User:Sarah Signor/Notebook/Genetics of Pigmentation

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Project Description/Abstract

 * The genetic basis of independent gains and losses of the same phenotypic trait within members of a closely related group will shed light upon one of the central questions in biology: the origin of diversity. This study aims to accomplish just that through examining the gain and loss of sexually dimorphic pigmentation in the bipectinata and ercepeae species complexes.  Beginning with identifying the gene underlying gain or loss of sexually dimorphic pigmentation in D. malerkotliana I will extend the scope of this study to determine involvement of the same gene in the similar phenotypic differences of other members of the bipectinata species complex.  In one additional species this will include exact characterization of the gene(s) involvement in the phenotypic differences.  Following this I will investigate the genetic basis of phenotypic evolution in more distantly related taxa within the ercepeae complex in order to characterize the evolutionary dynamics of this trait in an entire group of organisms. Due to the homology of the regulatory network involved in this trait in different species this is an opportunity for meaningful comparison between these evolutionary events.  This will be relevant to the search for trends in the evolution of traits, and questions with regard to whether gene regulatory network architecture biases evolution or if change is contingent upon mutational events.


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