Molecular evolution of sexual systems genes and their role in speciation

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The origin of sex and the origin of species are outstanding grand challenges in evolutionary biology. Our lab's research program has evolved from studying genetic and molecular variation in sex and reproduction-related (SRR) genes, to understanding the role of SRR genes in speciation, and finally to the study of why, evolutionarily, organisms maintain sex. Our lab has been recognized for past and current work demonstrating the rapid evolution of sex and reproduction-related genes and their potential role in speciation. We have further shown that among sex-related genes, male-biased genes evolve faster than female-biased and un-biased genes and that male-driven sexual selection (male sex drive, for short) appears to be a driving force of rapid evolutionary change. In the present research proposal, we focus on related problems that lie at the intersection of sexual selection (both male- and female-driven), sexual dimorphism in gene expression and molecular mechanisms of speciation. We propose to apply modern tools of genetics, molecular, bioinformatics and developmental biology to the analysis of sexual system genes/traits and test a set of hypotheses bearing on the relative role of male- vs. female-driven sexual selection in the evolution of sex-biased gene expression, the rapid evolution of sexually dimorphic traits, the evolution of genomic incompatibilities, and speciation. The novelty of this research proposal lies in its attempt to connect the two remaining grand challenges in evolutionary biology: the maintenance of sex and origin of species. Our work on SRR genes will provide the empirical foundation for a unified, genetic theory of speciation.