Meeting Abstract
SEXUALLY DIMORPHIC GENE EXPRESSION IN TERRESTRIAL ISOPODS Nora Doura, Christopher Chandler Department of Biological Sciences 392 Shineman Center SUNY Oswego 30 Centennial Dr. Oswego, NY 13126 Males and females of many species differ in characteristics like size or color, and these characteristics may be adaptive. These differences are often the result of different genes being expressed from the genome. Many species of terrestrial isopods show sexual dimorphism, but can also undergo sex reversal because of infection by Wolbachia or experimental manipulations in the lab, making them an interesting system to study the genetic basis of sexual dimorphism. In this study, genes showing sexually dimorphic expression are identified in two species of terrestrial isopods, Trachelipus rathkei and Porcellio laevis. This study will help identify the genetic underpinnings of sexual dimorphism in these species and will help inform future studies on how Wolbachia affects sexual phenotypes. Studying the effects of Wolbachia on gene expression can also lead to further experimentation involving the loss or gain of certain characteristics in the terrestrial species.
