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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
The Fruitless Gene Influences Female Mate Preference In Drosophila, Tabashir A. Chowdhury
The Fruitless Gene Influences Female Mate Preference In Drosophila, Tabashir A. Chowdhury
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Species can arise as a result of reproductive barriers that prevent gene flow between diverging populations that force them to remain isolated from one another. Behavioural isolation is one of the earliest acting reproductive barriers determined by the evolution of mating preferences that prevent inter-specific matings. Several traits have been identified that contribute to behavioural isolation, but the genetic basis of interspecific female preference is yet to be determined. I used genetic mapping techniques to identify and confirm that the fruitless gene is affecting species-specific female rejection of interspecies males, contributing to the behavioural isolation between Drosophila melanogaster and D. …
Creating Tools To Determine Whether Katanin 60 Affects Female Rejection Of Males In Drosophila, Joshua R. Isaacson
Creating Tools To Determine Whether Katanin 60 Affects Female Rejection Of Males In Drosophila, Joshua R. Isaacson
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
During courtship, it is vital for organisms to recognize conspecifics because of the costs associated with forming interspecies hybrids. Many organisms use species-specific cues to recognize potential mates. These cues are perceived and evaluated via neural pathways. The genetic basis of how species-specific cues are evaluated and processed into receptive or rejection behaviour remains almost entirely unknown. The gene Katanin 60 (Kat60) has previously been identified as contributing to interspecific mate rejection between Drosophila melanogaster and D. simulans. I use the CRISPR/Cas9 system and RNA interference (RNAi) to confirm if Kat60 influences female receptivity between D. melanogaster …
Characterizing Mekk1: Candidate Behavioural Isolation Gene, Caryn Dooner
Characterizing Mekk1: Candidate Behavioural Isolation Gene, Caryn Dooner
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Behavioural isolation can occur due to divergence in aspects of courtship and mating, and can contribute to reproductive isolation. The purpose of this study is to determine how a gene, Mekk1, contributes to female rejection behaviour between D. melanogaster and D. simulans. Unique polymorphisms were identified within D. simulans Mekk1 that could contribute to behaviour, most of which are non-coding. Both transcripts of Mekk1 appear to be expressed at similar levels in D. simulans and D. melanogaster. These data also indicate that Mekk1 may be expressed in a specific region of the brain called the mushroom body, …
The Genetic And Environmental Basis For Chc Biosynthesis In Drosophila, Heather Ke Ward
The Genetic And Environmental Basis For Chc Biosynthesis In Drosophila, Heather Ke Ward
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are produced by insects and primarily used to prevent desiccation. In Drosophila, certain compounds have secondary roles as infochemicals that may act during courtship to influence mate choice. Certain CHCs may stimulate courtship with heterospecifics or act to repel conspecifics. The CHC profile produced by an individual is the result of the interaction between its genetic background and the environment, though the genes that underlie species differences in CHC production and how the environment can modulate the abundance of individual compounds within a species is not well known. Here, candidate gene CG5946 was found to be …
Investigating The Role Of Fruitless In Behavioural Isolation Between Drosophila Melanogaster And Drosophila Simulans, Jalina Bielaska Da Silva
Investigating The Role Of Fruitless In Behavioural Isolation Between Drosophila Melanogaster And Drosophila Simulans, Jalina Bielaska Da Silva
Electronic Thesis and Dissertation Repository
Behavioural isolation is a prezygotic mechanism that is usually determined by female preference, such as seen with the rejection behaviour exhibited by Drosophila simulans females to D. melanogaster males. To confirm the role of a previously identified candidate gene fruitless (fru) in behavioural isolation, I proposed to disrupt fru expression in both D. melanogaster and D. simulans to allow for the generation of interspecies hybrids expressing only a species-specific allele of fru. A reciprocal hemizygosity test would then be used to confirm the role of fru in behavioural isolation. Disruptions of fru in both D. melanogaster and …