Dissertation Research: Inheritance of Paternal Condition and the Effects of Differential Maternal Investment in the Red Junglefowl

许多物种的雌性在选择配偶时是有选择性的，可能是为了为后代获得最好的基因。为了支持这一观点，最近的研究发现，更有吸引力的父亲的后代通常状况更好。虽然这似乎支持了吸引力标志着可遗传的父亲品质的观点，但存在另一种可能性。越来越多的理论和经验证据表明，母亲在与有吸引力的男性交配时可能会增加生殖投资。因此，一个有吸引力的男性的后代可能处于更好的状态，因为它的母亲，对她的配偶的吸引力做出反应，提供额外的投资。本研究采用人工授精的方法，通过实验将父系遗传效应与母系投资效应分离开来，以评估这两个因素在决定红原鸡后代状况中的相对作用。在动物王国中，有许多择偶和吸引的模式，如果不考虑这些重要的现象，对动物的研究就不完整。近年来，人们在理解动物何时以及为什么会选择配偶方面取得了很大的进步。该项目旨在通过填补我们对挑剔对女性的好处的认识方面的空白，为这一认识增加重要内容。

Females of many species are selective when choosing a mate, possibly in an attempt to obtain the best genes for their offspring. In support of this idea, recent studies have found that the offspring of more attractive fathers are generally in better condition. Although this appears to support the notion that attractiveness signals an inheritable paternal quality, another possibility exists. A growing body of theoretical and empirical evidence indicates that mothers may increase investment in reproduction when mated to an attractive male. Therefore, the offspring of an attractive male could be in better condition because its mother, responding to the attractiveness of her mate, provided extra investment. Using artificial insemination, this study experimentally separates paternal genetic effects from maternal investment effects to assess the relative roles of these two factors in determining offspring condition in red junglefowl. Many patterns of mate selection and attraction are found throughout the animal kingdom, and the study of animals is not complete without consideration of these important phenomena. In recent years, great strides have been made in understanding when and why animals are selective in their mate choice. This project seeks to add important components to this understanding by filling gaps in our knowledge of the benefits to females in being choosy.