Kenneth Y. Kaneshiro
PhD University of Hawai'i (Entomology), 1976
Director, Center for Conservation Research and Training (PBRC)
Center for Conservation Research and Training
University of Hawai`i at Manoa
3050 Maile Way, Gilmore 406
Honolulu, Hawaii 96822
phone: (808) 956-6739
fax: (808) 956-2647
kykanesh@hawaii.edu

Speciation, evolutionary biology, sexual selection theory, Hawaiian Drosophilids
The Hawaiian Drosophilidae has often been referred to as one of the most outstanding examples of explosive adaptive radiation and there is little reason to deny such claims. However, results from mate preference experiments suggest that adaptive shifts into novel environments may not be the primary mechanism by which speciation occur in this group. Rather, it is suggested that shifts within the sexual environment play a dominant role in the initial steps of species formation. Thus, I have focused my research on understanding the dynamics of sexual selection and the role it plays in the speciation process.

I have also begun to investigate the biology of small populations and the role of sexual selection in populations faced with extinction. Shifts in the distribution of mating types in the population during small population size can have a significant impact on the genetic background of the population. Also, "leakage" of genetic material from a related sympatric species may be permitted during small population conditions to replenish some of the genetic variability that may have been lost as a result of genetic drift. The results of this research will increase our understanding of the biology of rare and endangered species and provide information that may help in mitigating the extinction of some of these species.

Representative publications
Kaneshiro, KY. 1999. Sexual selection and speciation in Hawaiian Drosophila: A model system for research in Tephritidae. In Aluja, M, Norrbom AL editors. Fruit Flies: Phylogeny and Evolution of Behavior. Pp. 861-880. CRC Press, NY.

Kaneshiro KY. 1997. R.C.L. Perkins’ legacy to evolutionary research on Hawaiian Drosophilidae (Diptera). Pac Sci 51:450-461.

Kaneshiro KY, Gillespie RG, Carson HL. 1995. Chromosomes and male genitalia of Hawaiian Drosophila: Tools for interpreting phylogeny and geography. In: Wagner WL, Funk E, editors. Hawaiian Biogeography: Evolution on a Hot Spot Archipelago. Washington: Smithsonian Institute Press. p 57-71.

Kaneshiro KY. 1995. Evolution, speciation, and the genetic structure of island populations. In: Vitousek P, Andsersen H, Loope L, editors. Islands: Biological Diversity and Ecosystem Function. New York: Springer-Verlag. p 23-34.

Kaneshiro KY. 1993. Habitat related variation and evolution by sexual selection. In: Kim KC, McPeron BA, editors. Evolution of Insect Pests. John Wiley & Sons. p 89-101.

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