Dissertation Research: Population Differentiation in Migratory Raptors

论文研究：迁徙猛禽的种群分化

• 批准号: 9321656
• 负责人: Daniel Thompson
• 金额: $ 0.88万
• 依托单位: University of Nevada Las Vegas
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 1994
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 1994-04-01 至 1995-09-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=9321656&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Dissertation; Research; Population; Differentiation; Migratory

9321656 Thompson Many species of North American birds of prey (raptors) breed in northern North America and fly along several migration routes to wintering areas in the southern United States and Mexico. It is hypothesized that because birds show a strong tendency to return to their breeding grounds and because migratory habits seem to be heritable, North American raptor species are composed of populations which are geographically distinct from one another. If populations from different geographic areas use separate migratory routes, it can be postulated that raptors using different migration routes will be genetically and morphologically divergent. The current research will investigate morphological and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) characteristics of four species of raptors which use three migration routes. Possible differences might stem from unique predatory habits, differences in migratory requirements, or individual responses to the local environment. Mitochondrial DNA provides an excellent tool for investigating differences between populations within a species because it is a quickly evolving molecule and can reflect genetic uniqueness which may evolve in populations that are partially isolated from one another. Little is known to date of mtDNA relationships within and between raptor populations especially as they relate to the geographic distribution of species.%%% This study will uniquely combine statistical analysis of morphology with mtDNA relationships for four species of raptors using the same migration routes. This study will establish to what degree raptors from different geographic areas in North America have evolved unique morphological and genetic characteristics. An understanding of the differences between raptor populations within species is essential to an understanding of the ecology of these top predators and to further our knowledge of conservation and evolutionary biology.***

9321656 Thompson 许多北美猛禽（猛禽）在北美洲北部繁殖，并沿着几条迁徙路线飞到美国南部和墨西哥的越冬地区。 据推测，由于鸟类表现出强烈的返回繁殖地的倾向，而且迁徙习性似乎是可遗传的，北美猛禽物种由地理上彼此不同的种群组成。 如果来自不同地理区域的种群使用不同的迁徙路线，则可以假设使用不同迁徙路线的猛禽在遗传和形态上会有所不同。 目前的研究将调查使用三种迁徙路线的四种猛禽的形态和线粒体 DNA (mtDNA) 特征。 可能的差异可能源于独特的捕食习惯、迁徙要求的差异或个体对当地环境的反应。 线粒体 DNA 为研究一个物种内种群之间的差异提供了一种极好的工具，因为它是一种快速进化的分子，可以反映遗传独特性，这种独特性可能在部分彼此隔离的种群中进化。 迄今为止，人们对猛禽种群内部和之间的 mtDNA 关系知之甚少，特别是因为它们与物种的地理分布有关。%%% 这项研究将独特地将形态统计分析与使用相同迁徙路线的四种猛禽的 mtDNA 关系结合起来。 这项研究将确定来自北美不同地理区域的猛禽在何种程度上进化出了独特的形态和遗传特征。 了解物种内猛禽种群之间的差异对于了解这些顶级捕食者的生态以及加深我们对保护和进化生物学的了解至关重要。***