DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Ecological Divergence and Reproductive Isolation in an Amazonian Tree Species: Protium subserratum (Burseraceae)

论文研究：亚马逊树种的生态分歧和生殖隔离：Protium subserratum（伞科）

• 批准号: 1311117
• 负责人: Paul V. Fine
• 金额: $ 2.03万
• 依托单位: University of California-Berkeley
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2013
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2013-05-01 至 2015-04-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1311117&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Ecological; Divergence; Reproductive

Tropical rainforests harbor the highest tree diversity on earth, yet very few evolutionary studies are aimed at understanding the mechanisms involved in the process of speciation in tropical trees. This study will improve our understanding of evolution by systematically examining the factors involved when one species begins to diverge and become two species. The Amazonian tree, Protium subserratum provides an ideal study system because populations on white-sand habitats and clay habitats have different leaf characters and are easily distinguished in the field. Genetic studies show that populations that are specialized on different soil types mate with each other less frequently than would be expected despite the fact that their reproductive structures are similar and they flower at the same time. These results suggest that populations found on different soil types are diverging and in the process of forming a new species. A combination of field experiments, population genetics and natural history observations will be used to determine what factors are most important in driving the creation of new tree species in tropical environments.In addition to being among the first studies to explicitly examine the role of reproductive isolating mechanisms in trees, this research will foster the training of undergraduate students in population genetic techniques and support collaborations with Peruvian students. The results of this research will also be disseminated widely through publication in Spanish.

热带雨林拥有地球上最高的树木多样性，但很少有进化研究旨在了解热带树木物种形成过程中涉及的机制。这项研究将通过系统地研究一个物种开始分化并成为两个物种时所涉及的因素来提高我们对进化的理解。亚马逊树 Protium subserratum 提供了一个理想的研究系统，因为白沙栖息地和粘土栖息地的种群具有不同的叶子特征，并且在野外很容易区分。遗传学研究表明，专门生活在不同土壤类型的种群彼此交配的频率低于预期，尽管它们的生殖结构相似并且同时开花。这些结果表明，在不同土壤类型上发现的种群正在分化，并且正在形成新物种的过程中。将结合实地实验、种群遗传学和自然历史观察，确定哪些因素对于推动热带环境中新树种的产生最重要。这项研究将促进本科生在群体遗传技术方面的培训，并支持与秘鲁学生的合作。这项研究的结果也将通过西班牙语出版物广泛传播。