生物谷報導：美國科學家近日進行了一項迄今為止規模最大的鳥類遺傳學研究，重塑了鳥類進化樹。這一研究的範圍頗為廣闊，許多鳥類的學名將會因之而改變，而生物學教科書和觀鳥愛好者指南也不得不進行修訂。相關論文發表在6月27日的《科學》（Science）雜誌上。
這項研究名為「早鳥計劃」（Early Bird Project），由美國國家自然科學基金會（NSF）資助，它從所有現存主要鳥類群體中收集了DNA數據。目前為止，研究人員已經建造並分析了核DNA序列的超過32個千鹼基，它們來自169種鳥類的DNA上的19個不同位點。
研究取得了一些重要的發現。比如，獵鷹（falcon）並不與隼（hawk）和鷹（eagle）存在緊密關係，而熱帶鳥類與鵜鶘和其它水鳥也不存在緊密關係。又比如，濱鳥（Shorebird）並不是一個基本的進化族群，這駁斥了被廣泛持有的由濱鳥產生所有現代鳥類的觀點。
研究參與者、美國路易斯安那州立大學自然科學博物館的Chris Witt說：「這一論文朝著確定鳥類譜系中主要分枝間進化關係的目標邁出了巨大的一步，它利用DNA序列推斷了發生在幾千萬年前的鳥類分化的關鍵事件。」（生物谷www.bioon.com）
生物谷推薦原始出處：
Science，Vol. 320. no. 5884, pp. 1763 – 1768，Shannon J. Hackett，Tamaki Yuri
A Phylogenomic Study of Birds Reveals Their Evolutionary HistoryDeep avian evolutionary relationships have been difficult to resolve as a result of a putative explosive radiation. Our study examined 32 kilobases of aligned nuclear DNA sequences from 19 independent loci for 169 species, representing all major extant groups, and recovered a robust phylogeny from a genome-wide signal supported by multiple analytical methods. We documented well-supported, previously unrecognized interordinal relationships (such as a sister relationship between passerines and parrots) and corroborated previously contentious groupings (such as
flamingos and grebes). Our conclusions challenge current classifications and alter our understanding of trait evolution; for example, some diurnal birds evolved from nocturnal ancestors. Our results provide a valuable resource for phylogenetic and comparative studies in birds.
1 Zoology Department, Field Museum of Natural History, 1400 South Lake Shore Drive, Chicago, IL 60605, USA.
2 Department of Zoology, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
3 Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
4 Department of Science and Technology–National Research Foundation Centre of Excellence at the Percy FitzPatrick Institute, Department of Botany and Zoology, Stellenbosch University, Matieland 7602, South Africa.
5 Department of Vertebrate Zoology, Smithsonian Institution, 4210 Silver Hill Road, Suitland, MD 20746, USA.
6 Behavior, Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics Program, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.
7 Pepperwood Way, San Jose, CA 95124, USA.
8 Museum of Natural Science, 119 Foster Hall, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge, LA 70803, USA.
9 Department of Biological Sciences, Wayne State University, 5047 Gullen Mall, Detroit, MI 48202, USA.
10 Florida Museum of Natural History, University of Florida, Gainesville, FL 32611, USA.
11 Department of Biology and Museum of Southwestern Biology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, NM 87131, USA.