越斯文森画眉迁徙分界线的迁徙行为差异限制了不同迁徙形式之间的交配机会。斯温森的画眉系统将作为研究不同的迁徙策略对其他迁徙生物多样化进程的重要性的模型。拟议的研究将调查将不同的迁徙形式视为保护规划和管理的进化上截然不同的单位的重要性。来自代表性不足的族裔和性别群体的实习生一直是并将继续是拟议研究的组成部分。

Each year an estimated 10 billion land birds migrate between northern and southern latitudes in search of suitable habitat for breeding and over-wintering. Long distance migration is energetically costly and dangerous, creating the potential for strong natural selection on traits that ensure a successful journey. Migratory divides, defined as regions of contact between populations with distinct migratory pathways, provide a unique opportunity to examine how differences in migration behavior may reduce mating success between divergent migratory forms. This research will test the hypothesis that differences in migratory behavior across a migratory divide in the Swainson's Thrush (Catharus ustulatus) limits mating opportunities between distinct migratory forms. The Swainson's thrush system will serve as a model for investigation of the importance of divergent migratory strategies to the process of diversification in other migratory organisms. The proposed research will investigate the importance of considering divergent migratory forms as evolutionarily distinct units for conservation planning and management. Interns from under-represented ethnic and gender groups have been and will continue to be integral component of the proposed research.