DISSERTATION RESEARCH: MHC and Mating Systems: Is sexual behavior related to selection on MHC genes?

自然选择是进化变化的一种潜在的强大力量，然而，人们对动物的特征如何影响其行为知之甚少。这是令人惊讶的，因为掌握了这些知识将使研究人员更好地了解基础种群生物学的许多方面。这项关于主要组织相容性复合体(脊椎动物免疫功能的基础基因)基因上的性行为与自然选择(一种适应性进化机制)之间的关系的研究，将把截然不同的性行为(一夫一妻制与性乱)与显著的基因差异联系起来。这项研究测试了一种假设，即寄生虫和病原体在混杂物种中的感染率增加导致了控制免疫功能的基因的适应性进化。一类特定的病原体被认为是这种关系的基础，这类病原体是在交配期间转移的有害细菌。这项研究使用野生动物(鹿鼠)和遗传技术，如PCR(靶向DNA扩增)、克隆(一种分离不同DNA序列的技术)和DNA测序来识别差异。将使用拭子技术收集阴道细菌。单个细菌物种将使用分子技术进行鉴定。该项目的实验室和现场部分都有本科生培训机会。动物行为、病原体转移和免疫系统基因适应性进化之间的基本关系知之甚少，但对理解种群生物学的许多方面至关重要。这项研究将允许更好地理解这些关系，并在此过程中，整合几个不同的科学学科，并为本科生培训提供机会。

Natural selection is a potentially powerful force of evolutionary change and yet, how an animal's traits influence its action is poorly understood. This is surprising, as being armed with this knowledge will allow researchers to better understand many aspects of basic population biology. This study, on the relationship between sexual behavior and natural selection (a mechanism of adaptive evolution) on genes of the Major Histocompatibility Complex (the genes underlying vertebrate immune function), will relate vastly different sexual behaviors (monogamy versus promiscuity) to striking differences in genes. This study tests the hypothesis that the increased rate of infection by parasites and pathogens in promiscuous species leads to adaptive evolution at genes that control immune function. One specific class of pathogen hypothesized to be underlying this relationship is harmful bacteria transferred during mating. This study uses wild animals (deer mice) and genetic techniques such as PCR (targeted amplification of DNA), cloning (a technique to separate different DNA sequences), and DNA sequencing to identify differences. Vaginal bacteria will be collected using a swabbing technique. Individual bacterial species will be identified using molecular techniques. Undergraduate training opportunities will be available for both lab and field components of the project. The fundamental relationships between animal behavior, pathogen transfer, and adaptive evolution of genes of the immune system is poorly understood, yet is critical to understanding many aspects of population biology. This study will allow for a better understanding of these relationships, and in the process, integrate several distinct scientific disciplines and provide opportunity for undergraduate training.