DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Role of Chemical Signaling in the Evolution of Reproductive Isolation in Terrestrial Salamanders

化学信号在生殖隔离进化中的作用陆栖火蜥蜴和凯瑟琳·帕尔默陆栖火蜥蜴通过使用化学气味进行交流，称为信息素。某些信息素只在求爱时使用。这些求偶信息素是由雄性产生的，并在求偶过程中传递给雌性。这些雄性求偶信息素通常起到增加雌性接受能力的作用，这表明雌性求偶的完成速度更快。这些相同的信息素也可能被雌性用来识别不正确的交配伙伴(来自其他物种的雄性)，从而阻止物种之间的杂交。雄性求偶信息素由蛋白质组成。特别是有一种蛋白质可以单独起作用，大幅提高女性的接受度。该蛋白质的基因被鉴定出来，并被发现在一系列密切相关的陆生蜥蜴物种中表达。这个已知物种祖先的环境，提供了一个机会来研究从基因到蛋白质再到行为发生的变化的进化。这项研究将集中在求偶信息素的遗传和生化变异上。这一信息将与现有的关于雌性在与自己和不同物种的雄性求爱时的行为反应的数据进行比较。这项研究的结果将为女性对男性化学信号的进化反应提供一个新的视角。

THE ROLE OF CHEMICAL SIGNALING IN THE EVOLUTION OF REPRODUCTIVE ISOLATION IN TERRESTRIAL SALAMANDERSLynne D. Houck and Catherine A. Palmer Terrestrial salamanders communicate by using chemical odors, termed pheromones. Certain pheromones are used only during courtship. These courtship pheromones are produced by the male and delivered to the female during courtship. These male courtship pheromones typically function to increase female receptivity, as indicated by a more rapid completion of the courtship. These same pheromones may also be used by the female to identify incorrect mating partners (males from other species), and hence prevent hybridization between species. The male courtship pheromones are comprised of proteins. One protein in particular can act alone to substantially increase female receptivity. The gene for that protein was identified, and was found to be expressed in a series of closely-related terrestrial salamander species. This setting, for which the ancestry of the species is known, offers an opportunity to investigate the evolution of changes that occur from gene to protein to behavior. This study will focus on genetic and biochemical variation in courtship pheromones. This information will be compared with existing data on female behavioral response to courtships with males of her own and of different species. The results of this investigation will provide a novel perspective on the evolution of female response to a male chemical signal.