Dissertation Research: Reproductive Allocation and Success in a Simultaneous Hermaphrodite

Pi Levinton，CO=Pi Hoch.提案#IOS-0709816DISSERTATION研究--同时雌雄同体的生殖分配和成功藤壶同时充当雄性和雌性。一个人的生殖成功预计将取决于对男性和女性角色的投资比例。当争夺配偶的竞争更加激烈时(如在大型交配群体中)，预计藤壶将受益于在雄性功能上投入更多精力。随着交配群体规模的增加，对雄性功能的投资也会增加，这一假设将在野外实验中得到验证。男性和女性的投资比例将直接通过权衡男性和女性的生殖部分来计算。不同的投资水平是否会改变生育适合度，将通过比较功能性男性和女性生殖成功来衡量。雌性繁殖成功将直接通过计算受精卵来衡量。雄性繁殖成功将通过使用遗传标记来识别由单个功能雄性受精的卵子来量化。这项研究将批判性地测试生殖生物学的几个假设和预测，优势是直接测试男性和女性的投资，并准确衡量生殖成功。研究人员一直在招募不同背景的本科生研究人员来实验室工作，这个项目将为本科生培训提供进一步的机会。这项研究还将被用作研究人员所属的各种环境、保护和公共教育组织的科学过程的例证。

PI Levinton, CO=PI Hoch. Proposal #IOS-0709816DISSERTATION RESEARCH - Reproductive allocation and success in a simultaneous hermaphroditeBarnacles simultaneously function as both males and females. An individual's reproductive success is expected to depend on the ratio of investment into the male and female roles. When competition for mates is more intense (as in large mating groups), barnacles are predicted to benefit from investing more energy in male function. The hypothesis that investment in male function increases as mating group size increases will be tested in field experiments. The ratio of male to female investment will be calculated directly by weighing male and female reproductive parts. Whether differing levels of investments alter reproductive fitness will be measured by comparing functional male and female reproductive success. Female reproductive success will be measured directly by counting fertilized eggs. Male reproductive success will be quantified by using genetic markers to identify the eggs that were fertilized by an individual functional male. This research will critically test several assumptions and predictions of reproductive biology, with the advantage of direct tests of male and female investment and the exact measurements of reproductive success. The investigators have been recruiting undergraduate researchers of diverse backgrounds to work in the lab, and this project will provide further opportunities for undergraduate training. This research will also be used as an illustrative example of the scientific process for various environmental, conservation and public education organizations with whom the investigators are affiliated.