9321656 Thompson Many species of North American birds of prey (raptors) breed in northern North America and fly along several migration routes to wintering areas in the southern United States and Mexico. It is hypothesized that because birds show a strong tendency to return to their breeding grounds and because migratory habits seem to be heritable, North American raptor species are composed of populations which are geographically distinct from one another. If populations from different geographic areas use separate migratory routes, it can be postulated that raptors using different migration routes will be genetically and morphologically divergent. The current research will investigate morphological and mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) characteristics of four species of raptors which use three migration routes. Possible differences might stem from unique predatory habits, differences in migratory requirements, or individual responses to the local environment. Mitochondrial DNA provides an excellent tool for investigating differences between populations within a species because it is a quickly evolving molecule and can reflect genetic uniqueness which may evolve in populations that are partially isolated from one another. Little is known to date of mtDNA relationships within and between raptor populations especially as they relate to the geographic distribution of species.%%% This study will uniquely combine statistical analysis of morphology with mtDNA relationships for four species of raptors using the same migration routes. This study will establish to what degree raptors from different geographic areas in North America have evolved unique morphological and genetic characteristics. An understanding of the differences between raptor populations within species is essential to an understanding of the ecology of these top predators and to further our knowledge of conservation and evolutionary biology.***
