MCA: Developing molecular tools to explore mating system diversity in salamanders

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The purpose of this research is for the investigator to learn a molecular technique for parentage analysis, while asking questions about mating behavior in a group of closely related mole salamanders. Working with her research partner, the PI will apply modern gene sequencing methods to develop tools for assigning parentage. The goal is to use the newly developed molecular tools to compare mating behavior across three salamander species, among which mating behavior is thought to vary considerably. This work is part of a broader research program to better understand the evolution of reproductive and social behavior in animals. Mole salamanders are an ideal group for this work. First, the mating and parenting behavior are relatively simple and easy to quantify. Second, although some work on the control of these behaviors has been conducted in frogs, there is no such work in salamanders, so studying another large group of amphibians will provide a more representative picture of the evolution and control of these behavior in amphibians, generally. Finally, the control of these behaviors appears to be highly conserved across vertebrate groups – from amphibians to mammals. Therefore, what we learn about the evolution and control of these behaviors in amphibians can shed light on the same behaviors in birds and mammals, who often have much more complex social interactions associated with mating. The goal of the investigator's research is to understand how social behaviors, including mating and parenting, promote and constrain the evolution of complex life histories. To accomplish this, she focuses on the ecological factors associated with recent evolutionary origins of parental care as well as the cascading effects of parental care on mating behavior and embryonic development. Recently, the PI’s research has expanded to examine how mating and parenting behaviors are intertwined and to ask whether the extent of female multiple mating differs between species with and without parental care. Her experimental work focuses on the mole salamanders (Ambystoma spp.), a group with variable mating patterns and parental care. In order to advance this work, she needs a reliable tool for quantifying polyandry. The PI will learn and implement the RADcap method for quantifying single nucleotide polymorphisms and apply it to parentage analysis in three Ambystoma salamanders that include one caring and two non-caring species. In addition to validating these methods for parentage analysis in this group of organisms, this research will test hypotheses for the maintenance of polyandry and lay the groundwork for future comparative studies.This award reflects NSF's statutory mission and has been deemed worthy of support through evaluation using the Foundation's intellectual merit and broader impacts review criteria.