The genetic basis of behavioral incompatibilities between species is pivotal to understanding the process of how new species originate. This project involves the Hawaiian cricket in the genus Laupala, a group in which new species have arisen extremely rapidly. Differences of male mating song, a classic motor pattern and model in neurobiological research, contributes to reproductive barriers among species and, in this group, song differences evolved independently many times. These species hybridize in the laboratory, which enables replicated studies of the genetic basis of motor behaviors that are likely involved in the speciation process. Hybrid offspring will be produced from three independent species pairs. Molecular markers will be used to produce a genome map of the location of genes and the amount they contribute to the underlying song differences in the three species pairs. The results of these studies will reveal whether selection has contributed to the evolution of these independent species pairs and whether changes have occurred in small or large steps. This results will enable the eventual cloning of the genes underlying song differences between species. This research integrates research and education by involving undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral students. Children from Kamehameha Schools on the Big Island of Hawaii will be involved through a web-based science laboratory on the genetics of song inheritance. Genome resources will also be developed to bridge non-model genomes in model species.
