Chemical signalling in the sea

该项目旨在了解卵子如何吸引和选择精子，以及环境如何影响这些相互作用。差异精子趋化性是一种涉及卵子和精子之间化学信号的配偶选择形式，仅在贻贝中被描述过，但可能是配子级性选择的一种广泛形式。该项目将研究贻贝精子趋化性差异的生化和分子基础，以及不同环境条件下配子水平相互作用的稳定性。提高对商业上重要的海洋物种繁殖的基础知识，可能会为澳大利亚的海洋食品生产部门带来未来的商业利益

This project aims to understand how eggs attract and select sperm, and how the environment influences these interactions. Differential sperm chemotaxis, a form of mate choice involving chemical signalling between eggs and sperm, has only been described in mussels, but may be a widespread form of gamete-level sexual selection. The project will study the biochemical and molecular basis of differential sperm chemotaxis in mussels, and the stability of gamete-level interactions under different environmental conditions. Improved fundamental knowledge of reproduction in a commercially important marine species may yield future commercial benefits for Australia’s marine food production sector