Assessing the impact of mate choice on genetic architecture and testing the "good genes" model

评估择偶对遗传结构的影响并测试“好基因”模型

• 批准号: 1353463
• 负责人: Derek Roff
• 金额: $ 55万
• 依托单位: University of California-Riverside
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 项目类别: Continuing Grant
• 财政年份: 2014
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2014-02-01 至 2017-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nsf.gov/awardsearch/showAward?AWD_ID=1353463&HistoricalAwards=false
• 关键词: Assessing; impact; mate; choice; genetic

In many organisms, humans included, one or both genders are able to exercise choice among potential mates. Mates are typically chosen based upon particular traits and these are often exaggerated in the chosen individuals. Such preferential mating is expected to generate an association between the genes underlying the preference and the genes underlying the preferred trait. Over time, continued selection on the preferred trait is also expected to reduce its genetic variability. PIs Roff and Fairbairn develop theory that predicts the strength of the genetic association between the preference and the preferred trait and explains how genetic variation in the preferred trait may be maintained within such mating systems. To test this theory the PIs will measure the genetic variances of female preferences and male calling song parameters in sand crickets over ten generations of laboratory evolution. Crickets are excellent subjects these studies because females choose males based on song characteristics that can be readily quantified in the laboratory. The key test will be comparisons among populations in which females mate (i) according to their preferences, (ii) with randomly selected males, or (iii) with non-preferred males. These comparisons will also be used to test the hypothesis that male song is a reliable signal of male genetic quality and hence enables females to choose males that have "good" genes. This research tests fundamental theory for the evolution of mate choice and breaks new ground in revealing the genetic underpinnings of exaggerated sexual display traits. In addition, the PIs will use their experimental, mate choice protocol as an instructional tool for illustrating the concepts of sexual selection and adaptive evolution. In collaboration with local high school teachers and using resources and materials provided by this grant, they will develop educational modules and participate in transferring these to local classrooms. DATA MANAGEMENTThis project will generate two types of data, informational data in the form of measurements and object data in the form of preserved specimens. The former types of data will be made available to the general scientific community by submission to the Dryad repository (datadryad.org) as the results of the research become published. The preserved specimens will be retained for future analysis.

在包括人类在内的许多生物体中，一种或两种性别都能够在潜在的配偶中进行选择。 配偶通常是根据特定的特征来选择的，这些特征在所选择的个体中往往被夸大。 这种优先交配预期会在偏好背后的基因和偏好性状背后的基因之间产生关联。 随着时间的推移，对首选性状的持续选择也有望减少其遗传变异性。 PI罗夫和费尔贝恩发展了一种理论，预测了偏好和偏好性状之间的遗传关联强度，并解释了偏好性状的遗传变异如何在这种交配系统中得以维持。 为了验证这一理论，PI将测量十代实验室进化过程中雌性蟋蟀偏好和雄性蟋蟀鸣叫参数的遗传差异。蟋蟀是这些研究的优秀对象，因为雌性选择雄性的基础是可以在实验室中容易量化的歌曲特征。关键的测试将是比较群体中的女性交配（i）根据自己的喜好，（ii）与随机选择的男性，或（iii）与非首选的男性。这些比较也将被用来测试的假设，男性歌曲是一个可靠的信号男性遗传质量，因此使女性选择男性有“好”的基因。 这项研究测试了择偶进化的基本理论，并在揭示夸张的性表现特征的遗传基础方面开辟了新天地。 此外，PI将使用他们的实验，配偶选择协议作为说明性选择和适应性进化的概念的教学工具。 他们将与当地高中教师合作，利用这笔赠款提供的资源和材料，开发教育模块，并参与将这些模块转移到当地教室。数据采集本项目将产生两种类型的数据，测量形式的信息数据和保存标本形式的对象数据。 随着研究结果的发表，前一类数据将提交给Dryad储存库（datadryad.org），供一般科学界使用。 保存的标本将保留用于未来分析。