DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Genetic Determinants of Postzygotic Isolation in Xenopus

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How populations become reproductively isolated to form new species remains an important problem in evolutionary biology. When two species hybridize the offspring typically have fertility problems and usually it is the heterogametic sex (ZW or XY) that is most dysfunctional. This pattern has been termed Haldane's rule and is remarkable because it applies to most animal life. This project will address this problem by crossing two species of African clawed frogs to 1) identify genes involved in reproductive isolation and 2) test the faster male evolution hypothesis for Haldane's rule through use of a sex-reversal experiment. They will examine gene expression at the whole genome level using microarrays to identify genes misexpressed in hybrid males and reveal the chromosome specific effects that cause reproductive isolation between species.Their research has created the UTA Amphibian Research Facility. This facility has expanded the infrastructure of the UTA Department of Biology and contributes to the expanding Genome Biology Program at UTA. Undergraduate students will directly benefit from this facility through opportunities to learn powerful approaches in molecular and evolutionary biology. These tasks develop important skills that train the next generation of science and medical professionals.