IRCEB: The Origin of Barriers to Fertilization and Their Role in Speciation: From Populations to Proteins

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It has long been known that crosses between species often fail to produce offspring and this failure occurs due to problems with fertilization; sperm of one species are incompatible with the reproductive tract or eggs of the other species. However, only recently have biologists begun to study in detail the rapidly evolving genes and proteins that govern fertilization incompatibilities between species. The aims of this highly ambitious and multi-faceted project are to identify and analyze the fertilization proteins in several groups of insects, distinguish the factors that govern the rapid evolution of these proteins, evaluate the role of the proteins in isolating closely related species, and develop mathematical models of the protein divergence process. Although the research focuses on insects, it will have broad application to other invertebrates and to vertebrates, including humans, since the patterns seen in insects match those of other animal groups. Problems with fertilization plague many human couples. This research will provide new insight into the processes that can give rise to these problems and the molecular response to these processes in groups of model organisms.