CAREER: Mapping sexual isolation and sexual selection in nature for a model vertebrate

性选择是如何作用于基因组来创造新物种的？最近的研究表明，性选择是一个普遍存在的创造新物种的过程，但几乎没有人知道它如何在基因组水平上创造生殖隔离。建议的工作集中在物种的刺鱼的配偶选择。从田间行为实验中获得的性选择和性隔离措施将与遗传图谱相结合，以确定男性生殖成功的基因组部分，并产生物种之间的隔离。实验室实验将评估特定颜色的感官偏见在产生性选择和物种形成中的作用。这些鱼类中有几种由于物种引进后的杂交而濒临灭绝;这项研究解决了刺鱼恢复团队的紧急优先事项，并对了解环境变化如何威胁濒危物种具有广泛的影响。该教育计划通过对K-12教师的公共宣传和培训，提高公众对进化的理解。研究人员将根据现实世界中的进化实例开发正式和非正式的教育材料，以提高公众对进化如何产生新物种的洞察力。这项研究还将培养研究生和本科生以及进化遗传学和行为研究方面的博士后，并进行公共宣传。

How does sexual selection act on genomes to create new species? Recent work shows that sexual selection is a ubiquitous process creating new species, yet almost nothing is known about how it creates reproductive isolation at the genomic level. The proposed work focuses on mate choice in species of stickleback fishes. Measures of sexual selection and sexual isolation from field behavioral experiments will be combined with genetic mapping to identify the parts of the genome that underlie male reproductive success and generate isolation between species. Laboratory experiments will evaluate the role of sensory bias for particular colors in generating sexual selection and speciation. Several of these fish species are endangered due to hybridization following species introductions; this research addresses urgent priorities for the stickleback recovery team and has broad implications for understanding how environmental change threatens endangered species. The educational plan addresses increasing public understanding of evolution through public outreach and training for K-12 teachers. The researchers will develop formal and informal educational materials based on real-world examples of Evolution in Action to enhance public insight into how evolution generates new species. The research will also train graduate and undergraduate students and a postdoc in evolutionary genetics and behavioral research, and in public outreach.