Species have been identified and classified by taxonomists using morphological traits for millennia, but only recently has it been possible to understand the genetic changes causing these differences. Flying fishes (Exocoetidae) have extremely exaggerated paired fins and an extended lower caudal lobe that allow them to glide for extended periods out of water, whereas the closely related halfbeak group (including Medakas) have normal fin extensions. In this project researchers will test the hypothesis that Potassium channel genes that are affect caudal fin lobe length variation in zebra fish are also regulating caudal fin morphology in flying fishes. A new analysis pipeline will be developed to: 1) identify single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) correlated with differences in fin length within exome sequences of flying fishes and Medaka, and 2) map these SNPs onto the zebra fish genome to allow for functional testing.
This research will train a graduate student in diverse developmental, genetic, systematic and evolutionary techniques and will deposit extensive genome sequence data from flying fishes in public databases. The analysis pipeline developed to analyze the SNP data will also have broad applicability for other researchers interested in investigating the genetic basis of morphological evolution in non-model species.
