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

生物世界充满了声音、气味和动作，它们作为交流信号，展示了生命的进化。许多物种使用特定的信号来识别配偶，但信号和配偶选择在进化上是动态的。到目前为止，很少有研究研究信号的相似性和差异性对谱系多样化和适应性辐射的影响。这项研究结合了分子和行为技术来测试生殖隔离和物种形成可能如何受到高度可变的生殖信号--求偶信息素的进化的影响。调查的重点将是暗色火蜥蜴(Desmognatus属)，这是一种在生态、体型和生活史上表现出巨大差异的物种，已知经历了相对较新的适应性辐射。这项研究将具体测试收敛和导入如何在这些信息素的地理分布中发挥作用，以及信息素分歧是否与行为繁殖相容或隔离的模式相关。这项研究将开发可供其他研究人员使用的分子工具，并为基于蛋白质的配偶识别信号的研究提供一个框架。这项研究将通过区域学院和大学的讲习班传播，以提供关于分子生物学、生殖系统和通信进化的进一步教育。

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.