MCA: Avian systematics, speciation, and adaptation across large island archipelagos

MCA：大型岛屿群岛的鸟类系统学、物种形成和适应

• 批准号: 2322123
• 负责人: Herman Mays
• 金额: $ 22.45万
• 依托单位: Marshall University Research Corporation
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2023
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2023-08-01 至 2026-07-31
• 项目状态: 未结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=2322123&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: MCA; Avian; systematics; speciation; adaptation

Determining the boundaries between species is critical for answering basic questions in biodiversity science and in the application of conservation legislation and wildlife management plans. Genomics has influenced every field in biology and the study of biodiversity is no exception; however, meaningful training in genomic techniques is unevenly distributed. This Mid-Career Award supports training in genomic tools in the study of species boundaries and speciation for faculty and students at Marshall University in West Virginia, through a unique training partnership with Ohio State University. This project leverages an international collaboration to study systematics, biogeography, and speciation in three groups of songbirds on the islands of Japan, Taiwan, and the Philippines. Because islands cover only 7% of the earth but harbor 20% of the planet’s biodiversity, studying island species in order to understand adaptive radiations is especially important. This research will cultivate new knowledge of the island birds of East Asia and foster better tools for understanding species boundaries and speciation. The work will also enable training and research opportunities in cutting-edge genomic methodologies and analyses, applicable across the life sciences, to faculty and students at a primarily undergraduate university in Appalachia. The goal of the Mid-Career Advancement (MCA) program is to enhance the research careers of mid-career scientists. The application of genomics in systematics and evolutionary biology has revolutionized these fields; however, faculty at many smaller institutions are saddled with teaching and other obligations that limit the amount of time to devote to training in new methods. As the sophistication of the questions addressed in systematics and evolutionary biology grow, typical low-throughput sequencing techniques are no longer adequate. This MCA award partners faculty and students at Marshall University in West Virginia (EPSCoR state) with faculty at Ohio State University experienced in population genomics and molecular systematics. This partnership will enable training in the application of cutting-edge genomic tools in the study of species delimitation, speciation, population genetics, adaptive evolution, and biogeography. Specifically, this project will produce and analyze genome-scale and whole genome datasets for three codistributed avian groups in East Asia – the yellow-breasted flycatcher complex, the varied tit complex, and the Asiatic white-eyes. Genomic data applied to these groups will allow researchers to assess the reliability of different species delimitation methods, the influence of island geography on population parameters, and the impact of adaptive evolution on the genome.This project is jointly funded by the Evolutionary Processes Program, and the Established Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR).This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.

确定物种之间的界限对于回答生物多样性科学中的基本问题以及保护立法和野生动植物管理计划至关重要。基因组学影响了生物学领域的每个领域，生物多样性的研究也不例外。但是，基因组技术中有意义的培训是不均匀的。该中期奖通过与俄亥俄州立大学的独特培训合作伙伴关系，支持西弗吉尼亚州马歇尔大学的物种边界和规范研究中的基因组工具培训。该项目利用国际合作来研究日本，台湾和菲律宾三组歌手的系统学，生物地理学和规格。由于岛屿仅占地球的7％，但拥有20％的地球生物多样性，因此研究岛屿物种以了解自适应辐射尤为重要。研究将培养对东亚岛鸟类的新知识，并培养更好的工具，以了解物种边界和规格。这项工作还将在整个生命科学的尖端基因组方法和分析方面提供培训和研究机会，并在阿巴拉契亚一所小学大学的教师和学生中进行培训和研究。职业发展进步（MCA）计划的目标是增强职业中级科学家的研究职业。基因组学在系统学和进化生物学中的应用彻底改变了这些领域。但是，许多较小机构的教职员工都掌握着教学和其他义务，这些义务限制了用于新方法培训的时间。正如系统学和进化生物学增长中解决的问题的复杂性，典型的低通量测序技术不再足够。这是西弗吉尼亚州马歇尔大学（EPSCOR State）的MCA奖伙伴教职员工和俄亥俄州立大学的教师在人口基因组学和分子系统学方面经验丰富。这种伙伴关系将在对物种划界，特异性，人群遗传学，适应性进化和生物地理学的研究中应用尖端基因组工具的应用培训。具体而言，该项目将为东亚三个代码分布的禽类组生产和分析基因组规模和整个基因组数据集 - 黄胸的捕蝇器综合体，多样化的Tit Complex和亚洲白眼睛。应用于这些群体的基因组数据将允许研究人员评估不同物种划界方法的可靠性，岛地地理对人群参数的影响以及适应性进化对基因组的影响。该项目由进化过程共同资助了进化过程计划，并通过既定的竞争性研究（EPSCOR）的态度（EPSCOR）进行了统计。智力优点和更广泛的影响审查标准。