Genetics of Reinforcement in Drosophila

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9980797Mohamed NoorMany species remain distinct by not mating with one another. One popular but controversial evolutionary theory, called reinforcement, suggests that individuals who mate with individuals of another species will often produce sterile hybrids, so natural selection directly favors genetic factors that confer strong mate choice. Few convincing experimental cases of reinforcement have been documented, though, and mathematical theories that try to estimate how often it occurs lack information on its genetic basis. This project will be the first to study the genetic basis of reinforcement, and it will do so in the North American fruit fly Drosophila pseudoobscura. Markers have been developed throughout the genome of this species, and it cultures readily in the laboratory, so it is highly amenable to such a study. The results of this work will then provide the genetic parameters necessary for realistic mathematical models of this process, and it will be generally informative with regard to the genetic basis of behaviors that evolve as a product of natural selection.Modern evolutionary biologists have an impressive understanding of how genes evolve within populations, but a relatively poor understanding of how one species splits into two. This research will illuminate the mechanisms of speciation, providing insights into the fundamental evolutionary processes that regulate biodiversity on earth.