An important goal of evolutionary biologists is to explain the acquisition and loss of novel traits, such as organs, structures, physiological processes and genes. Changes at the level of genes, either in regulation or function, underlie important episodes of change in the evolutionary history of complex organisms. In fishes of the family Syngnathidae, including seahorses, sea dragons, and pipefish, males carry their embryos on their ventral surface either exposed to the environment or enclosed in a fleshy brood pouch. The brood pouch is a clear example of an evolutionary innovation: among vertebrates, syngnathids are the only lineage to have evolved a morphological structure that allows males to become pregnant. Currently, my research is focused on the molecular evolution of male pregnancy genes in the brood pouch of the Gulf pipefish (Syngnathus scovelli), and the pseudo-placenta of other live-bearing fishes. I am particularly interested in those traits that are under sexual selection, namely those involved in regulating physiological interactions between males, females, and offspring as a result of a species’ reproductive physiology and mating system. In addition, research in my lab involves the use of molecular markers to examine the molecular ecology and systematic biology of vertebrates.

Harlin-Cognato, A. D., E. A. Hoffman, and A. G. Jones. 2006. Gene co-option without duplication during the evolution of a male pregnancy gene in pipefish. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. Online publication Dec. 8.