Dr. Sara Good is part of a research team who are investigating the genetic pathways involved in sex determination and differentiation of one of the world’s most fascinating creatures. Sometimes referred to as the ‘vampire fish,’ lamprey have captivated researchers because of their unusual biology and ancient lineage. Good’s research into these unique vertebrates is not only providing new insights into the evolutionary development of sex determination mechanisms across different species but has the potential to play a pivotal role in the future of the Great Lakes fisheries by assisting in the control of lamprey populations.  

On this episode the research question is: What can lampreys tell us about the complexity of sexual determination in nature?

Episode Credits

Written, Narrated and Produced by Kent Davies

UWRQ Logo by Kimberley Moore

Music

Lee Rosevere – Let’s start at the beginning, Puzzle pieces, Shimmering

Blue Dot Sessions – The Crumbling, Woodbird Theme, Sandpiper in Motion, Nuthatch Cathedral, the Silver Hatch

CXR ATK – Quop

Artur Aravidi – Scary Night Halloween Music

Silicon Transmitter – Texture #7

John Bartmann – Dive Deeper

Sounds

Melarancida – Underwater (small river)

Robotjay – Small Waves Lapping on Lake Ontario Close Perspective

Jackthemurray – Stream River Water Up Close

DudeAwesome – Fish Tank Aquarium Water Filter Natural Sounds

Darthbaul – Under the waterfall

Martialway47 – Seagulls, Ducks and Carp Fish Feeding Frenzy

DCSFX – Underwater [Loop] AMB

Caitlynbananas – Fish Release

Mystiscool – eel fishing 2

Selected Readings

Ajmani, Nisha, Tamanna Yasmin, Margaret F. Docker, and Sara V. Good. “Transcriptomic analysis of gonadal development in parasitic and non-parasitic lampreys (Ichthyomyzon spp.), with a comparison of genomic resources in these non-model species.” G3 11, no. 2 (2021): jkab030.

Ferrer, Miriam M., and Sara V. Good. “Self-sterility in flowering plants: preventing self-fertilization increases family diversification rates.” Annals of Botany 110, no. 3 (2012): 535-553.

Good, Sara V. “A great leap forward in solving the long-standing mystery of sex determination in lampreys,” Ecology & Evolution. May 13, 2022. Accessed June 24, 2024.

Hume, John B., Skyler Bennis, Tyler Bruning, Margaret F. Docker, Sara Good, Ralph Lampman, Jacques Rinchard, Trisha Searcy, Michael P. Wilkie, and Nicholas S. Johnson. “Evaluation of Larval Sea Lamprey Petromyzon marinus Growth in the Laboratory: Influence of Temperature and Diet.” Aquaculture Research 2024, no. 1 (2024): 5547340.

Yasmin, Tamanna, Phil Grayson, Margaret F. Docker, and Sara V. Good. “Pervasive male-biased expression throughout the germline-specific regions of the sea lamprey genome supports key roles in sex differentiation and spermatogenesis.” Communications Biology 5, no. 1 (2022): 434.