The conserved relationship among all dipterans suggests that this form of relationship evolved to be long ago. Part A of Figure 1 explains the cascade of how sex is determined among drosophila. This serves an example of a mechanism that works efficiently in determining sex. Through evolution and natural selection, the mechanisms that would perform most efficiently would be passed on (as can be expressed in Part A of Figure 1), while the other inefficient mechanisms would be removed from the population. -Elder

HRM v. DGGE with videos

HRM: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mrGXyfU3DsA

DGGE: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ufRMr5ZKX8 SM

The SXL protein controls sex determination and dosage compensation in the Drosophilla. This protein is said to depend on its global structure rather than on a specific domain. In this way, it implies, that these modifications represent co-evolutionary changes that determine the folding of SXL proteins to carry out its sex-determination and dosage compensation. - Jake Barbee

Bursts of natural selection is what lead to evolution of Sxl which replaced amino acids in the final proteins in the complex. This was required for the progression of the dipterans because this change early on is what caused the consistency of Sxl today. -Elder

This slow rate suggests the success of this SXL gene, since the evolving rate is slow, the need for change is limited and very slim. The continual success of this gene is selected by nature to continue with very little changes made to the sequencing. -Elder

HyPhy stands for hypothesis testing using phylogenies. Hyphy is a software package that serves many purposes as well as multiple audiences. It is used primarily for the analysis of genetic sequences using techniques in phylogenetics (studies of evolutionary history). Though it is also commonly used in molecular evolution, and to study rates and patterns of sequence evolution. It can also be compiled as a shared library and called upon by other programming environments, thus making HyPhy great for group work. To learn more, click here https://academic.oup.com/bioinformatics/article/21/5/676/220389/HyPhy-hypothesis-testing-using-phylogenies -Jake Barbee

The author’s goal for this article is to find high rates of evolution at the basal components of the cascade. The author does this by examining the displayed variations of five sex-determining proteins in a sample of fifty-nine insect species. To see a simple example of what the author is trying to determine click here. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7usaaiggDgw -Jake Barbee

Splicing refers to the process of joining or inserting genes or fragments of genes. This excerpt refers to the phenotypic and genotypic relationship between Sxl and other sex determinants that contain a hierarchy and produce a "suppressor" that controls the transcription of the gene downstream. Where downstream refers to the final level of the cascade. -Elder

The phenomenon in which one gene is affected by the presence of other genes. The phenotypic effect of one gene is being masked by another gene. -Elder

The "Sex lethal" gene is the sex determining gene of the sexually reproducing Drosophilia Melanogaster, During embryonic development, an XX embryo would have the Sxl gene expressed or active, while the XY embryo would have the Sxl gene suppressed or dormant to ensure the development of a male Drosophilia. -Elder

The author is using the chart to display sex-determining proteins of the Drosophila species. He does this to better describe how proteins play an important role in sex determination. The author also displays how Drosophila evolved bottom-up to create a higher divergence towards the top of the cascade. This would thus explain why genes evolved earlier would be more restricted than those evolved later down the cascade. To better explain sex-determination please watch this video. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NQ4Mh_CU15E -Jake Barbee

The process by which genes after duplication shift in function. -Eri-Ray

A homologous gene is a gene inherited from a common ancestor. Homo- is a prefix for "same", implying that the genes are similar in sequence and may have similar functions. -Eri-Ray

A regulatory cascade is a system of signal-transducer proteins that relay signals from receptors to the proteins that carry out cellular responses. -Eri-Ray

pleiotropy can be defined as the production by a single gene of two or more unrelated effects. -Eri-Ray

Dipterans are insects of the order diptera. They are considered "true" flies, as they can undergo rapid and radical metamorphosis. Flies are commonly used for experiments due to their availability and ease to breed. -Eri-Ray

MEGA which stands for: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis is a software in which the user can create DNA sequence alignments, look at phylogenetic histories, and conduct molecular evolutionary analysis (tamura et al. 2013). The MEGA can estimate the divergences of the phylogenetic tree as well as building a phylogenetic tree with time as a scale. -Elder Learn more at: MEGA6: Molecular Evolutionary Genetics Analysis Version 6.0

The mechanism of choosing the most beneficial trait for survival in an environment, the other traits that are not needed are kept in small reserves, but not wiped out. The rest die off due to having less relative fitness. -Elder

Changes in the population's genome based on the traits that are being favored by the environment. -Elder

restraints on adaptive evolution, a.k.a. restraints on natural selection. -Elder

The mechanism in which genes are regulated to be expressed or not expressed. (to be "turned on" or "turned off") -Elder

Specific genes that regulate distant genes, also known as DNA sequences that code for transcription factors. - Elder

From previous articles, the testing IN Drosophila melanogaster, the gene Sex-lethal (Sxl) controls the processes of sex determination, sexual behavior, and dosage compensation (the products of the X-linked genes are present in equal amounts in males and females. Sxl produces two temporally distinct sets of transcripts corresponding to the function of the female-specific early and non-sex-specific late promoters, respectively -Melanie Learn more: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1448812/

join or insert (a gene or gene fragment). -Melanie

forming or belonging to a bottom layer or base -Melanie

represents the fastest evolving protein in the sex determination cascade -Melanie

the interaction of genes that are not alleles, in particular the suppression of the effect of one such gene by another -Melanie

is the branch of biology that deals with phylogenesis; the evolutionary development and diversification of a species or group of organisms, or of a particular feature of an organism -Melanie

Polyester rope is used because it has extreme resistance to abrasion and sunlight. -Sindy

The orbital path along which the species is studied. -Sindy

The presence of reef sharks with external transmitters as well as internal transmitters further validates the results obtained. Despite the turbulence of weather conditions, all sharks were accounted for, providing an accurately measured population pool. -Sindy

To prevent from occuring -Sindy

Also known as a key, a caye is a low level island topical to a reef. -Sindy

A nursery area is a location in which a large subset of the species is populated. For example, a swamp is a nursery area for many types of mosquitoes. The idea that reef sharks do not have a "geographically discrete nursery area" simply means that one can spot a population of reef sharks rather easily in this habitat. -Sindy

Native or confined to a certain area -Sindy

The author expects the well being and population of reef sharks living in no-take marine reserves to be beneficial and higher respectively than those living elsewhere. No-take marine reserves are protected areas of a marine habitat that prohibit human activity. This makes sense because the disastrous effects that human actions have on marine environments is common knowledge. Reef sharks would thrive in a location where adequate amounts of supply are met due to natural resources and the fact that a no-take reserve are essentially a no-fishing area. This prevents sharks from being hunted for their fins, meat etc. In a fiji no-take marine reserve, there was observed to be four times as many sharks than in an areas where fishing was allowed.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mYZ6AIgFMQg

-Sindy

Acoustic monitoring is the use of hydrophones (much like a microphone or recorder) to detect the presence of marine animals via sound waves produced by the noises they make. In this case, it was noted that several marine animals continued to inhabit marine reserves for year round periods thus reducing their exposure to fisheries and their potential dangers. -Sindy

A distribution of normally displayed logarithms. A logarithm is a mathematical formulation. -Mohammad

A body cavity that is lined on one side by the body wall and the other by a main body system such as the intestinal tract. -Mohammad

A type of fishing gear that is harmful to species that are supposed to be protected. -Mohammad

Determines the Quality of a set of data. -Alejandro

Irregularly occurring -Mohammad

A net that traps fish in it by their gills. -Emily

How common or rare a species is compared to other species in its community. -Emily

Index of fish abundance. -Emily

A period of rest, usually during or after an action requiring maximal effort. -Alejandro

The recordings of information gathered by a particular machine. -Alejandro

Having to do with the development from initial location to final location. -Alejandro

Inhabitants. in this case animals, belonging to a specific area. -Alejandro

Linear Regression is a statistical way to determine the relationship between the independent and dependent variable displayed as a straight line on a graph to indicate a set of real data values. -Sindy

Not being what it claims or appears to be. -Sindy

Undesirable -Sindy

Organisms that share the same genus -Sindy

Reserves that restrict human activity. -Sindy

Calliphoridae is the scientific name for "blow flies". -Jake Barbee

To truncate something means to cut off a piece of in order to shorten it. In this case the SXL and TRA proteins have been cut short. - Jake Barbee

Drosophila melanogaster is the scientific name for the common fruit fly. -Jake Barbee

Cascade is a series of events that occur subsequently to one another. -Jake Barbee

You can break this down into two main parts: deleterious, and pleiotropic. "Deleterious" meaning something that is harmful or causes damage, while "pleiotropic" means one gene is adversely affecting other phenotypic traits . In this way we can conclude that a "deleterious pleiotropic effect" is when one gene causes harm or damage to phenotypic traits. -Jake Barbee