A5006635609- Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Plant and animal studies
- Insect and Arachnid Ecology and Behavior
- Amphibian and Reptile Biology
- Sperm and Testicular Function
- Physiological and biochemical adaptations
- Bat Biology and Ecology Studies
- Avian ecology and behavior
- Insect and Pesticide Research
- Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Neurobiology and Insect Physiology Research
- Insect behavior and control techniques
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation
- Neuroendocrine regulation and behavior
- Sexual Differentiation and Disorders
- Genetic diversity and population structure
- Insect Utilization and Effects
- Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior
- Genetics, Aging, and Longevity in Model Organisms
- Ecology and Vegetation Dynamics Studies
- Reproductive Biology and Fertility
- Plant and Biological Electrophysiology Studies
- Evolution and Genetic Dynamics
- Animal Ecology and Behavior Studies
University of Zurich
2016-2025
China West Normal University
2023
Institut de Biologia Evolutiva
2023
Zürich Zoological Garden
2021
Syracuse University
2010-2020
Google (United States)
2015
University of Manchester
2015
Michigan State University
2009-2012
University of Sheffield
2008-2012
Sperm experience intense and varied selection that dramatically impacts the evolution of sperm quality. Selection acts to ensure are fertilization-competent able overcome many challenges experienced on their way towards eggs. However, simply being fertilize an egg is not enough male fertility in most species. Owing prevalence female multiple mating throughout animal kingdom, successful fertilization requires outcompete rival sperm. In addition, females can actively influence quality, storage...
Abstract Exposure to extreme temperatures can negatively affect animal reproduction, by disrupting the ability of individuals produce any offspring (fertility), or number produced fertile (fecundity). This has important ecological consequences, because reproduction is ultimate measure population fitness: a reduction in reproductive output lowers growth rate and increases extinction risk. Despite this importance, there have been no large‐scale summaries evidence for effect temperature on...
Sperm velocity is one of the main determinants outcome sperm competition. Since vary considerably in their morphology between and within species, it seems likely that associated with velocity. Theory predicts may be increased by enlarged midpiece (energetic component) or flagellum length (kinetic component), particular ratios components, such as head size. However, associations have rarely been found empirical studies. In a comparative framework passerine birds, we tested these theoretical...
In contrast to early predictions, it is now widely accepted that males incur substantive costs from ejaculate production. Hence, are predicted allocate their reproductive investments, including size, relative the risk of sperm competition and female quality. The study allocation, however, has been technically challenging with nonvirgin females because different must be discriminated within tract. To date, such investigations have thus largely restricted species transfer in spermatophores or...
Spermatozoa are amongst the most variable cells, and three factors thought to account for this variation in design: fertilization mode, phylogeny, postcopulatory sexual selection. In addition, it has long been assumed that a tradeoff exists between sperm size number, although selection affects both traits, empirical evidence so far elusive. Our recent theoretical model predicts nature of direct number varies with competition mechanism risk. We test these predictions using comparative...
How females store and use sperm after remating can generate postcopulatory sexual selection on male ejaculate traits. Variation in performance traits generally is thought to be intrinsic males but likely interact with the environment which compete (e.g., female reproductive tract). Our understanding of contributions competitive fertilization success limited, however, part because challenges involved observing events within tract internally fertilizing species while discriminating among from...
Tadpoles of many species develop enlarged tail fins in the presence insect predators, but function this response is not known. Because large tails do improve swimming performance, we tested hypothesis that attracts predator strikes away from more vulnerable head and body region. We first confirmed assumption attacks to are less dangerous: Living tadpoles escaped dragonfly larvae only 10% time when strike landed on 29.4% struck tail. then constructed model having four shapes: normal,...
Sperm morphology varies considerably across taxa, and postcopulatory sexual selection is thought to be one of the main forces responsible for this diversity. Several studies have investigated effects variation in sperm design on function, but consequences testis been overlooked. Testes size or architecture may determine they produce, longer require concomitant adaptations testes. Relative testes differs greatly between species often used as an index competition, little known about whether...
Postcopulatory sexual selection is credited with driving rapid evolutionary diversification of reproductive traits and the formation isolating barriers between species. This judgment, however, has largely been inferred rather than demonstrated due to general lack knowledge about processes underlying variation in competitive fertilization success. Here, we resolved determining sperm fate twice-mated females, using transgenic Drosophila simulans mauritiana populations fluorescently labeled...
Abstract Sexual size dimorphism ( SSD ) can vary drastically across environments, demonstrating pronounced sex‐specific plasticity. In insects, females are usually the larger and more plastic sex. However, shortage of taxa with male‐biased hampers assessment whether greater plasticity in is driven by selection on or represents an effect female reproductive role. Here, we specifically address role body evolution reversals to disentangle sex effects. We first investigate Sepsis punctum...
While crypsis is a prominent antipredator adaptation, the role of brain in predator-driven evolution remains controversial. Resolving this controversy requires contextualizing with established traits and predation pressure. We hypothesize that reduced risk through relaxes predation-driven selection on provide comparative evidence across 102 Chinese frog species for our hypothesis. Specifically, phylogenetic path analysis reveals an indirect relationship between mediated by size. This result...
Sexual selection theory predicts a trade‐off between premating (ornaments and armaments) postmating (testes ejaculates) sexual traits, assuming that growing maintaining these traits is costly total reproductive investments are limited. The number of males in competition, the gains from investing level sperm competition all predicted to influence how allocate their finite resources traits. Yet, empirical examination predictions currently scarce. Here, we studied relative expenditure on pre‐...
Postcopulatory sexual selection is widely accepted to underlie the extraordinary diversification of sperm morphology. However, why does it favour longer in some taxa but shorter others? Two recent hypotheses addressing this discrepancy offered contradictory explanations. Under dilution hypothesis, via density female reproductive tract favours more smaller large, reverse small, species. Conversely, metabolic constraint hypothesis maintains that ejaculates respond positively small endothermic...
The evolution of sperm quality and quantity is shaped by various selective processes, with competition generally considered the primary agent. Particularly in external fertilizers, however, limitation through gamete dispersal can also influence investments, but empirical data examining this effect are limited. Here, we studied relative importance spawning conditions explaining macroevolutionary patterns size number within two taxa fertilization differences their reproductive biology. In...
How males and females contribute to joint reproductive success has been a long-standing question in sexual selection. Under postcopulatory selection, paternity is predicted derive from complex interactions among engaging cryptic female choice sperm competition. Such have identified as potential sources of genetic variation sexually selected traits but are also expected inhibit trait diversification. To date, studies between competing focused almost exclusively on genotypes not phenotypic...
The outcome of sperm competition is influenced by the relative quantity and quality among competing ejaculates. Whereas it well established that individual ejaculate traits evolve rapidly under postcopulatory sexual selection, little known about other factors might influence evolution For example, metabolic rate likely to affect production cellular activity or metabolism sperm, has recently been suggested constrain length in large but not small mammals. I thus examined eutherian mammals how...
How sperm from competing males are used to fertilize eggs is poorly understood yet has important implications for postcopulatory sexual selection. Sperm may be in direct proportion their numerical representation within the fertilization set or with a bias toward one male over another. Previous theoretical treatments have assumed single sperm-storage organ, but many taxa possess multiple organs store regions of reproductive tract. In Drosophila, females two distinct storage organ types:...