Megan Serr,  PhD 

My PhD work was conducted at North Carolina State University. In addition to my PhD in biology I will earn a minor in Genetic Engineering and Society.  I worked on house mice, which are significant invasive pests, particularly on islands. The Genetic Biocontrol of Invasive Rodents program (GBIRd) aims to suppress invasive mouse populations on islands, by heavily biasing offspring sex ratios. Effective implementation of this approach will depend on engineered hybrid mice being competitive and able to mate successfully. To address this question I characterized genetic and behavioural differences between Mus musculus strains. These behavioural and genetic tests used wild house mice derived from an invasive population on the Farallon islands that I personally brought back to NC State. I mated these wild Farallon mice with lab mice with a natural meiotic distorter (tw2). The tw2 impacts sperm transmission and is passed down 95% of the time. To assess fertility in hybrid crosses, tw2 males were paired with wild-derived females from the Farallon islands (MmF). Results of these matings indicated litter sizes are comparable. Next, I used larger (three m2) enclosures with enrichment to increase environmental complexity. I introduced both an MmF and a tw2-bearing male to two MmF females to assess female mate choice. These results indicated that hybrid males are be able to successfully compete and secondarily invade. Experiments then aimed at determining what reproductive and behavioural characteristics contributed to this success. The assessment and selection for characteristics contributing to male mating success is just one important aspect of this project that I have been able to address while also considering the broader aims and social impacts of such a project. As a member of  the 2013 IGERT Cohort we designed a website that discusses the potential use of transgenic mice for conservation.