Temperature and fertility
The climate is warming rapidly, and there is now widespread evidence that high temperatures can cause sterility in many animal species. However, most studies still focus on death when trying to estimate the vulnerability of a species to future warming. I am testing the extent to which the vulnerability of many species to future warming has been under-estimated, because important sub-lethal effects have not been taken into account. |
Mate choice and sexual signalling
Choosing the right mate is hugely important for all sexual animals: partners often vary widely in quality, so it pays to choose high-quality mates. However, we see huge variation in how strongly some mates are preferred over others, both between and within species. What drives this variation? What exactly are the costs and benefits of being choosy? And how does the environment influence the economics of choice?
In many animals, males and females signal to potential mating partners using elaborate ornaments, colouration, and behavioural displays. These signals are often used during mate choice- but what do they actually tell choosers? Are signals always honest? |
Female sperm choice after mating
Mate choice does not have to stop at mating. For example, in internal-fertilisers, females may preferentially use the sperm from some males over others, via a process of sperm choice. However, for practical reasons this process remains poorly understood. How exactly do females select the sperm of some males over others? What traits do they use to assess males? And how flexible is female sperm choice? |
Evidence synthesis
The field of behavioural ecology is characterised by variation- ideas are typically tested using many different species, and using different experimental approaches. This can make it difficult to identify the signal from the noise. However, we can take advantage of this variation by using meta-analysis- analysis of published analyses. I use this approach very often to identify broad ecological and evolutionary trends across the animal kingdom. |