DISSERTATION RESEARCH: The Genetic Basis of Red Female Throat Coloration in Sticklebacks--to Dimorphism and Back Again

许多动物物种的雄性，而不是雌性，都有装饰品。主要在社会环境中起作用的显著特征。然而，在一些物种中，雌性也会显示出明显的装饰物，从而减少了性的二形性。长期以来，人们一直认为这种相互共享的饰品主要是作为雄性选择的副产品在雌性身上进化的，这是由于相同的基因在两性中的表达？遗传相关性？假设。然而，人们对女性饰品的遗传基础知之甚少。这项拟议的研究试图了解三刺鱼中雌性装饰物--红色喉部颜色--的遗传基础。雄性刺鱼的喉部红色已经得到了很好的研究；因此，最近在一些种群的雌性刺鱼身上发现了这一特征，这创造了一个研究机会。在这项拟议的工作中，将使用数量性状基因座作图来确定与雌性和雄性喉部着色相关的基因组区域，以确定具有和不具有红喉雌性的种群之间的杂交，从而能够检验遗传相关性假说。性别二型性越来越被认为是生物多样性的一个重要方面。因此，这项研究将提高对动物多样性一个鲜为人知的方面的遗传基础的理解。由于性别差异与许多疾病的发病、流行和严重程度的差异有关，因此对性别二型性的进化遗传学的更好理解也可能具有医学价值。该项目将有助于对任职人数不足群体的学生进行培训，并将在外联工作中发挥作用。

Males, but not females, of many animal species possess ?ornaments,? conspicuous traits that function mainly in a social context. In some species, however, females also display conspicuous ornaments, resulting in reduced sexual dimorphism. Such mutually shared ornaments have long been thought to evolve in females mainly as a byproduct of selection on males, owing to the expression of the same genes in both sexes?the ?genetic correlation? hypothesis. However, little is known about the genetic basis of female ornaments. The proposed research seeks to understand the genetic basis of a female ornament, red throat coloration, in the threespine stickleback fish. The red throat coloration of male sticklebacks is well studied; thus, the recent discovery of this trait in females of some populations creates a research opportunity. In the proposed work, Quantitative Trait Loci mapping will be used to identify genomic regions associated with female and male throat coloration for crosses between populations with and without red-throated females, enabling a test of the genetic correlation hypothesis. Sexual dimorphism is increasingly thought of as an important aspect of biodiversity. Thus this study will improve understanding of the genetic basis of a poorly explored aspect of animal diversity. Because sex differences are associated with variation in the onset, prevalence, and severity of many diseases, an improved understanding of the evolutionary genetics of sexual dimorphism may also have medical value. This project will contribute to the training of students from under-represented groups and will be featured in outreach efforts.