Elucidating the roles of natural selection and mate discrimination in the evolution of reproductive isolation in a polymorphic amphibian

该项目解决了进化生物学领域的两个关键问题，高度多态性的草莓镖蛙（Dendrobates pumilio）：（1）新的分歧物种之间的基因交换的障碍是什么？（2）在这些障碍的形成中，自然选择和配偶歧视的相对贡献是什么？这些青蛙表现出的颜色模式的多样性似乎是最近才进化出来的，并且是对自然选择的快速反应。将进行实验，以测试不同颜色的青蛙之间的生存和交配成功的差异，导致捕食和雌性交配偏好的差异。通过整合生态学和行为学实验的研究成果，本研究将系统地评估一系列潜在繁殖障碍的相对贡献，为物种形成机制理论提供实证支持。导致新物种形成的过程是维持生物多样性的核心。 该项目旨在提高我们对新物种如何在自然界中出现的理解，并将允许与经过充分研究的动物群体进行令人兴奋的比较，如Heliconius蝴蝶和非洲裂谷湖慈鲷。 该项目还将为博士后研究人员，研究生和本科生提供国际教育和研究机会。这项工作的一个重要组成部分是制定外展计划，让巴拿马和路易斯安那州的学生和社区成员参与了解进化。

This project addresses two key questions in the field of evolutionary biology for the highly polymorphic strawberry dart frog (Dendrobates pumilio): (1) what are the barriers to gene exchange between new diverging species and (2) what are the relative contributions of natural selection and mate discrimination in the formation of those barriers? The diversity of color-patterns exhibited by these frogs appears to have evolved recently and rapidly in response to natural selection. Experiments will be conducted to test for differences in survival and mating success among differently colored frogs that result from differences in predation and female mating preferences. By integrating insights from ecological and behavioral experiments, this work will systematically assess the relative contributions of a suite of potential barriers to reproduction, providing empirical support for theory regarding the mechanisms of speciation.The processes that lead to the formation of new species are central to the maintenance of biodiversity. This project aims to improve our understanding of how new species arise in nature, and will permit an exciting comparison to well-studied groups of animals, like Heliconius butterflies and African Rift Lake Cichlids. The project will also provide international educational and research opportunities for a postdoctoral researcher, graduate students, and undergraduates. The development of outreach programs to engage students and community members in Panama and Louisiana in learning about evolution is also an important component of this work.