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I am interested in evolution, particularly in the context of sexual reproduction. My research group and I use the tools of quantitative genetics, functional genomics and behavioural ecology to test evolutionary theory.
Much of my published work has addressed the nature and evolution of mate choice behaviour, and the coevolution between mate choice and sexual advertisement. In addition to helping understand the evolution of mating behaviour, it has provided insights into sex chromosome evolution, the biology of ageing and longevity, the risks of extinction, the genetic costs of inbreeding, the biological basis of individual diversity, and the measurement of natural selection.
My collaborators and I have been particularly interested in:
- Intra- and interlocus genetic conflict associated with sex and mating,
- The maintenance of within-population in variation in sexual ornaments,
- The effect of sexual selection on the degree of sex-linkage of ornamental traits,
- The evolution of the Y-chromosome,
- Within-population variation in female mate choice behaviour and mating preferences,
- The evolutionary importance of the costs of mate choice,
- Sperm competition and cryptic female mate choice,
- The roles of resource acquisition and allocation in male sexual signalling and the life-history tradeoffs involved,
- The relationships between diet, reproductive effort and senescence,
- The genetic basis of inbreeding depression,
- The evolution of inbreeding avoidance,
- The genetic benefits of mate choice and polyandry,
- The relationship between sexual selection, sexual conflict and extinction risk,
- The analysis and interpretation of nonlinear selection.
I currently have plans to take on 2-3 more PhD students and 1-2 more honours students in the next year. Students with a strong interest in research in any of the above areas should contact me via email to discuss potential projects. I am especially interested in students with skills in genetics, functional genomics, quantitative genetics, and computational biology. Research projects are well-funded, but students should be competitive for a scholarship to pay living expenses and tuition.
Much of our current research is conducted on guppies, field crickets and native flies. There are also opportunitities to work on mice and native Australian fishes (especially osteoglossids and blue-eyes). Close links with Simon Griffith's group provide opportunities for cosupervised projects on other taxa (especially birds) |
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