Date of Award
2017
Document Type
Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science (MS)
Department
Biological Sciences
Committee Chair
Luciano Matzkin
Committee Member
Luis Cruz-Vera
Committee Member
Bruce Stallsmith
Subject(s)
Larvae--Physiology, Drosophila mojavensis--Speciation, Evolution (Biology)
Abstract
Ecological host shifts likely have a major impact on the evolution of species. The host shift can result in an organism being faced with significant chemical, nutritional, volumetric, and other challenges, which may lead to adaptation. Host shifts can lead to speciation by prezygotic isolation, and even reinforcement through postzygotic isolation. This study looks at behavioral differences in terms of larval activity in populations of Drosophila mojavensis which have experienced host shifts. The mean speed of the four populations of D. mojavensis larvae were measured, and considered in the ecological context. A single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) DNA library was prepared using advance intercross lines (AIL) for a future quantitative trait loci (QTL) analysis. A significant difference was found between all four of the D. mojavensis populations. The presence of differences in larval activity between populations of D. mojavensis provides an opportunity to look factors influencing adaptation during host shifts.
Recommended Citation
Coleman, Joshua, "Variation in larval behavior across the ecologically distinct host populations of the cactophilic Drosophila mojavensis" (2017). Theses. 205.
https://louis.uah.edu/uah-theses/205