DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Hybridization, selection, and adaptive divergence between two bird species distributed along an environmental gradient

论文研究：沿环境梯度分布的两种鸟类之间的杂交、选择和适应性分歧

• 批准号: 1110624
• 负责人: Robb Brumfield
• 金额: $ 1.5万
• 依托单位: Louisiana State University
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2011
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2011-05-01 至 2014-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1110624&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Hybridization; selection; adaptive

The two species of marsh birds being studied live along the Gulf and Atlantic coasts. King Rails breed in freshwater marshes, while the very similar Clapper Rail breeds in saltmarshes, and the two hybridize in intermediate brackish marshes. The researchers collected and genetically analyzed birds distributed along the transition from freshwater to saltwater in Louisiana, and found evidence that adaptation to the environment may be keeping the two species from fusing into one. The goal of the funded NSF project is to find the genes underlying this adaptation and analyze them for the samples collected across the transition. The researchers will use next-generation sequencing technologies to gather large amounts of genetic data on samples already collected, and try to understand adaptation in the context of this hybrid zone. The overall goal of the research is to better understand the process of speciation. The researchers are interested in using closely related species that are hybridizing to understand the forces maintaining the distinct species. Their long-term goal with the rails is to understand genetic differences between the two species that underlie adaptations to different salinities. The results of this study will provide the most detailed population genetic analysis of two closely related, hybridizing species of birds to date. Additionally, this will be the first genetic characterization of the avian salt gland, a specialized salt-excreting organ found in some birds. Finally, the results will provide a foundation for a multitude of future research studies of this system.

研究的两种沼泽鸟类生活在海湾和大西洋海岸。国王铁轨在淡水沼泽地中繁殖，而盐尔什的搭扣轨道非常相似，两者在中间咸沼泽中杂交。研究人员收集并通过遗传分析了从淡水到路易斯安那州盐水的过渡，发现对环境的适应可能会使两种物种融合成一个。资助的NSF项目的目标是找到适应性的基因，并分析它们在整个过渡过程中收集的样品。研究人员将使用下一代测序技术来收集已经收集的样本的大量遗传数据，并尝试在此混合区域的背景下了解适应性。该研究的总体目标是更好地了解物种形成过程。研究人员有兴趣使用杂交的密切相关的物种来了解维持不同物种的力。他们在铁轨上的长期目标是了解对不同盐度适应的两个物种之间的遗传差异。这项研究的结果将提供最详细的人口遗传分析，以迄今为止两种密切相关的，杂交的鸟类杂交物种。此外，这将是鸟类盐腺的第一个遗传表征，鸟类盐腺是某些鸟类中发现的一种专门的盐进行了体外的器官。最后，结果将为该系统的许多未来研究提供基础。