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SUMMARY:How and why do reproductive cheats like cuckoo finches lay such di
 verse eggs? - Dr Wenfei Tong
DTSTART:20140605T121000Z
DTEND:20140605T130000Z
UID:TALK51645@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Felice Torrisi
DESCRIPTION:Parasites such as viruses are often locked in an evolutionary 
 arms race with their hosts. A classic example of reproductive parasitism i
 s the cuckoo\, which lays its eggs in the nests of other species\, so that
  adult cuckoos pay none of the costs of incubation or feeding chicks. In d
 efense\, many host birds have evolved to recognize mismatched eggs\, which
  in turn selects for striking egg mimicry by cuckoos. I study a similar ar
 ms race in an African bird\, the cuckoo finch\, which has independently ev
 olved to be a reproductive parasite. This parasitic relationship is striki
 ngly older than that between common European cuckoos and their hosts\, and
  so more evolution has occurred in the ongoing arms race between cuckoo fi
 nches and their several host species. As a result\, I have found that ther
 e is an old evolutionary split between female cuckoo finch lineages that s
 pecialize on different hosts. Each lineage of cuckoo finches lays eggs tha
 t mimic those of a particular host species. Surprisingly\, this specializa
 tion has not resulted in each parasite lineage evolving into a different s
 pecies. I am studying the genetic underpinnings of cuckoo finch egg colour
 s and patterns\, to test the hypothesis that the genetic differences respo
 nsible for egg mimicry are found on the female-specific sex chromosome in 
 birds\, thereby enabling females to pass on adaptive genetic instructions 
 to their daughters while interbreeding with males raised by different host
  species maintains gene flow and prevents speciation.
LOCATION:1 Newnham Terrace\, Darwin College
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