MCAA: Molecular Markers to Assess the Relative Importance of Sexual and Natural Selection in the Evolution of Paternal Care

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MCAA: MOLECULAR MARKERS TO ASSESS THE RELATIVE IMPORTANCE OF SEXUAL AND NATURAL SELECTION IN THE EVOLUTION OF PATERNAL CARECOLETTE M. ST. MARYLay SummaryLife-history traits are potentially under both natural and sexual selection. In systems with male parental care (exemplified by fishes and birds), benefits to males and females can accrue via both natural and sexual selection. That is, care can increase offspring survivorship or quality (i.e., via natural selection), and also increase mate attraction resulting from female preferences for paternal investment (i.e., via sexual selection). Indeed, it is conceivable that care may first evolve in response to sexual and not natural selection under some circumstances. If this is the case, then parental behavior and mating preferences should coevolve in a sexually selected process. Life history theory is focused on the role of natural selection and therefore, the integration of sexual selection should provide significant new understanding of life-history evolution. My long-term research plan is to develop and formalize this hypothesis and to initiate a program to evaluate it experimentally.This work is part of an international collaboration with Dr. Kai Lindstrom, University of Helsinki, and a local collaboration with Dr. Joel Trexler, Florida International University. Dr. Lindstrom and I have recently recognized the Florida flagfish, Jordanella floridae, as an ideal species in which to explore the evolution of paternal care and the relative importance of natural and sexual selection and have been working together to pursue these ideas. Dr. Trexler is involved in complementary work focused on life history variation and population genetic structure in Everglades populations of flagfish.We recognize that the use of molecular markers, microsatellites (short repeat sequences of DNA) in particular, will greatly enhance our research program. Indeed, the development of these markers will enable us to estimate the heritability of male traits (care behavior and secondary sexual characteristics), and therefore understand their potential to evolve. Furthermore, we can use these markers to evaluate the population genetic structure of flagfish. The essence of this career advancement proposal is to train members of my lab (myself, a technician, and an undergraduate) in the isolation and development of variable microsatellite markers for flagfish and then to use those markers to estimate the heritability of male traits and to ascertain that the markers will also be useful in future studies of population genetic structure.This training will not only improve the probability of funding in the near term but will also enhance the quality of my future studies of natural and sexual selection in the evolution of life history by enabling me to use new approaches. Enriched with this new tool, my long-term, collaborative research program will provide new understanding of the distribution of parental care and the factors influencing its evolution.