Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection. Competition between the sperm of two males within a single female has had profound implications for the evolution of male reproductive biology and behaviour. However, the reasons why females should mate with more than one male and thus generate sperm competition remains an evolutionary puzzle. Few studies have examined sperm competition from the female perspective and indeed, female perspectives are currently the subject of considerable debate. Using in ....Sperm Competition and Sexual Selection. Competition between the sperm of two males within a single female has had profound implications for the evolution of male reproductive biology and behaviour. However, the reasons why females should mate with more than one male and thus generate sperm competition remains an evolutionary puzzle. Few studies have examined sperm competition from the female perspective and indeed, female perspectives are currently the subject of considerable debate. Using insects as models I will examine the benefits of sperm competition for females and thereby the selective pressures that favour multiple mating. Moreover, I will determine whether sexual selection can act after copulation.Read moreRead less
Sperm competition and the evolution of ejaculates. This research will yield results that are at the cutting-edge in evolutionary biology, that will have a significant international impact, promoting the international profile of Australian science. The award will foster a world-class centre for research, and will train internationally competitive research scientists, adding to Australia's scientific capabilities. Through the development of IVF techniques in frogs, the research has the potential ....Sperm competition and the evolution of ejaculates. This research will yield results that are at the cutting-edge in evolutionary biology, that will have a significant international impact, promoting the international profile of Australian science. The award will foster a world-class centre for research, and will train internationally competitive research scientists, adding to Australia's scientific capabilities. Through the development of IVF techniques in frogs, the research has the potential to contribute to conservation outcomes for Australia's native frog fauna via captive breeding programs. The research groups connections with local infertility clinics has the potential to inform those studying human sperm in a time of growing concern over rising human infertility. Read moreRead less
The evolution of female mating frequency and its consequences. This project explores the evolutionary significance of female mating frequency for male and female reproductive biology. The research proposes to use innovative approaches to examine the evolution of ejaculate characteristics, will focus on the evolution of sperm form and function, and will examine the fitness benefits of promiscuity from the females' perspective. The research uses both vertebrates and invertebrates as model organi ....The evolution of female mating frequency and its consequences. This project explores the evolutionary significance of female mating frequency for male and female reproductive biology. The research proposes to use innovative approaches to examine the evolution of ejaculate characteristics, will focus on the evolution of sperm form and function, and will examine the fitness benefits of promiscuity from the females' perspective. The research uses both vertebrates and invertebrates as model organisms to test predictions and assumptions of theoretical models relevant to both internal and external modes of fertilization. The design of this project will allow cutting-edge, theoretically informed and experimentally grounded conclusions to be drawn regarding selection under sperm competition.Read moreRead less
Ejaculate-mediated paternal effects on offspring fitness. This project aims to unravel the evolutionary importance of ejaculate-mediated paternal effects, through which paternal lifestyle factors, such as diet and exposure to toxicants, influence offspring growth and health independently of genes. By identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying these non-genetic sources of inheritance, their adaptive value, and their potential to fuel evolutionary change, the project expects to generate new k ....Ejaculate-mediated paternal effects on offspring fitness. This project aims to unravel the evolutionary importance of ejaculate-mediated paternal effects, through which paternal lifestyle factors, such as diet and exposure to toxicants, influence offspring growth and health independently of genes. By identifying the molecular mechanisms underlying these non-genetic sources of inheritance, their adaptive value, and their potential to fuel evolutionary change, the project expects to generate new knowledge that will be relevant across the biological, medical and agricultural sectors. Expected outcomes and benefits include building institutional and interdisciplinary collaborations and the development of tools to understand the evolutionary impacts of paternal lifestyle choices for offspring traits.Read moreRead less
The evolutionary biology of seminal fluid. This project will identify proteins within seminal fluid that impact sperm performance and male fertility. The work will derive new insights into the evolution of seminal fluid proteins, while simultaneously exploring how environmental factors such as diet impact male fertility in animals and humans.
Evolution of the mammalian baculum. This project aims to test the hypothesis that the shape of the mammalian baculum (penis bone) evolved via its stimulatory effects on females that promote reproduction. The baculum is the most morphologically divergent bone in the mammalian body. The reason for this divergence is one of the most puzzling enigmas of mammalian morphology. This project will use comparative evolutionary methods, quantitative genetics, morphometrics, behavioural analysis and techniq ....Evolution of the mammalian baculum. This project aims to test the hypothesis that the shape of the mammalian baculum (penis bone) evolved via its stimulatory effects on females that promote reproduction. The baculum is the most morphologically divergent bone in the mammalian body. The reason for this divergence is one of the most puzzling enigmas of mammalian morphology. This project will use comparative evolutionary methods, quantitative genetics, morphometrics, behavioural analysis and techniques from neurobiology and physiology to test this hypothesis. This project aims to address fundamental questions in reproductive biology.Read moreRead less
Adaptive function of insect cuticular lipids. Insects secrete onto their surface a cocktail of high melting-point waxes. These biological compounds have been found to be involved in communication but are also thought to protect the insect from water loss and pathogen invasion. Insects represent the most abundant group of animals on Earth. It has been suggested that the dual role of surface waxes in ecological adaptation and reproduction may be key to their remarkable divergence. However, little ....Adaptive function of insect cuticular lipids. Insects secrete onto their surface a cocktail of high melting-point waxes. These biological compounds have been found to be involved in communication but are also thought to protect the insect from water loss and pathogen invasion. Insects represent the most abundant group of animals on Earth. It has been suggested that the dual role of surface waxes in ecological adaptation and reproduction may be key to their remarkable divergence. However, little is known of the function of individual compounds within mixtures of insect waxes. Using chemical analysis, neurophysiology and whole animal performance, the aim of this project is to provide a detailed understanding of the function of insect surface wax with potential for bioinspired products.Read moreRead less
Integrating pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. This project combines life-history theory, behaviour, physiology and quantitative genetics to gain a broader understanding of the mechanisms linking pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. The work will boost Australia’s profile in evolutionary ecology and build new collaborative links with researchers overseas.
Threshold traits: conditionality, instability and broken symmetry. This project will use experimental evolutionary ecology to understand biological switches that are tripped in response to environmental change. This will increase knowledge of how the environment affects organisms; exploring the limits to diversity on the one hand and the generation of novelty on the other.
Discovery Early Career Researcher Award - Grant ID: DE160100097
Funder
Australian Research Council
Funding Amount
$372,000.00
Summary
The costs of pheromone production. This project seeks to answer fundamental questions in sexual selection theory. Chemical communication plays a fundamental role in mate choice in most taxa, yet it is critically under-researched. Traditionally, the costs of pheromone production have been assumed to be low. How these ‘low-cost’ signals remain ‘honest’ remains a central question in evolutionary biology. This project intends to quantify the costs of pheromone production in two insect model systems ....The costs of pheromone production. This project seeks to answer fundamental questions in sexual selection theory. Chemical communication plays a fundamental role in mate choice in most taxa, yet it is critically under-researched. Traditionally, the costs of pheromone production have been assumed to be low. How these ‘low-cost’ signals remain ‘honest’ remains a central question in evolutionary biology. This project intends to quantify the costs of pheromone production in two insect model systems with different modes of chemical communication, and to reveal the underlying physiological mechanisms that ensure signal honesty. This project expects to advance knowledge in the fields of chemical communication and insect immunology which may provide information useful to pest management.Read moreRead less