Evolution of Female Mate-Choice: Field Experiments Using Genetic Markers in The Gray Treefrog

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ID#: 9728495 Title: Evolution of female mate-choice: Field experiments using genetic markers in the gray treefrog PI: J. D. Krenz CoPIs: R. D. Semlitsch, H. C.Gerhardt, and P. A. Mahoney Non-Technical Summary In most biological species, each individual's genetic constitution is a unique mixture of genes from both of its parents. This unique combination of genes has a pervasive influence on an individual's appearance, behavior and physiology. The choice of a mate, then, can have a profound impact on the characteristics of an animal's offspring. Indeed, evidence suggests that female preferences have evolved to become both striking and instinctual. Our research directly examines the effect of female mate-choice on offspring performance and tests the idea that a female does prefer males that carry genes which increase the vigor of her offspring. This will be carried out by mating each of a series of females to two males (a preferred male and a non-preferred male) rearing the two types of offspring and measuring the differences between them in survival, growth and maturation rates. This work will be carried out using an ideal species for such research, the gray treefrog, a North American species with distinct and well understood mating preferences and behaviors. An important aspect of this research is the use of neutral genetic markers (using modern molecular methods to directly detect differences in differences in DNA) to identify the father of each of the juveniles. This allows us to rear the offspring in mixed groups under natural conditions outdoors. A demonstration of a difference in performance between offspring of preferred versus non-preferred fathers will provide evidence that there is a genetic mechanism that can contribute to the evolution of female mate preferences. This result will provide evidence supporting a critical link in the theory of how mate choice has and continues to evolve.