Collaborative Research: Chemical Communication in Marine Copepods

p . .提案号：9503521 p.i.。摘要信息素对无脊椎动物繁殖的调控影响着海洋中几个基本的生态过程，如繁殖、繁殖力和种群增长率。化学通讯对于定位同种生物、识别潜在配偶和转移精子也至关重要。尽管这些化学信号具有重要的进化意义，但人们对所使用的分子类型和区分的基础知之甚少。本研究的主要目的是：1)确定一类化学物质（糖蛋白）在海洋桡足类动物中负责配偶识别；2)调查其在物种内和物种间的多态性范围；3)研究它们在维持物种间生产隔离中的作用。

P.I.. Snell, Terry W. Proposal #: 9503521 P.I.. Lonsdale, Darcy, L. Proposal #: 9505803 PROJECT ABSTRACT Pheromonal regulation of invertebrate reproduction influences several fundamental ecological processes in the sea, e.g., recruitment, fecundity, and population growth rate. Chemical communication is also crucial to locating conspecifics, recognizing potential mates, and transferring sperm. Despite the evolutionary significance of these chemical signals, little is known about the type of molecules employed and the basis for discrimination. The main objectives of this research are: 1)to identify one class of chemicals (=glycoproteins) responsible for mate recognition in marine copepods, 2) to investigate their range of polymorphism within and between species, and 3) to examine their role in the maintenance of productive isolation among species.