Phylogenetic Relationships and the Evolution of Sexual Dimorphism in Chaenopsid Blennies

长期以来，科学家们一直对导致两性差异进化的因素很感兴趣。了解物种内部的这种进化机制也有助于我们了解物种的分化，从而有助于我们对生命多样化的理解。本项目将研究热带海洋双鱼目鱼类——chaenopsid鱼类性别差异的进化。先前对Coralliozetus属的研究表明，雄性和雌性的许多差异是在雌性发育被截断的单一事件中进化而来的。其他生物在发育时间上的类似变化是已知的，但很少与性别分化有关。造成这种分化的确切发育机制，无论是雌性的发育减缓还是早期停止，将通过描述这些物种和相关物种的两性发育来确定。这种形态变化在这些鱼类生态中的作用将通过测试雌性鱼类使用栖息地的假设行为转变来研究。一种性别的栖息地变化记录很少，这是性别差异进化的一个重要原因，但最近被忽视了。这些结果的普遍性将在对同样二态的毛羽虫属的类似研究中得到检验。本研究在综合系统学、发育生物学和行为生态学研究性别差异方面具有独特的意义。

Scientists have long been interested in the factors responsible for the evolution of differences in the sexes. Knowledge of such mechanisms of evolution within species also provides insight into the divergence of species which in turn contributes to our understanding of the diversification of life. This project will study the evolution of sex differences in chaenopsid fishes, a group of tropical marine blennioid fishes. Prior research on the genus Coralliozetus has revealed that many of the differences in males and females evolved in a single event in which the development of females became truncated. Similar changes in the timing of development are known for other organisms, yet have rarely been implicated in the divergence of the sexes. The precise developmental mechanisms responsible for this divergence, whether a slowing or an early cessation of development in females, will be determined by describing the development in both sexes of these and related species. The role of this morphological change in the ecology of these fishes will be studied by testing a hypothesized behavioral shift in habitat use of females. Habitat shifts by one sex are poorly documented and represent an important, but recently overlooked, cause for the evolution of sex differences. The generality of these results will be tested in a similar study on the equally dimorphic chaenopsid genus Emblemaria. This research is unique in integrating systematics, developmental biology and behavioral ecology in the study of sex differences.