Contemporary co-evolution of gamete recognition proteins

该项目研究了一种海胆中精子和卵子识别蛋白相互作用随时间的变化，这种海胆在过去200年中经历了人口密度的深刻变化。卵子和精子表面的蛋白质决定了哪些雄性可以与哪些雌性繁殖，并且通常决定了一个物种是否与另一个物种不同。这项研究将确定是什么使受精在一些个体中成为可能，而在另一些个体中却不可能。它结合了两个学科来了解生态过程（什么时候新蛋白质更成功？）可以驱动进化（新蛋白质何时在基因组中增殖？）。 将深入了解种群如何快速进化生殖特征，以适应物种丰度的快速变化。 它还将提供有关生殖行为如何影响相互作用基因之间关联的数据。 学生，特别是那些来自代表性不足的群体，将在分子生物学和实地生态学培训。了解生殖相容性的进化可能有助于小种群的管理和对具有保护价值的物种的圈养繁殖。理论预测，当种群密度低且配子竞争放松时，配子识别可能会放松。受精实验将研究特定的精子和卵蛋白如何相互作用，以确定生殖相容性，以及精子可用性的模式如何影响对这些蛋白质的选择。 海胆为探索这些问题提供了一个模型系统，这在哺乳动物等内部受精的物种中是不可能的。海胆可以活200多年，再加上人类驱动的海獭种群密度变化的长期数据，使这种独特的进化历史研究成为可能。这项研究将提供关键的见解，为什么一些男性和女性有增加生殖兼容性，为什么选择往往有利于不兼容类型的进化。

This project examines variation over time in the interacting sperm and egg recognition proteins in a species of sea urchin that has experienced a profound shift in population density over the past 200 years. The proteins on the surface of eggs and sperm determine which males can reproduce with which females and often define whether one species is distinct from another. This study will determine what makes fertilization possible among some individuals but not others. It combines two disciplines to understand how ecological processes (when are novel proteins more successful?) can drive evolution (when do new proteins proliferate in the genome?). Insight will be gained into how populations might rapidly evolve reproductive traits to adapt to rapid changes in the abundance of species. It will also provide data on how reproductive behavior can influence the association between interacting genes. Students, particularly those from underrepresented groups, will be trained in molecular biology and field ecology. Understanding the evolution of reproductive compatibility may help in the management of small populations and captive breeding for species of conservation interest.Theory predicts that gamete recognition might be relaxed when population density is low and gamete competition is relaxed. Fertilization experiments will examine how specific sperm and egg proteins interact to determine reproductive compatibility and how patterns of sperm availability influence selection on these proteins. Sea urchins provide a model system for exploring these questions that would be impossible in species, such as mammals, with internal fertilization. The ability to age sea urchins, which can live for over 200 years, coupled with long-term data on human-driven changes in sea otter population density enables this unique historical study of evolution in action. This research will provide key insights into why some males and females have increased reproductive compatibility and why selection often favors the evolution of incompatible types.