http://hdl.handle.net/10453/148721 2026-04-09T16:22:29Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/186240 Title: Empowering Midwives with Genetic Knowledge: a Systematic Review of Educational Needs in Genomics Authors: Gusen, T; Freeman, L; Musgrave, L 2025-03-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/185644 Title: Characterization of the highly variable immune response gene family, He185/333, in the sea urchin, Heliocidaris erythrogramma. Authors: Roth, MO; Wilkins, AG; Cooke, GM; Raftos, DA; Nair, SV Editors: Fugmann, SD Abstract: This study characterizes the highly variable He185/333 genes, transcripts and proteins in coelomocytes of the sea urchin, Heliocidaris erythrogramma. Originally discovered in the purple sea urchin, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, the products of this gene family participate in the anti-pathogen defenses of the host animals. Full-length He185/333 genes and transcripts are identified. Complete open reading frames of He185/333 homologues are analyzed as to their element structure, single nucleotide polymorphisms, indels and sequence repeats and are subjected to diversification analyses. The sequence elements that compose He185/333 are different to those identified for Sp185/333. Differences between Sp185/333 and He185/333 genes are also evident in the complexity of the sequences of the introns. He185/333 proteins show a diverse range of molecular weights on Western blots. The observed sizes and pIs of the proteins differ from predicted values, suggesting post-translational modifications and oligomerization. Immunofluorescence microscopy shows that He185/333 proteins are mainly located on the surface of coelomocyte subpopulations. Our data demonstrate that He185/333 bears the same substantial characteristics as their S. purpuratus homologues. However, we also identify several unique characteristics of He185/333 (such as novel element patterns, sequence repeats, distribution of positively-selected codons and introns), suggesting species-specific adaptations. All sequences in this publication have been submitted to Genbank (accession numbers JQ780171-JQ780321) and are listed in table S1. 2014-01-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/185643 Title: Riverscape genetics identifies replicated ecological divergence across an Amazonian ecotone. Authors: Cooke, GM; Landguth, EL; Beheregaray, LB Abstract: Ecological speciation involves the evolution of reproductive isolation and niche divergence in the absence of a physical barrier to gene flow. The process is one of the most controversial topics of the speciation debate, particularly in tropical regions. Here, we investigate ecologically based divergence across an Amazonian ecotone in the electric fish, Steatogenys elegans. We combine phylogenetics, genome scans, and population genetics with a recently developed individual-based evolutionary landscape genetics approach that incorporates selection. This framework is used to assess the relative contributions of geography and divergent natural selection between environments as biodiversity drivers. We report on two closely related and sympatric lineages that exemplify how divergent selection across a major Amazonian aquatic ecotone (i.e., between rivers with markedly different hydrochemical properties) may result in replicated ecologically mediated speciation. The results link selection across an ecological gradient with reproductive isolation and we propose that assortative mating based on water color may be driving the divergence. Divergence resulting from ecologically driven selection highlights the importance of considering environmental heterogeneity in studies of speciation in tropical regions. Furthermore, we show that framing ecological speciation in a spatially explicit evolutionary landscape genetics framework provides an important first step in exploring a wide range of the potential effects of spatial dependence in natural selection. 2014-07-01T00:00:00Z http://hdl.handle.net/10453/185642 Title: How populations differentiate despite gene flow: sexual and natural selection drive phenotypic divergence within a land fish, the Pacific leaping blenny. Authors: Morgans, CL; Cooke, GM; Ord, TJ Abstract: BACKGROUND: Divergence between populations in reproductively important features is often vital for speciation. Many studies attempt to identify the cause of population differentiation in phenotype through the study of a specific selection pressure. Holistic studies that consider the interaction of several contrasting forms of selection are more rare. Most studies also fail to consider the history of connectivity among populations and the potential for genetic drift or gene flow to facilitate or limit phenotypic divergence. We examined the interacting effects of natural selection, sexual selection and the history of connectivity on phenotypic differentiation among five populations of the Pacific leaping blenny (Alticus arnoldorum), a land fish endemic to the island of Guam. RESULTS: We found key differences among populations in two male ornaments--the size of a prominent head crest and conspicuousness of a coloured dorsal fin--that reflected a trade-off between the intensity of sexual selection (male biased sex ratios) and natural selection (exposure to predators). This differentiation in ornamentation has occurred despite evidence suggesting extensive gene flow among populations, which implies that the change in ornament expression has been recent (and potentially plastic). CONCLUSIONS: Our study provides an early snapshot of divergence in reproductively important features that, regardless of whether it reflects genetic or plastic changes in phenotype, could ultimately form a reproductive barrier among populations. 2014-05-06T00:00:00Z