Meeting Abstract

S11.2  Wednesday, Jan. 6  Genetic architecture of body shape divergence in sticklebacks PEICHEL, Catherine L; Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center cpeichel@fhcrc.org

Fishes exhibit enormous diversity in body shape. The ability to evolve such different shapes may have contributed to the successful radiation of fishes and their ability to exploit a wide variety of aquatic habitats. Yet, little is known about the genetic basis underlying the evolution of diverse body shapes in fishes. The stickleback fishes (Gasterosteidae) are an excellent group in which to investigate the genetics of body shape. There is a great diversity of body shape among different stickleback species, as well as within a single species. In particular, populations of threespine stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) have repeatedly and independently evolved different body shapes that are specific to different habitats. Furthermore, there is often sexual dimorphism in body shape within threespine stickleback populations. Because extensive genetic and genomic tools have been developed for the threespine stickleback, genetic linkage mapping approaches can be used to uncover the genetic architecture of body shape divergence between sexes and populations. Using this system, we are beginning to ask whether many or few genes are responsible for body shape divergence, whether the sex chromosomes are important for sexual dimorphism in body shape, whether the same genes underlie similar changes in body shape across independent populations, and whether the genes that underlie changes in body shape also control changes in other traits that are important for adaptation to a specific environment.