Systematics and Biogeography of Scolecophidian Snakes

蜈蚣科蛇的系统学和生物地理学

• 批准号: 0818798
• 负责人: Stephen Hedges
• 金额: $ 30万
• 依托单位: Pennsylvania State Univ University Park
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2008
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2008-09-01 至 2012-08-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0818798&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Systematics; Biogeography; Scolecophidian; Snakes

Scolecophidians ("blind snakes") are burrowing snakes that feed primarily on small, social insects such as ants, termites, and their larvae. They include the smallest snakes and are distributed on all continents except Antarctica, primarily in tropical and subtropical regions. Due to their fossorial lifestyle, they are among the most poorly-known major groups of vertebrates. Studies have suggested that scolecophidian species diversity is greatly underestimated because the morphological differences separating species are fewer than usual and harder to detect with conventional methods. This project investigates the relationships of populations and species of scolecophidians using DNA sequences and phylogenetic methods, in order to better understand hidden species diversity within the group and how species became distributed throughout their range.This project confers significant benefits for biodiversity and conservation efforts by revealing a large component of hidden diversity within tropical vertebrates. The small distributions of most species, combined with their declining forest habitats, place them among the key indicators of environmental health. A better understanding of species boundaries and relationships also makes these organisms more accessible for study to other biologists, such as ecologists, physiologists, and conservation biologists. The project involves both field and laboratory training of graduate and undergraduate students.

蚓螈（“盲蛇”）是穴居蛇，主要以小型社会性昆虫为食，例如蚂蚁、白蚁及其幼虫。它们包括最小的蛇，分布在除南极洲以外的所有大陆，主要分布在热带和亚热带地区。由于它们的穴居生活方式，它们是最鲜为人知的主要脊椎动物群体之一。研究表明，蚓螈类物种的多样性被大大低估了，因为物种之间的形态差异比平常少，而且用传统方法更难检测。该项目利用 DNA 序列和系统发育方法研究鲫鱼种群和物种之间的关系，以便更好地了解该群体内隐藏的物种多样性以及物种如何在其范围内分布。该项目通过揭示热带脊椎动物隐藏多样性的一个重要组成部分。大多数物种的分布范围较小，加上森林栖息地不断减少，使它们成为环境健康的关键指标之一。对物种边界和关系的更好理解也使其他生物学家（例如生态学家、生理学家和保护生物学家）更容易研究这些生物体。该项目涉及研究生和本科生的现场和实验室培训。