Comparative Phylogeography of Eurasian Birds

University Of Minnesota-Twin Cities, Minneapolis MN

Investigators

Abstract

Robert M. Zink and Sievert A. Rohwer of the University of Minnesota have been awarded a grant to use DNA sequencing technology to analyze patterns of genetic variation within 25 bird species that have been sampled across Russia. DNA studies clarify whether each species is actually a single species, or whether genetic discontinuities exist. For example, the PIs have already shown that what was thought to be a common Eurasian species is in fact three species. Such findings have important implications for documenting biodiversity. By comparing a large number of species, it is possible to determine if genetic discontinuities are congruent, which, if so, can be related to the climatic and geological history of this region over the last million years. The PIs sampling design allows assessment of whether geographical barriers such as the Ural Mountains played a role in the evolution of diversity within these bird species. Using estimates of rates of molecular evolution, dates of origin of genetic discontinuities can be compared to those in North American birds. Essentially nothing is known about the evolutionary history of bird species across Eurasia, because, until recently, some important study sites were not easily accessible. The available samples provide the first opportunity for broad-scale analyses of genetic variation and species limits across Eurasia. This provides a firmer base for interpreting the significance of patterns of genetic variation in North America, the other large temperate land mass. That is, the PIs will be able to compare units of biodiversity on a common DNA scale on the two great north temperate landmasses, North America and Eurasia. The effects of climatic change, including glaciation, on the origin of species will also be revealed. The PIs collaboration with Russian scientists through exchange of personnel and joint fieldwork further enriches this research program.