This award is funded under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (Public Law 111-5).
African cichlid fishes provide a unique system for understanding how genomic information (DNA) is converted into whole organism variation (e.g., differences in size, shape, color). There are more than 2000 species of cichlid fishes, making them some of the most diverse vertebrates. One of the many ways in which cichlid species differ is how they see. Some species are more sensitive to short wavelength light (ultraviolet ? green), while others are sensitive to longer light (blue ? red). Such differences could influence cichlid behavior, and contribute to the evolution of new species.
These differences raise several obvious questions. How are these visual differences genetically controlled? What evolutionary forces are responsible for these differences? Are they the result of natural selection or do they happen randomly? To answer these questions, genetic crosses will be made between cichlid species with different visual sensitivities and used to isolate the genes controlling visual differences. In addition, comparisons will be made between different species to look for correlations between visual sensitivities and either environment (depth, water clarity) or ecology (what they eat, how they hunt, how they find mates).
This CAREER grant will also develop new educational materials to integrate the teaching of physics and biology. This will involve the development of a sensory biology class where physics concepts are introduced in the biological context of the five senses. These materials will strengthen students? understanding of the biological and physical sciences and will be made available to other universities on the web.
The broader impacts of this work include 1) understanding how animal diversity is created, 2) training students in international research through field work in Malawi, Africa, and 3) development of integrative research and teaching programs which weave together biological, chemical and physical approaches.
