Effect of Genetic and Environmental Variation on Diversification Due to Sexual Selection

我们感兴趣的是确定孔雀鱼雌性配偶选择变异的分子遗传基础，这是研究性选择和自然选择的重要系统。雄孔雀鱼是鲜艳的颜色，而雌孔雀鱼不表现出颜色，但确实表现出基于这些雄性颜色模式的配偶选择。孔雀鱼系统的优势之一是，雌性在种群内部和种群之间表现出配偶选择的强度和类型的差异。例如，在选择配偶时，某些种群的雌性比其他种群的雌性更容易被橙色吸引。这种雌性配偶选择的变化是为什么孔雀鱼是研究雌性配偶选择进化的重要系统的主要原因之一，因为如果一种特征没有表现出变化，就不可能研究这种特征的进化。

We are interested in determining the molecular genetic basis for variation in female mate choice in guppies, an important system for studies of sexual and natural selection. Guppy males are brightly colored, while females do not exhibit coloration, but do exhibit mate choice based on these male coloration patterns. One of the strengths of the guppy system is that females exhibit variation within and between populations for the strength and type of mate choice. For example, females from some populations are much more attracted to orange coloration when choosing mates than are females from other populations. This variation in female mate choice is one of the main reasons why the guppy is such an important system for the study of the evolution of female mate choice, because it is not possible to study the evolution of a trait unless that trait shows variation.