On October 2, 2009, PED Seminar Series Presents
Sex ratio behaviour in Nasonia wasps: towards the genetic basis of an adaptive paradigm
Since Hamilton's classic model of sex ratio evolution under Local Mate Competition (LMC), studies of facultative sex ratio behaviour have provided some of the most successful tests of evolutionary theory. We now have a rich theoretical and empirical understanding of sex ratios under LMC, especially in organisms such as the parasitoid wasp Nasonia. However, for all our understanding of how selection should act on sex ratio, we know much less about the genetic basis of sex allocation. I will review recent work exploring the genetic basis of adaptive sex ratios in Nasonia. First I will consider the role of mutation in providing genetic variation in sex ratio. Then I will present evidence for quantitative trait loci (QTL) associated with sex ratio variation. Finally, I will present ongoing work exploring the transcriptomic basis of sex allocation using next-generation sequencing technology.