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Molecular Systematics Of A Rapidly Evolving Species Flock: The Mbuna (Cichlidae) Of Lake Malawi, Irving L. Kornfield

University of Maine Office of Research Administration: Grant Reports

Kornfield Irv Kornfield of the University of Maine will employ hypervariable microsatellite markers to study the systematics and phylogeny of the mbuna , a large group of cichlid fishes of Lake Malawi, East Africa, that have obligate ties to shallow, rocky habitats. Mbuna represent a highly speciose assemblage known for rapid and extensive diversification over a short periods of time. Mbuna thus represent an ideal model system in which to examine processes (e.g., habitat fragmentation, trophic and spatial niche shifts, interspecific agonistic interaction, and sexual selection) that are associated with speciation and adaptive radiation. Kornfield will use microsatellite markers to …