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都是有选择性的，可能是为了给后代获得最好的基因。为了支持这一观点，最近的研究发现，更有魅力的父亲的后代通常状况更好。尽管这似乎支持吸引力标志着遗传父亲品质的观点，但还有另一种可能性存在。越来越多的理论和经验证据表明，当雌性与有吸引力的雄性交配时，雌性可能会增加在繁殖方面的投资。因此，有吸引力的雄性的后代可能处于更好的状态，因为它的母亲对配偶的吸引力做出了回应，提供了额外的投资。本研究采用人工授精的方法，分离了父本遗传效应和母本投资效应，探讨了父本遗传效应和母本投资效应在红丛林雀子代发育中的相对作用。在整个动物王国中发现了许多择偶和吸引的模式，如果不考虑这些重要现象，对动物的研究就不完整。近年来，在理解动物在何时以及为何选择配偶方面取得了巨大进展。这个项目试图通过填补我们对女性挑剔的好处的知识空白，为这一理解增加重要的组成部分。

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.