Event Title
Evolution of Parental Care in Convict Cichlids: Offspring Survival & Horizontal Transmission of Microbes
Presentation Type
Poster/Portfolio
Presenter Major(s)
Biomedical Sciences, Chemistry
Mentor Information
Jodee Hunt
Department
Biology
Location
Kirkhof Center KC31
Start Date
11-4-2012 9:00 AM
Keywords
Life Science
Abstract
Parents can benefit young by transmitting beneficial microbes, a phenomenon unexamined in fishes. We bred convict cichlids, divided broods and placed half with female and half with male parents. To identify bacteria, we collected samples of embryos, slime-coats of parents, and fry. We extracted bacterial DNA, isolated and amplified 16s rDNA (PCR), and differentiated among taxa (DGG electrophoresis stained with SYBR Green; UV transillumination image). We compared percent survival of offspring receiving male vs female care (paired-sample t-test); male vs female parental behavior (sign-rank test); and bacterial composition of male & female parents, offspring, and aquarium water (Gel2K). We created hierarchical clusters for each group (nearest-neighbor & Jaccard distance) and tested whether groupings were non-random. Parents cared for offspring after broods were split (unknown when trials began), and embryo survival did not differ significantly if cared for by female vs. male parents.
Evolution of Parental Care in Convict Cichlids: Offspring Survival & Horizontal Transmission of Microbes
Kirkhof Center KC31
Parents can benefit young by transmitting beneficial microbes, a phenomenon unexamined in fishes. We bred convict cichlids, divided broods and placed half with female and half with male parents. To identify bacteria, we collected samples of embryos, slime-coats of parents, and fry. We extracted bacterial DNA, isolated and amplified 16s rDNA (PCR), and differentiated among taxa (DGG electrophoresis stained with SYBR Green; UV transillumination image). We compared percent survival of offspring receiving male vs female care (paired-sample t-test); male vs female parental behavior (sign-rank test); and bacterial composition of male & female parents, offspring, and aquarium water (Gel2K). We created hierarchical clusters for each group (nearest-neighbor & Jaccard distance) and tested whether groupings were non-random. Parents cared for offspring after broods were split (unknown when trials began), and embryo survival did not differ significantly if cared for by female vs. male parents.