Phenotypic, genetic and demographic responses to environmental variation and inbreeding in the song sparrow

我的工作延续了35年的研究，该研究已成为了解人类影响和环境因素如何影响种群持续性和物种进化的模型系统。 我提出的新工作将估计遗传变异的短期和长期影响，褐头燕八哥的育雏寄生和气候变化对北美西部小种群鸟类的健康个体和持久性的影响。我的工作的总体目标是确定和排名最有可能影响种群增长和灭绝率的因素，特别是确定那些最有可能被野生动物管理者改善的因素，以造福于稀有和濒危物种。我的方法，这项工作一直是开发一个模型系统的研究，其中详细的信息近亲繁殖和性能的个别标记的歌麻雀（Melospiza melodia），一个典型的雀形目鸟类，是不断监测。然后，这些数据被应用于解决生态学、进化和保护方面的复杂问题。特别是，因为我研究的遗传和人口因素经常被确定为威胁世界各地物种种群的持久性，我的工作提供了一个实用和廉价的方法来确定对种群和物种最严重的威胁，以及可能恢复这些种群和物种的可靠管理策略。总的来说，我的工作提供了独特的机会来回答自然界中的复杂问题，并培养杰出的年轻科学家，而无需花费巨大的费用和精力来进行更难以监测的物种的新研究。我自己和学生的工作成果出现在几本教科书中，受到全世界的关注，将来应该继续这样做。

My work continues a 35 year study that has become a model system for understanding how human influence and environmental factors affect the persistence of populations and evolution of species. The new work I propose will estimate the short and long-term effects of genetic variation, brood parasitism by brown-headed cowbirds and climate change on the fitness individuals and persistence of small populations of birds in western North America. An overall goal of my work is to identify and rank factors most likely to affect the growth and extinction rates of populations generally and, in particular, to identify those factors most likely to be ameliorated by wildlife managers for the benefit of rare and endangered species. My approach to this work has been to develop a model system of study wherein detailed information on inbreeding and the performance of individually-marked song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), an archetypical passerine bird, is monitored continuously. These data are then applied to solve complex problems in ecology, evolution and conservation. In particular, because the genetic and demographic factors I study have often been identified as threats the persistence of populations of species around the world, my work offers a practical and inexpensive approach to identifying the most severe threats to populations and species, and the msot reliable management tactics to likely recover these populations and species. Overall, my work provides unique opportunities to answer complex questions in nature and train outstanding young scientists without the enormous expense and effort of embarking on new studies of species that are harder to monitor. The results of my own and student's work appear in several textbooks, receive attention world-wide, and should continue to do so in future.