Elucidating the roles of natural selection and mate discrimination in the evolution of reproductive isolation in a polymorphic amphibian

这个项目解决了高度多态的草莓飞镖蛙(Dendrobates Pumilio)进化生物学领域的两个关键问题：(1)新的分化物种之间的基因交换障碍是什么？(2)自然选择和配偶歧视在这些障碍形成中的相对贡献是什么？这些青蛙所表现出的颜色图案的多样性似乎是最近才迅速进化出来的，是对自然选择的反应。将进行实验，以测试不同颜色的青蛙在生存和交配成功方面的差异，这些差异是由于捕食和雌性交配偏好的差异造成的。通过整合生态学和行为学实验的见解，这项工作将系统地评估一系列潜在的繁殖障碍的相对贡献，为物种形成机制的理论提供经验支持。导致新物种形成的过程是维持生物多样性的核心。这个项目旨在提高我们对新物种如何在自然界中产生的理解，并将使我们能够与研究得很好的动物群体进行令人兴奋的比较，如赫利柯斯蝴蝶和非洲裂谷湖慈济鱼。该项目还将为博士后研究员、研究生和本科生提供国际教育和研究机会。为巴拿马和路易斯安那州的学生和社区成员提供学习进化论的外展计划也是这项工作的一个重要组成部分。

This project addresses two key questions in the field of evolutionary biology for the highly polymorphic strawberry dart frog (Dendrobates pumilio): (1) what are the barriers to gene exchange between new diverging species and (2) what are the relative contributions of natural selection and mate discrimination in the formation of those barriers? The diversity of color-patterns exhibited by these frogs appears to have evolved recently and rapidly in response to natural selection. Experiments will be conducted to test for differences in survival and mating success among differently colored frogs that result from differences in predation and female mating preferences. By integrating insights from ecological and behavioral experiments, this work will systematically assess the relative contributions of a suite of potential barriers to reproduction, providing empirical support for theory regarding the mechanisms of speciation.The processes that lead to the formation of new species are central to the maintenance of biodiversity. This project aims to improve our understanding of how new species arise in nature, and will permit an exciting comparison to well-studied groups of animals, like Heliconius butterflies and African Rift Lake Cichlids. The project will also provide international educational and research opportunities for a postdoctoral researcher, graduate students, and undergraduates. The development of outreach programs to engage students and community members in Panama and Louisiana in learning about evolution is also an important component of this work.