Egg Competition and Cryptic Male Choice in a Pipefish

海龙鱼的卵竞争和隐秘的雄性选择

基本信息

批准号：
0315937
负责人：
Adam Jones
金额：
$ 4.06万
依托单位：
Georgia Tech Research Corporation
依托单位国家：
美国
项目类别：
Continuing Grant
财政年份：
2004
资助国家：
美国
起止时间：
2004-01-01 至 2004-10-31
项目状态：
已结题

来源：
https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0315937&HistoricalAwards=false
关键词：
Egg Competition Cryptic Male Choice

项目摘要

Lay summary for proposal number 0315937Egg competition and cryptic male choice in a pipefish: The growing synergy between molecular biology and animal behavior has opened new doors in the study of behavioral ecology. In particular, genetic markers have great potential to provide insights into sperm competition and cryptic female choice, a process by which females affect the fate of sperm within their reproductive tracts. These processes are important, because our interpretation of patterns of mating depends upon the details of events that happen at the level of sperm and eggs after mating. This project is designed to contribute to our knowledge of the important phenomenon of cryptic gamete choice. A system in which gametes are large and easily observable eliminates many of the barriers to progress in the study of gamete competition, and the broad-nosed pipefish, Syngnathus typhle, in which males become pregnant, provides such a system. This project will address two major questions. First, is egg competition or choice a major source of variation in success during mating in pipefish? Second, is the outcome of egg competition determined primarily by males or females? These studies, facilitated by well-tested genetic markers and laboratory-based breeding experiments, will definitively resolve whether or not cryptic male choice appears to be an important mechanism in this species.

提案编号 0315937 的摘要：海龙的卵竞争和神秘的雄性选择：分子生物学和动物行为之间不断增长的协同作用为行为生态学研究打开了新的大门。特别是，遗传标记具有巨大的潜力，可以帮助我们深入了解精子竞争和神秘的女性选择，即女性影响生殖道内精子命运的过程。这些过程很重要，因为我们对交配模式的解释取决于交配后精子和卵子水平上发生的事件的细节。该项目旨在增进我们对神秘配子选择这一重要现象的了解。配子较大且易于观察的系统消除了配子竞争研究进展的许多障碍，而雄性在其中怀孕的宽鼻海龙（Syngnathustyphle）提供了这样一个系统。该项目将解决两个主要问题。首先，卵竞争或选择是海龙交配成功率变化的主要来源吗？第二，卵子竞争的结果主要是由雄性还是雌性决定的？这些研究在经过充分测试的遗传标记和实验室育种实验的推动下，将最终解决神秘的雄性选择是否是该物种的重要机制。