An electrophoretic study of blood proteins to determine the generic position of hylocichla mustelina (aves: turdidae)

UNCG Author/Contributor (non-UNCG co-authors, if there are any, appear on document)
Marie Poteat Yow (Creator)
Institution
The University of North Carolina at Greensboro (UNCG )
Web Site: http://library.uncg.edu/
Advisor
Herbert Hendrickson

Abstract: It is generally agreed that the Wood thrush, Hylocichla mustelina, is very closely related to four other North American spotted-breasted thrushes and, as such, all five should be placed in the same genus. However, other authoritative sources place these four other species in the genus Catharus, and leave H. mustelina as the only species in the genus Hylocichla. A proposal has been made to place H. mustelina in the genus Turdus based on behavioral and ecological information. Evidence from serological tests have also supported this proposal. An electrophoretic investigation of blood proteins from the involved species was started to help clarify this taxonomic problem. The electrophoretic patterns obtained from lactic dehydrogenase and hemoglobin in polyacrylamide gels were almost identical for H. mustelina and the other four woodland thrush species. The patterns of Turdus species were quite similar to one another, but distinct from patterns of either catharus or Hylocichla specimens.

Additional Information

Publication
Thesis
Language: English
Date: 1971
Subjects
Wood thrush $x Genetics
Wood thrush $v Classification
Blood proteins

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