Phylogenetic Relationships and the Evolution of Sexual Dimorphism in Chaenopsid Blennies

科学家们一直对导致 性别差异的进化。 知道此项 物种内部的进化机制也提供了 物种的分化，这反过来又有助于我们 理解生活的多样化。 该项目将 研究在chaenopsid鱼类性别差异的进化， 热带海洋类鱼的一个类群。 先前的研究 Coralliozetus的研究表明， 男性和女性在同一事件中进化， 女性的发展被截断。 类似的变化 其他生物的发育时间是已知的，但 很少与性别差异有关。 的 造成这种差异的精确的发育机制， 无论是发展的减缓还是早期的停止， 女性，将通过描述两者的发展来确定 这些和相关物种的性别。 中的作用 这些鱼类生态学的形态变化 通过测试栖息地使用中的假设行为转变来研究 的女性。 一种性别的生境变化记录不多， 代表了一个重要的，但最近被忽视的原因， 性别差异的演变。 这些结果的一般性 将在一项类似的研究中进行测试， 拟栉孔虫属。 这项研究是独一无二的， 整合系统学、发育生物学和行为学 生态学在性别差异研究中的应用

Scientists have long been interested in the factors responsible for the evolution of differences in the sexes. Knowledge of such mechanisms of evolution within species also provides insight into the divergence of species which in turn contributes to our understanding of the diversification of life. This project will study the evolution of sex differences in chaenopsid fishes, a group of tropical marine blennioid fishes. Prior research on the genus Coralliozetus has revealed that many of the differences in males and females evolved in a single event in which the development of females became truncated. Similar changes in the timing of development are known for other organisms, yet have rarely been implicated in the divergence of the sexes. The precise developmental mechanisms responsible for this divergence, whether a slowing or an early cessation of development in females, will be determined by describing the development in both sexes of these and related species. The role of this morphological change in the ecology of these fishes will be studied by testing a hypothesized behavioral shift in habitat use of females. Habitat shifts by one sex are poorly documented and represent an important, but recently overlooked, cause for the evolution of sex differences. The generality of these results will be tested in a similar study on the equally dimorphic chaenopsid genus Emblemaria. This research is unique in integrating systematics, developmental biology and behavioral ecology in the study of sex differences.