Biogeography and Evolution of American Cottontails, Lagomorpha: Sylvilagus, From Morphology and Molecules, Emphasizing South and Mesoamerican Taxa

棉尾兔是美洲研究最少的哺乳动物群体之一，介于猎物和非猎物之间。因此，就连基本的问题也鲜为人知，比如：特定地区存在什么物种，棉尾物种的生物学极限是什么，等等。这可以通过指出1992年在华盛顿特区郊外描述了一个新物种来概括！因此，研究人员建议对棉尾鱼进行遗传分析，以解决他们的假设，即棉尾鱼的生物物种多样性比我们目前的理解所暗示的要大。这项工作在生物防治方面很重要。粘液瘤病毒是用来控制欧洲兔子种群的，它自然存在于南美棉尾鱼中，这是这项提案的重点。然而，我们不知道这种病毒最初是从南美棉尾鱼的什么物种中发现的。对物种限制的研究可能会结合病毒测序来确定这一点。此外，研究人员还提议让来自拉丁美洲国家的学生和研究人员参与这项研究。因此，外联部分将为美国和拉丁美洲带来长期的生产性研究效益。

Cottontail rabbits are among the least studied mammal groups in the Americas, falling in the crack between game and non-game species. Accordingly, little remains known regarding even such fundamental questions as: what species are present in particular areas, what are the biological limits of cottontail species, etc. This can be encapsulated by pointing out that a new species was described in 1992 from right outside Washington DC! The investigators therefore propose to conduct genetic analyses of cottontails in order to address their hypothesis that the biological species diversity in cottontails is greater than what our current understanding suggests.The work is important in biological control. Myxoma virus, used to control European rabbit populations, is naturally found in South American cottontails, the focus of this proposal. We do not know, however, exactly from what species of South American cottontail the virus was originally found. Research into species limits may determine this in conjunction with viral sequencing. In addition, the investigators are proposing to involve students and investigators from the Latin American countries where they will undertake the research. The outreach component will therefore yield long-term productive research benefits to the United States and Latin America.