Centre for Marine Science - Special Seminars - 11th February 2019
Event Details
- Date:
- Monday, 11 February 2019 - Monday, 11 February 2019
- Time:
- 2:00 pm - 3:30 pm
- Room:
- 257
- UQ Location:
- Goddard Building (St Lucia)
- URL:
- https://marine.uq.edu.au/content/seminar-series
- Event category(s):
Event Contact
- Name:
- Gabriella Scata
- Phone:
- 0490 887 277
- Email:
- gabry.scata@gmail.com
- Org. Unit:
- Marine Science
Event Description
- Full Description:
- Hi everyone!
The Centre for Marine Sciences is hosting two Special Seminars next Monday 11th February in Goddard – 257 at 2pm.
Our speakers are Professor Don Levitan, from Florida State University, and Dr Gavin Gouws, from the National Research Foundation and the South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity.
Below the details of their talks.
We hope to see you there!
The Evolution of Gametic Compatibility in sea urchins in response to shifting patters of sperm availability. Professor Don Levitan, Florida State University Mating and reproductive success in the red sea urchin Strongylocentrotus franciscanus can be dictated by ecological factors as well as the compatibility between the proteins on the surface of their eggs and sperm.
Field studies estimate the likelihood that sperm from different males compete for fertilization with single eggs, which sets the stage for the possibility that sexual conflict drives the evolution of the reproductive proteins. Sperm and egg protein allele frequencies have shifted over an estimated 200 year time interval correlated with the extirpation of predatory sea otters that likely severely constrained sea urchin abundances. Patterns of shifting allele frequencies match expectations based on allele specific sperm and egg compatibilities and the presence of sexual conflict.
Evidence suggests that with increasing sea urchin abundances, rare and less compatible egg genotypes became increasingly more successful as an escape from the likelihood of polyspermy. The results suggest that reproductive traits can evolve quickly to match new demographic conditions and that shifts in abundances might cause alternating patterns of purifying, diversifying and balancing selection that might drive patterns of reproductive isolation and speciation.
The view from the other side of the Indian Ocean: Molecular Studies and Marine Biodiversity in the South West Indian Ocean – Dr. Gavin Gouws, National Research Foundation, South African Institute for Aquatic Biodiversity (NRF-SAIAB).
The South West Indian Ocean (SWIO) represents a centre of diversity and endemism within the Indian Ocean and wider Indo-Pacific. This diversity and its origins are still poorly understood and little studied. The roles and contributions of the dominant biogeographical paradigms (vicariance and in situ speciation vs. dispersal from the Coral Triangle) are still unclear. Further, the impact of the highly complex nature of the SWIO region as a driver of diversification is similarly poorly known. This presentation will give an overview of the genetic research conducted by NRF-SAIAB on marine fishes and invertebrates in the region over the past decade. This encompasses broad-scale biogeographic/phylogeographic studies of reef-associated fishes, finer-scale studies of regional connectivity, population genetic studies to inform fisheries management for the South African recreational fisheries sector, and recent forays into epigenetic and parentage/kinship analyses.
These apparently disparate studies all fundamentally contribute to understanding the diversity and origins of the region’s fauna. The presentation will also discuss some newly-initiated research programmes, and introduce NRF-SAIAB, its role and its activities.
If you would like to present in the future, please contact marine@uq.edu.au
Directions to UQ
- Google Map:
-
- Directions:
- St Lucia Campus | Gatton campus.
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