The evolutionary ecology of genetic quality in fishes

在最基本的层面上，进化可以被认为是基因频率在几代人中的变化。因此，进化生物学的目标之一是解释为什么一些个体比其他个体更成功地传递他们的基因。我的研究项目正好符合进化生物学的这个目标，因为它阐明了可能影响女性选择和男性-男性竞争(即性选择)的因素，这些因素改变了生殖失衡，从而可能导致基因频率从一代到下一代的变化。性选择领域中的一个主要挑战是理解女性如何以及为什么通过与某些男性(或多个男性)交配而受益，因为这些交配不提供父性关怀或物质资源。在这种非基于资源的交配系统中，解释配偶选择进化的理论模型要求雌性通过从选择配偶中增加后代的适合度来获得遗传利益。经验研究表明，挑剔的雌性可以通过与具有良好基因(与剩余基因组的结构无关地增加适合度的等位基因)和/或相容基因(仅在特定基因类型中才能提高适合度的等位基因)的雄性交配，来改善其后代的遗传质量。随着强大的分子技术的出现，进化生物学家现在即将能够为遗传质量的配偶选择的进化提供全面的理解。我的长期研究目标将集中在与鱼类遗传质量的配偶选择有关的四个主要领域：(1)配偶选择的遗传基础；(2)主要组织相容性复合体；(3)精子竞争的遗传结构；以及(4)交配系统进化。实验将：(1)使用数量遗传学来确定遗传变异的来源；(2)检查交配前和交配后的父子偏见机制；(3)检查与生殖成功有关的遗传质量；以及(4)开发一种新的、更优越的交配系统，以研究配偶选择和遗传质量。这些实验将为长期的遗传质量研究计划提供基础，并将提供高素质人员的培训。

At the most fundamental level, evolution can be thought of in terms of gene frequency changes over generations. As such, one of the goals of evolutionary biology is to explain why some individuals pass on their genes more successfully than others. My research program falls neatly within this goal of evolutionary biology because it elucidates factors that can affect female choice and male-male competition (i.e. sexual selection), which alters reproductive skews and thus can be responsible for changes in gene frequencies from one generation to the next. A major challenge within the field of sexual selection is to understand how and why females benefit by mating with certain males (or multiple males), which provide no paternal care or material resources. Theoretical models that account for the evolution of mate choice in such non-resource based mating systems requires that females obtain a genetic benefit through increased offspring fitness from their choice of mates. Empirical studies suggest that choosy females can improve the genetic quality of their offspring by mating with males that have good genes (alleles that increase fitness independent of the architecture of the remaining genome) and/or compatible genes (alleles that increase fitness only when in specific genotypes). With the emergence of powerful molecular techniques, evolutionary biologists are now on the verge of being able to provide a comprehensive understanding of the evolution of mate choice for genetic quality. My long term research goals will focus on four major areas associated with mate choice for genetic quality in fishes: (1) genetic basis of mate choice; (2) major histocompatibility complex; (3) genetic architecture of sperm competition; and (4) mating system evolution. Experiments will: (1) use quantitative genetics to identify sources of genetic variation; (2) examine pre- and post-mating paternity biasing mechanisms; (3) examine genetic quality as it pertains to reproductive success; and (4) develop a new and superior mating system for studying mate choice and genetic quality. These experiments will provide the foundations for a long-term research program on genetic quality and will provide training of highly qualified personnel.