Undergraduate Research & Scholarships

Takao Kakegawa SURF SMART

The Role of Hybridization in Generating Weird Fish Faces in Caribbean Pupfish

While hybridization has historically been thought to hinder evolutionary processes, the idea that it might sometimes drive evolution instead has been gaining momentum in recent years, even in modern-day humans. Hybridization can sometimes result in extreme traits not observed in the parental species that allows hybrids to occupy new environments or eat new things. My graduate student mentor and I will address questions about how hybridization has impacted a group of Caribbean pupfish that have specialized on weird diets, like fish scales.

Message To Sponsor

The SURF program has been a great opportunity for me to gain my first experience in research. I would like to thank the Johnson fund for their support of this project as their generosity has allowed me to fully dedicate my time and focus to my research this summer. From this program, I developed and gained many skills that I will continue to use throughout my life. Once again, thank you for this invaluable experience!