Evolutionary genetic basis of divergence in androgen-dependent male mating strategy of threespine stickleback

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K07195
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Biodiversity/Systematics
• Research Institution: Fukui Prefectural University
• Principal Investigator: Kokita Tomoyuki 福井県立大学, 海洋生物資源学部, 准教授 (60372835)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-10-21 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: 生態ゲノミクス / 行動生態学 / 配偶戦略 / 雄性ホルモン / 魚類

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Sex steroid hormone is an important mediator of many social and sexual behaviors in vertebrates and its circulating levels can influence fitness via hormone-mediated phenotypes. The previous studies strongly suggested that male androgen levels are under strong direct selection, and that males with high levels of androgen enjoy a selective advantage in terms of increased reproductive success. To address this prediction, I used natural variation in androgen-mediated traits between different ecotype populations of the Japanese threespined stickleback as a model system. In this study, I elucidated that there is adaptive population divergence of male androgen production in relation to mating system in nature and the presence of androgen-dependent reproductive cost may constrain evolution of high androgen levels and drive evolutionary divergence in androgen levels in relation to breeding system.

Free Research Field

生態ゲノム学