DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Postcopulatory Sexual Selection and Gametic Isolation in Stalk-Eyed Flies

这项研究涉及进化生物学中两个主要领域的交叉：物种形成和性选择。物种形成--一个谱系分裂成两个--是创造我们在世界上看到的令人难以置信的生命多样性的进化力量。自从达尔文在1859年发表了他的开创性著作以来，了解物种形成背后的驱动力一直是进化研究的主要目标。性选择是由配偶和配子竞争产生的进化力量。性选择可以在选择配偶的过程中的任何一点上起作用，交配序列，甚至在交配之后。在交配前的环境中，男性竞争获得女性和女性之间的男性选择。在交配后的情况下，女性生殖道的形态和生理选择之间的精子多个男性，而精子在女性内竞争获得配子。最近的研究表明，交配后性状的进化非常迅速，由于巨大的进化压力集中在受精事件。从昆虫到哺乳动物，许多分类群都是如此，直到最近，研究人员才开始研究交配后性状的差异是否在物种形成中起着因果作用。这种类型的生殖隔离屏障被称为配子隔离。这个项目研究配子隔离是否在最近分化的茎眼果蝇种群中进化。研究结果将提供深入了解两个模式的配子隔离种群和配子隔离的相对重要性作为一种机制的物种形成。将培训一名博士生和至少一名本科生。此外，这项研究的结果将通过海报和口头介绍以及同行评审的出版物传播。

This research addresses the intersection of two major fields in evolutionary biology: speciation and sexual selection. Speciation - the splitting of one lineage into two - is the evolutionary force responsible for creating the incredible diversity of life we see in the world. Understanding the driving forces underlying speciation has been a primary goal of evolutionary research since Darwin published his seminal book in 1859. Sexual Selection is the evolutionary force created by competition for mates and gametes. Sexual selection can act at any point during the selection of mates, the mating sequence and even after copulation. In the pre-copulatory context, males compete for access to females and females choose among males. In the post-copulatory context, female reproductive tract morphology and physiology choose among the sperm of multiple males while sperm compete within females for access to gametes. Recent work has shown that post-copulatory traits evolve extremely rapidly due to the immense evolutionary pressure focused on the fertilization event. This is true in a wide range of taxa, from insects to mammals.Only recently have researchers begun to investigate whether divergence in post-copulatory traits plays a causal role in speciation. This type of reproductive isolating barrier is termed Gametic Isolation. This project examines whether gametic isolation has evolved among recently diverged populations of stalk-eyed flies. The results will offer insight into both the patterns of gametic isolation among populations and the relative importance of gametic isolation as a mechanism of speciation. A PhD student and at least one undergraduate student will be trained. Additionally, the results of this research will be disseminated through poster and oral presentations and peer-reviewed publications.