The role of selected traits in generating patterns of species diversification in a continent-wide radiation of birds (Thraupidae)

通过研究加拉帕戈斯雀喙的大小，查尔斯·达尔文发展了他的自然选择的基本思想。这些雀类，以及它们的亲戚，在今天的一个项目中，继续为科学提供信息，研究它们为什么能成功地产生如此多的物种。喙的大小，羽毛的颜色，歌声和生态位在这个庞大的美洲谱系的非凡多样化中起着重要作用，它代表了超过4%的鸟类物种。该项目将开发一个系统发育和性状数据矩阵，以比较这些性状的进化模式和与多样化率的相关性。研究结果将决定驱动加拉帕戈斯雀类自然选择的因素是否与驱动其他雀类物种形成的因素相同。该项目调查了生物多样性是如何产生的广泛问题，这是保护生物多样性努力取得长期成功的重要信息。该项目将支持至少八名研究生和本科生的教育和研究培训，他们将撰写论文和出版物。此外，大量本科生将参与制作关于经理人的在线出版物，这些出版物将通过康奈尔大学的鸟类学实验室以六种语言出版。这种拓展将使研究人员、野生动物生物学家和自然资源保护主义者受益。此外，项目研究人员将就这项工作向业余观鸟者、野生动物生物学家和自然资源保护主义者进行公开讲座。

Through studying the beak size of Galapagos finches Charles Darwin developed his fundamental idea of natural selection. These finches, and their relatives in the tanager family, continue to inform science today in a project to study why they have been successful in generating so many species. Beak size, feather color, songs, and ecological niche play important roles in the extraordinary diversification of this large American lineage that represents over 4% of bird species. This project will develop a phylogeny and a trait data matrix to compare evolutionary patterns and correlations of these traits with diversification rates. The results will determine whether the factors that drive natural selection in the Galapagos finches are the same factors driving speciation in other tanagers.This project investigates the broad question of how biodiversity is generated, which is essential information to the long term success of efforts to conserve biodiversity. This project will support the education and research training of least eight graduate and undergraduate students who will produce theses and publications. In addition, a large number of undergraduates will be involved in the production of online publications on tanagers, which will be published in six languages through Cornell University's Lab of Ornithology. This outreach will benefit researchers, wildlife biologists and conservationists. In addition, project researchers will present public lectures on this work to amateur birders, wildlife biologists, and conservationists.