Collaborative Research: Molecular Systematics of the Avian Order Gruiformes

Southern Illinois University At Carbondale, Carbondale IL

Investigators

Abstract

DEB-0108656 Carey W. Krajewski A collaborative grant has been awarded to Dr. Peter Houde at New Mexico State University and Dr. Carey Krajewski at Southern Illinois University to determine the genealogy of one of the most diverse groups of birds known, the Order Gruiformes. Genealogical relationships of families within the order will be assessed by comparing DNA sequences of several genes. Past patterns of anatomical divergence and geographic origins will be inferred from the pattern by which characteristics of living species have changed genealogically. The ages of major groups will be estimated from levels of difference between their DNA sequences. Individual genes and anatomical characters can provide misleading information about genealogy because of "convergence", so gruiform genealogy will be reconstructed from a large body of independent data, all of which will be evaluated for its consistency with the rest. Subsets of the data that are inconsistent will be scrutinized for functional and developmental correlates. This, in turn, will elucidate processes of convergence between lineages, both at the level of genes and that of anatomy. Gruiformes have singular importance in understanding the timing and geography of bird origins in general, because they are extremely diverse and geographically widespread. Many families appear to be relics of the long bygone Age of Dinosaurs when the continents were arranged quite differently than they are today. Gruiforms present many examples of convergence, providing an unparalleled opportunity for studying the processes that cause it. There is probably no other group of vertebrate animals whose relationships are so poorly understood, yet for which there is a comparable wealth of data on anatomical characteristics. There is also preliminary evidence for convergence at the genetic level, a phenomenon that has barely even been acknowledged in previous research. Thus, this group presents a truly unique opportunity for understanding the correlation between genetic and morphological change through time.