DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The genetics of female preference in Drosophila subquinaria

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How do new species arise? A central goal of evolutionary biology is to understand how new species form and the processes that maintain boundaries between species. This research will investigate whether selection to strengthen reproductive barriers between species may, as a consequence, also initiate reproductive isolation within species. The specific goal of this project is to dissect the genetic basis of female mate preference in the fly Drosophila subquinaria, a species where some females display increased behavioral discrimination both against males of a closely related species as well as against certain males of their own species. Using crossing experiments and genome sequencing technologies, the experiments will ask whether the same genetic regions confer increased mate discrimination within and between species. In addition to advancing our understanding of the genetic basis of behavioral isolation and speciation, this research will also involve the development of genetic resources for the quinaria group of Drosophila, a group that has undergone a recent radiation and has considerable potential as model system for evolutionary, ecological, and behavior genetic studies. This funding will also provide research training in the areas of behavior, genetics, and bioinformatics for a female graduate student as well as for undergraduate and high school students from diverse backgrounds.