DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Importance of Alternative Mating Types to Speciation

论文研究：替代交配类型对物种形成的重要性

• 批准号: 0408172
• 负责人: Barry Sinervo
• 金额: $ 1.2万
• 依托单位: University of California-Santa Cruz
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Standard Grant
• 财政年份: 2004
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2004-06-01 至 2006-05-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=0408172&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: DISSERTATION; RESEARCH; Importance; Alternative; Mating

The mechanisms by which a single species diverges to form two separate species remains a central question in biology. This research will test the hypothesis that sexual selection (competition for mates) promotes rapid evolution and speciation. This study will be conducted on the side-blotched lizard, Uta stansburiana, a species that has three distinct male mating strategies that compete for females. First, phylogenetic methods (methods that reconstruct the evolutionary history of populations) will be used to test whether there is rapid evolution of multiple traits when mating types are lost in a population. Then, both behavioral and mating experiments will be done to test if reproductive isolation (the hallmark of speciation) results when mating types change between populations.Understanding the mechanisms of speciation can inform research on genetics, conservation, ecology, and all other areas of biology since species are the fundamental unit of study in biology. As part of this project, at least three undergraduates will gain hands on experience in multiple fields of biology including behavioral ecology, evolution, and phylogenetics. The undergraduates will also learn experimental design and some of the most common methods of molecular biology including DNA extraction, the polymerase chain reaction, and DNA sequencing.

单个物种形成两个独立物种的机制仍然是生物学的核心问题。这项研究将检验以下假设，即性选择（伴侣的竞争）促进了快速发展和物种形成。这项研究将以侧面吸引的蜥蜴Uta Stansburiana进行，该物种具有三种不同的男性交配策略，争夺女性。首先，系统发育方法（重建人口的进化史的方法）将用于测试人口中的交配类型丢失时多种特征的快速演变。然后，将进行行为和交配实验，以测试当人口之间的配合类型发生变化时生殖隔离（物种标志）是否结果。了解物种的机制可以为遗传学，保护，生态学和所有其他生物学领域的研究提供信息，因为物种是生物学研究的基本单位。 作为该项目的一部分，至少三名大学生将获得生物学多个领域的经验，包括行为生态学，进化和系统发育学。本科生还将学习实验设计和一些最常见的分子生物学方法，包括DNA提取，聚合酶链反应和DNA测序。