DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Evolution of a Mesoamerican Rodent Clade: Phylogenetics and Testing Biogeographic Hypotheses

这项研究有几个目标。 第一个是为一组啮齿动物建立一个强大的谱系（汉德利？鼠），中美洲和南美洲北方中高海拔森林特有。 来自10个不同基因的DNA序列数据将用于估计该啮齿动物组成员之间的系谱关系。 恢复的进化关系将用于研究几个重要的生物学问题。 在这一群体的进化历史中，生态要求是否发生了变化？ 这种啮齿类动物的祖先是在中美洲进化，然后在南美洲殖民，还是相反？ 这个群体的成员之间可能的物种形成模式是什么？ 过去（和预测未来）的气候变化如何影响汉德利物种的分布？s老鼠？更广泛地说，这项研究的结果可以应用于其他群体的生物具有类似的分布和进化历史，以增加我们的知识中美洲的地理。 这一点特别重要，因为这一区域拥有超过其生物多样性份额的资源，而且森林砍伐正在迅速改变地貌。 研究成果将通过同行评审的出版物和博物馆展览向公众传播。

This research has several objectives. The first is to develop a robust genealogy for a group of rodents (Handley?s mice) endemic to medium and high elevation forests in Central America and northern South America. DNA sequence data from 10 different genes will be used to estimate genealogical relationships among members of this rodent group. The evolutionary relationships recovered will be used to examine several important biological questions. During the evolutionary history of this group, have ecological requirements changed? Did ancestors of this rodent group evolve in Central America and then colonize South America or vice versa? What is/are the likely mode(s) of speciation among members of this group? How have past (and predicted future) climatic changes impacted the distributions of species of Handley?s mice? More broadly, the results of this study can be applied to other groups of organisms with similar distributions and evolutionary histories in order to increase our knowledge of the biogeography of Central America. This is particularly important because this region harbors more than its share of biological diversity and the landscape is rapidly be altered by deforestation. Research results will be disseminated through peer-reviewed publications and a museum exhibit for the general public.