DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Identifying and Measuring Components of Reproductive Isolation Between Terminal Forms of the Ensatina eschscholtzii Ring Species Complex

火蜥蜴Ensatina eschcitzii是最著名的环状物种，这种情况很罕见，在这种情况下，一圈杂交种群环绕着一个不适合栖息地的区域，而环状种群的末端种群存在于同一区域，而不进行杂交。这项提议寻求识别和测量阻碍基因在Ensatina末端形式之间流动的生殖障碍。交配试验将被用来测试求偶行为的差异，这些差异可能会减少终末形式之间的交配。将确定这些杂交后代的亲子关系，以调查雌性多次交配时精子的使用模式。最后，一项重新捕获标记的研究将测试不同的栖息地偏好是否会减少与另一种形式的个体相遇(和交配)的机会。这项研究将在自然界中提供一个详细的案例研究，在那里识别和测量阻止初生物种之间基因流动的障碍。该项目将直接支持一名研究生，并将包括来自不同背景的本科生参与。结果将通过获奖的“理解进化”网站(http://evolution.berkeley.edu/)，)向公众公布，该网站由加州大学伯克利分校开发和维护，为教师和学生提供进化教育资源。

The salamander Ensatina eschscholtzii is the most famous example of a 'ring species', a rare situation in which a ring of interbreeding populations surrounds an area of unsuitable habitat and the end populations of the ring exist in the same area without interbreeding. This proposal seeks to identify and measure the barriers to reproduction that prevent gene flow between the terminal forms of Ensatina. Mating trials will be used to test for differences in courtship behavior that may reduce mating between the terminal forms. Parentage will be determined for the offspring of these crosses to investigate patterns of sperm use when females have mated multiple times. Finally, a mark-recapture study will test whether differential habitat preference reduces the opportunity for encountering (and mating with) individuals of the alternative form. This study will provide a detailed case study in nature where barriers that prevent gene flow between incipient species are identified and measured. The project will directly support a graduate student and will include participation by undergraduates from diverse backgrounds. Results will be communicated to the public via the award-winning 'Understanding Evolution' website (http://evolution.berkeley.edu/), a site developed and maintained by UC Berkeley to provide resources for evolution education to teachers and students.