Filip Ruzicka
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PhD Title
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Beyond Drosophila Melanogaster: a comparative approach to unravelling the genomic architecture of intralocus sexual conflict |
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Research Theme
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Evolution and Adaptation |
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Primary Supervisor
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Secondary Supervisor
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Abstract
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Males and females are subject to widely divergent evolutionary pressures, rendering sexual conflict common in nature. When the same trait is under differential selection in males and females, the constraints of a common genome impede each sex from maximizing its reproductive success, or fitness. This is known as ‘intralocus’ sexual conflict (IASC). IASC has implications for sexual dimorphism, sexual selection, and potentially many other evolutionary processes. However, although IASC has been demonstrated, it is poorly understood because the sequencing tools needed for an in-depth understanding of ontological conflicts have heretofore been inadequate. This is rapidly changing, giving biologists an unprecedented opportunity to empirically test theoretical predictions. This thesis proposes to do just this. Using a recently generated set of sexually antagonistic genes in Drosophila melanogaster, as well as publicly available sequences, we will compare and contrast the genomic architecture of IASC in melanogaster to other populations and species. We will also look to experimentally test the effects of various evolutionary parameters on the genomic architecture of IASC. Such a comparative approach will allow us to provide context to the observed distribution of sexually antagonistic variation in the genome, and hopefully give insights into the behavioural ecology of several species. |
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