Jennifer Gleason - Evolutionary Behavior Genetics
Assistant Professor
Ph.D. Yale University
6006 Haworth
Phone: (785) 864-5858
Fax: (785) 864-5860
Email:
Gleason Lab Webpage
Biol. 350 Principles of Genetics, Spring 2006
Biol. 412 Evolutionary Biology, Spring 2004, 2005, 2007
Biol. 420/701 Behavior genetics, Fall 2004, 2005, next offered Fall 2008
Biol. 599 Senior Seminar in Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Fall 2006, 2007
Biol. 599 Senior Seminar in Genetics, Fall 2007 Biol. 701 Speciation, Fall 2002, 2003 Biol. 801 EEB Genetics Fall 2006, Spring 2007, Fall 2007
* Behavioral genetics
* Quantitative trait evolution in Drosophila
* Drosophila courtship song
* Molecular evolution
Sexual isolation- the reluctance of males and females of different species to mate with each other- can be a major cause of speciation in many animals. How many genes must change to produce sexual isolation? Some argue that species differences must involve change across many genes, perhaps hundreds, but the recent application of molecular techniques for gene mapping is suggesting, surprisingly, that single genes can play a large role in many ecologically important traits.
Identification of genes affecting behavior is difficult; behavioral traits can be time consuming to measure and are prone to environmental influences. Although researchers have found mutations in single genes that affect behavior, it is not clear whether or not these genes are involve in variation within species or in species differences. In addition, most behaviors are quantitative traits and, therefore, must be influenced by multiple genes. For these reasons, I am using quantitative genetics to examine natural variation within and between species.
Drosophila is an ideal model system for behavioral genetic analysis because the genetics of the organism are so well known and because it has reliably performed, quantifiable behaviors. My research uses two species that do not normally mate with each other. These species differ in female cuticular hydrocarbons (detected by the males) and male courtship songs (produced by wing vibrations and heard by females). Through quantitative trait loci analysis on backcross individuals, we can measure the cosegregation of these traits with molecular markers. Preliminary results indicate that songs are polygenic, but surprisingly are influenced by genes of major effect that are probably not those identified in single gene mutation analyses. Cuticular hydrocarbon composition is affected by one major locus, previously implicated, but other loci play a role in addition.
Gleason, J.M., J.-M. Jallon, J. Rouault and M.G. Ritchie. 2005. Quantitative trait loci for a difference in cuticular hydrocarbons between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia associated with sexual isolation. Genetics 171:1789-1798.
Gleason, J.M. 2005. Mutations and natural genetic variation in the courtship song of Drosophila. Behavior Genetics. 35:265-277.
Gleason, J.M. and M.G. Ritchie. 2004. Do quantitative trait loci for a courtship song difference between Drosophila simulans and D. sechellia coincide with candidate genes and intraspecific QTLs? Genetics 166:1303-1311.
Powell, J.R., E. Sezzi., E.N. Moriyama, J.M. Gleason, A. Caccone. 2003. Analysis of a shift in codon usage in Drosophila. Journal of Molecular Evolution 57:S214-S225.
Gleason, J.M., S.V. Nuzhdin, M.G. Ritchie. 2002. Quantitative trait loci affecting a courtship signal in Drosophila melanogaster. Heredity 89:1-6.
Ritchie, M.G., E.J. Halsey and J.M. Gleason. 1999. Drosophila song as a species-specific mating signal and the behavioural importance of Kyriacou & Hall cycles in D. melanogaster song. Animal Behaviour 58:649-657.
Gleason, J.M. and M.G. Ritchie. 1998. Evolution of courtship song and reproductive isolation in the Drosophila willistoni species complex; do sexual signals diverge the most quickly? Evolution 52: 1493-1500.
Gleason, J.M., E.C. Griffith and J.R. Powell. 1998. A molecular phylogeny of the Drosophila willistoni group: conflicts between species concepts? Evolution 52:1093-1103.
Gleason, J.M. and J.R. Powell. 1997. Interspecific and intraspecific comparisons of the period locus in the Drosophila willistoni group. Mol. Biol. Evol. 14:741-753.
Gleason, J.M., A. Caccone, E.N. Moriyama, K.P. White and J.R. Powell. 1997. Mitochondrial DNA phylogenies for the Drosophila obscura group. Evolution 51:433-440.
Caccone, A., E.N. Moriyama, J.M. Gleason, L. Nigro and J.R. Powell. 1996. A molecular phylogeny for the Drosophila melanogaster subgroup and the problem of polymorphism data. Mol. Biol. Evol. 13:1224-1232.
Ritchie, M.G. and J.M. Gleason. 1995. Rapid evolution of courtship song pattern in Drosophila willistoni sibling species. J. Evol. Biol. 8: 463-479.
Jeff Cole, PhD student (co-supervised with Michael Greenfield)
Ginger Miller, PhD student (co-supervised with Michael Greenfield)
KJ Pittman, PhD student (co-supervised with Walter Dimmick)
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