US-Belgium Cooperative Research: Protandrous Fishes as Tests of Sex Allocation Theory

该奖项将支持博士之间的合作研究。 罗伯特·华纳，海洋科学研究所，大学 圣巴巴拉的加州和弗朗索瓦·沃纳鲁斯博士， 科西嘉，卡尔维亚，Staresco海洋实验室。客观 该项目的目的是研究雄性先熟鱼类（那些 将性别从男性改为女性）以测试性别理论 配置中 进化生态学家长期以来一直对 鱼类的性别变化现象。 在这个群体中， 性行为的模式表现出极端的多样性， 多样性经常被用来探索适应性 性别分配的意义。性别分配理论认为 性表达的进化动力学：性 比例，雌雄同体和相关主题。 自从这 理论在七十年代中期开始发展，它一直是 指出，迫切需要记录 雄性先熟物种的交配系统。 理论 预测这些物种应该有交配系统， 交配发生在随机配对或小群体中， 在繁殖过程中， 相对于较小的雌性，较小的雄性。 调查人员 建议通过评估特定尺寸来测试这些预测 四种鲷科鱼类的交配成功率和交配群体大小 在地中海很常见。 其中两个物种是 雄性先熟，一个向相反的方向改变性别， 一个人不会改变性别。 这些物种之间的比较 将提供对理论的有力检验。 这项研究将 在科西嘉的斯塔雷斯科海洋实验室进行， 这是一个主要的海洋行为研究中心 生态 本研究将从理论上受益 Warner博士的专业知识和 沃纳罗斯博士

This award will support collaborative research between Dr. Robert Warner, Marine Science Institute, University of California at Santa Barbara and Dr. Francois Wernerus, Staresco Marine Laboratory, Calvia, Corsica. The objective of the project is to study protandrous fishes (those which change sex from male to female) to test theories of sex allocation. Evolutionary ecologists have long been interested in the phenomenon of sex change in fishes. Within this group the patterns of sexuality show extreme variety, and this variety has often been used to explore the adaptive significance of sex allocation. Sex allocation theory deals with the evolutionary dynamics of sexual expression: sex ratio, hermaphroditism and related topics. Ever since this theory began to develop in the mid-seventies, it has been pointed out that there is a critical need to document the mating systems of species that are protandrous. Theory predicts that these species should have mating systems in which mating occurs in random pairs or small groups, such that there is a size advantage in reproduction accrued by small males relative to small females. The investigators propose to test these predictions by assessing size-specific mating success and mating group size in four sparid fishes common in the Mediterranean. Two of these species are protandrous, one changes sex in the opposite direction, and one does not change sex. Comparisons between these species will offer a powerful test of theory. The research will be carried out at the Staresco Marine Laboratory in Corsica, which is a major center for research in marine behavioral ecology. The research will benefit from the theoretical expertise of Dr. Warner and the experimental experience of Dr. Wernerus.