Chemical Communication Among Marine Zooplankton

海洋动物之间的化学相互作用被认为调节了许多重要的生态过程。化学信号的性质、它们与水介质的相互作用以及调谐接收器的接收机制几乎对所有海洋动物都是未知的。交配识别是海洋无脊椎动物生殖周期中的一个主要调节点，因为这是雄性和雌性在投资配子方面做出具有进化意义的选择的时候。该项目的总体目标是调查雄性和雌性浮游动物是如何交流的，以及这种相互作用的生态和进化后果。这项研究将试图描述一种性信息素的生化特征，这种信息素被证明是轮虫中负责识别配偶的。这项研究将调查其物种特异性的生物化学基础，以及信息素在种群内和种群之间的可变程度。最终，这项研究将为这种分子的变化如何促进种群之间的生殖隔离提供洞察力，并决定进化的方向。在桡足类中描述了一个类似于轮虫接触化学接收配偶识别系统的系统。将使用已被证明在轮虫中有用的凝集素探针来探索表面糖蛋白在桡足类化学接收中的作用。通过比较轮虫和桡足类的配偶识别系统，我们可以开始了解浮游动物交配中接触化学接收的共性。

Chemically mediated interactions among marine animals are thought to regulate many important ecological processes. The nature of chemical signals, their interaction with the aqueous medium, and the mechanisms of reception by tuned receivers are unknown for virtually all marine animals. Mate recognition is a major regulatory point in marine invertebrate reproductive cycles because it is when males and females make evolutionarily significant choices about investing their gametes. The overall goal of this project is to investigate how male and female zooplankton communicate and the ecological and evolutionary consequences of this interaction. The research will attempt to describe the biochemical features of a sex pheromone shown to be responsible for mate recognition in rotifers. The research will investigate the biochemical basis for its species-specificity and how variable the pheromone is within and between populations. Ultimately, the research will provide insight to how changes in this molecule promote reproductive isolation among populations and determine the direction of evolution. A system similar to the contact chemoreception mate recognition system of rotifers has ben described in copepods. The role of surface glycoproteins in copepod chemoreception will be explored using the same lectin probes that have proven useful in rotifers. By comparing rotifer and copepod mate recognition systems, we may begin to understand the generality of contact chemoreception in zooplankton mating.