RUI: Diversification of New World Silversides (Atherinopsidae: Tribe Menidiini)

解释为什么特定的分类群体比其他群体更多样化，以及为什么有些群体在进化史上表现出爆炸性的适应辐射，一直是进化生物学家的目标。银汉鱼属Chirostoma（Atherinopsidae：Tribe Menidiini）是一个高度多样化的群体，仅限于墨西哥中部的梅萨。Chirostoma以前被认为是适应性辐射的经典例子，但这还没有用现代方法进行充分的测试。这个多学科项目的目的是使用DNA序列数据来调查Tribe Menidiini内属和种之间的进化关系，并收集生态和形态数据，以专门解决Chirostoma内多样化的克里思和模式。这个领域和实验室研究将培养新一代的学生在各种科学学科，包括分子系统学和几何形态测量学。合作、教育和学生培训是该项目的关键组成部分。Chirostoma代表了墨西哥最具经济和文化重要性的鱼类群体之一，这项研究的结果将引起生物学家和其他人的兴趣。将开发一个网站和一个墨西哥Menidiine银汉鱼的图片检索，这对科学家、资源管理人员和对墨西哥鱼类保护感兴趣的政府机构特别有用。

Explaining why particular taxonomic groups are more diverse than others, and why some appear to exhibit explosive adaptive radiations during evolutionary history, has long been a goal of evolutionary biologists. The silverside fish genus Chirostoma (Atherinopsidae: Tribe Menidiini), is a highly diverse group restricted to the Mesa Central of Mexico. Chirostoma has previously been referred to as a classic example of an adaptive radiation, however this has not be adequately tested with modern methods. The objective of this multidisciplinary project is to use DNA sequence data to investigate the evolutionary relationships among the genera and species within the Tribe Menidiini, and to gather ecological and morphological data to specifically address the tempo and mode of diversification within Chirostoma.This field and lab study will train a new generation of students in a variety of scientific disciplines, including molecular systematics and geometric morphometrics. Collaboration, education, and student training are key components of the project. Chirostoma represents one of the most economically and culturally important groups of fishes in Mexico, and the results of this study will be of interest to biologists and others. A website and a photographic key to the Menidiine silversides of Mexico will be developed, and will be particularly useful to scientists, resource managers, and government agencies interested in fish conservation in Mexico.