“Male Pregnancy, Sexual Selection and the Evolution of Complex Traits.” presented by Dr. Adam Jones
The evolution of behavior and morphology often involves suites of interrelated complex traits, which are influenced by multiple genetic factors and environmental effects. Our understanding of the evolution of complex traits is still incomplete, stymied by a lack of resolution at the level of the genotype to phenotype map. Here, I talk about my lab’s efforts to use the phenomenon of sexual selection as a model to understand complex trait evolution. Sexual selection is particularly interesting in this respect, because it usually involves complex morphological structures and behaviors. I discuss the need to understand the selective mechanisms acting on traits and how we have accomplished this goal using pipefish as a model. I also talk about recent efforts to use next-generation sequencing approaches to identify regions of the genome involved in mating competition. All next-generation approaches have something to offer, but I focus here on cutting-edge population genomics approaches, their limitations, and future challenges.
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