DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Does Pheromone Evolution Drive Reproductive Compatibility in Dusky Salamanders? A Phylogenetic, Functional, and Behavioral Approach

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The biological world is rich with sounds, smells, and movements that serve as communication signals, and demonstrate the evolution of life. Many species use specific signals to recognize mates, but signals and mate choice are evolutionarily dynamic. To date, few studies have examined the impact of signal similarities and differences on lineage diversification and adaptive radiations. This study incorporates molecular and behavioral techniques to test how reproductive isolation and speciation may have been influenced by the evolution of highly variable reproductive signals; courtship pheromones. The investigation will focus on dusky salamanders (genus Desmognathus), a group that displays dramatic differences in ecology, body size and life history and is known to have undergone a relatively recent adaptive radiation. The research specifically will test how convergence and introgression play a role in the geographic distributions of these pheromones, and if pheromone divergence is correlated with patterns of behavioral reproductive compatibility or isolation.This study will develop molecular tools that can be used by other investigators, and provides a framework for the study of protein based mate recognition signals. This research will be disseminated through workshops at regional colleges and universities to provide further education on molecular biology, reproductive systems, and the evolution of communication.