Research Symposium

BIO

I am a second-year biological sciences major from Jupiter, Florida. My primary research interest is the intersection of behavioral genetics and ecology, understanding how selection shapes behavior. I hope for future research to continue studying genetic factors contributing to complex behaviors in animals.

HIF1A Selection and Endurance in Acrobatic Displays

Abstract

Genetic variation contributing to an individual's success in muscular performance has been documented extensively in humans; the gene Hypoxia-inducible Factor 1-Alpha (HIF1A) has shown to have a common polymorphism in competitive endurance athletes. This study looks to identify selection on this gene among lekking species which courtship displays require endurance intensive long and extensive flight (as observed in the lance-tailed manakin) and others which require speed intensive short and precise movement (as observed in the golden collared manakin). To test for selection I used a codon-aware MUSCLE alignment for the HIF1A coding sequence among a variety of related displaying passerine species. After testing for selection it was found that positive selection did not occur on the HIF1A gene among the tested species. Investigating HIF1A variation within a population with connection to mating success or chick siring success rates could allow for insight on the impact that variation on this gene might have on courtship behavior.

Keywords: ecology, behavior, genetics