贵州高原瘰螈属、拟小鲵属物种多样性及谱系地理学研究

With typically developed karst landform, the subtropical Guizhou Plateau locates in the upstream contact zone between the two big river system in China, the Yangzi river and the Pearl River. This special ecosystem shows marked isolations for organism populations to support this region's high diversities in species and their related habitats. Consequently, Guizhou is the province which has the most Chinese endemic Urodela species (15 species, belonging to 3 families, 6 genera and a subspecies) in China. Additionally, the recent discovery of many new salamanders in this area, suggests that more field investigations and phylogenetic studies need to be conducted in this hotspot, especially, for the species of Paramesotriton and Pseudohynobius. There are 5 of total Paramesotriton species and 3 of total 7 species distributed in Guizhou Plateau, where the species form well-supported monophyletic groups respectively in the two genera. This project will study the molecular phylogenetic relationships of Paramesotriton and Pseudohynobius by amplifying and analyzing the mitochondrial genes (12SrRNA、16SrRNA、ND2、Cytb) and nuclear genes (RAG-1、POMC). Then by integrating phylogenetic results and related geographical and ecological data, molecular phylogeographic researches would be done to explore the mechanism by which the geographic or climatic changes of the Guizhou Plateau affect the evolution of salamanders. Finally this project will supply some scientific perspectives about the population trends of Urodela species, and advices for their future protection strategies.

贵州高原位于长江珠江两大水系上游交错地带，岩溶地貌发育典型，生境类型多样，对物种的分化隔离作用明显，为有尾类中国特有种最多的区域，有尾两栖动物3科6属15种及1亚种。近年来贵州高原有尾类新种不断被发现，说明境内有尾两栖动物的资源调查和谱系地理学研究有待进一步加强。其中值得关注的是在贵州高原上形成一个特征明显的单系类群的瘰螈属物种（尾斑瘰螈种组5种，占瘰螈属的5/12）以及3种拟小鲵属物种（占拟小鲵属的3/7）。本项目拟测定瘰螈属、拟小鲵属物种的线粒体12SrRNA、16SrRNA、ND2、Cytb基因序列及核基因RAG-1、POMC序列。据此构建瘰螈属、拟小鲵属系统发育关系。在理清分类问题的基础上，整合遗传、地理及生态信息进行分子谱系地理学研究。本项目拟通过瘰螈属、拟小鲵属谱系地理学研究，探究贵州特殊地质历史过程对有尾两栖动物演化的作用机制，对有尾两栖动物种群发展趋势进行预测并提出保护意见

本项目按照原计划对分布在贵州高原的瘰螈属、拟小鲵属物种进行了全面调查，收集样品，并扩增了部分分子标记片段。另外在原计划之外，补充进行了转录学方面的研究。