Natural variation in Drosophila female postmating traits

描述（由申请人提供）：与许多其他动物一样，苍蝇的交配并不能保证成功繁殖。交配后雄性和雌性之间的相互作用（例如，精子竞争，雌性精子储存）在繁殖中也起着核心作用。此外，交配后的相互作用可能具有广泛的进化意义。例如，交配后的性选择可能导致生殖隔离的进化。大多数关于果蝇交配后受精前生物学的研究都集中在雄性表达蛋白如精液蛋白上。虽然众所周知，雌性果蝇不仅仅是被动的血管，而且雌性与雄性产物的相互作用对生殖成功很重要，但对雌性交配后生物学的遗传学或种群遗传学知之甚少。这项拟议的研究旨在开始填补我们对雌性果蝇的理解中的这个基本空白。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): In flies, as in many other animals, mating does not guarantee successful reproduction. Postmating prefertilization interactions between males and females (e.g., sperm competition, sperm storage by females) also play a central role in reproduction. Moreover, post-copulatory interactions may have broad evolutionary implications. For example, postmating sexual selection may contribute to the evolution of reproductive isolation. Most research on post-copulatory pre-fertilization biology in flies has focused on male-expressed proteins such as seminal fluid proteins. Though it is well known that female flies are not simply passive vessels and that female-mediated interactions with male products are important to reproductive success, little is known about the genetics or population genetics of female postcopulatory biology. The proposed research aims to begin filling this basic gap in our understanding of Drosophila females. The specific aims of the proposed work are to i) use molecular approaches to identify candidate genes potentially affecting female postcopulatory phenotypes in D. melanogaster, ii) use QTL analysis of recombinant inbred lines of D. melanogaster to identify regions of the genome harboring natural variants affecting female post-copulatory phenotypes, iii) use molecular population genetics to test hypotheses on the causes of variation in candidate genes, iv) investigate divergence of female postcopulatory phenotypes and evolution of postcopulatory incompatibilities in the melanogaster group.