Biodiversity Research Seminar Series (BRS)
BRS Bernadette Johnson: "The Genomics of Sexual Selection"
December 4, 2024, 12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
recording of the talk can be found here:
Passcode: n7n+CX0Z
Host: Mank Lab
Title: "The Genomics of Sexual Selection"
Abstract: Sexual selection is a major driver of rapid phenotypic evolution, often leading to conspicuous and charismatic traits. How these traits and the preferences for them originate, and how they affect the evolution of an organism’s genome and transcriptome, remain largely unknown. My research aims to address these questions through three main study systems: (1) understanding the evolution of sexually selected traits in the African turquoise killifish, (2) understanding how the unique mating strategy of male pregnancy in seahorses and pipefish influences the evolution of their gonads, and (3) understanding the degree of sexual dimorphism in pipefish brain transcriptomes. By exploring these diverse systems, my research seeks to unravel the complex interplay between sexual selection, trait evolution, and genomic changes, thereby contributing to our broader understanding of evolutionary biology.