I aim to understand the sex-specific evolution of traits; and how these relate to sexual conflict. My research focuses on studing sex differences in behaviour and life history from a variety of perspectives. My focus is on the evolution of sexual size dimorphism and the estimation of sex-specific genetic (co)variation in size-related traits. My research interests relate to the (co)evolution of interactions between the sexes; e.g. male and female mating strategies. I study personality variation and its evolutionary and ecological consequences. I am particularly interested in whether and how sexual selection shapes personality variation. I also study the genetic architecture of personality traits and whether it differs between the sexes. I am investigating how personalities are related to the ability to adapt to a changing environment. My studies explore whether transgenerational plasticity can serve as a short-term response to anthropogenic change.
Current projects
Sex-specific genetic architecture of behavioural traits
Recent research on the study of consistent individual variation in behaviour has established that the sexes differ in the phenotypic expression of behavioural traits and in their repeatability. However, little is known on whether the genetic architecture of these traits differs between the sexes. This is unfortunate because sex-specific patterns of genetic variances and heritabilities are key to understand sex-specific selection, sexual dimorphism and the evolution and resolution of sexual conflict. Estimating sex-specific genetic effects and cross-sex genetic correlations can provide insights into a sex-specific selection and whether evolution can shape the independent expression of behavioural traits across the sexes. We test for differences between the sexes in genetic variances and examine the cross-sex genetic correlations, of several important behaviours in sexually-size dimorphic spiders with distinct variation between male and female life-history strategies. Our recent findings highlight how genetic correlations between the sexes can provide a previously under-appreciated mechanism to maintain behavioural variation within populations.
Recent research on the study of consistent individual variation in behaviour has established that the sexes differ in the phenotypic expression of behavioural traits and in their repeatability. However, little is known on whether the genetic architecture of these traits differs between the sexes. This is unfortunate because sex-specific patterns of genetic variances and heritabilities are key to understand sex-specific selection, sexual dimorphism and the evolution and resolution of sexual conflict. Estimating sex-specific genetic effects and cross-sex genetic correlations can provide insights into a sex-specific selection and whether evolution can shape the independent expression of behavioural traits across the sexes. We test for differences between the sexes in genetic variances and examine the cross-sex genetic correlations, of several important behaviours in sexually-size dimorphic spiders with distinct variation between male and female life-history strategies. Our recent findings highlight how genetic correlations between the sexes can provide a previously under-appreciated mechanism to maintain behavioural variation within populations.
Maternal effects buffer anthropogenic effects in an urban spider
Urban environments pose many challenges for animals, two being increased temperature and pollution. Temperature is a critical factor (especially for ectotherms), and heavy metal toxicity has both short and long term negative effects. The direct effects of both are well understood, but studies on transgenerational effects of maternal exposure on offspring phenotypes, are lacking in invertebrates. Spiders make excellent models for studying transgenerational effects, because they are ectotherms, have short generation times and are top invertebrate predators. We propose to determine whether maternal effects can act as a short term buffer against the effects of increased temperature and heavy metal exposure in Larinioides sclopetarius. We will test whether and how maternal exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of a heavy metal affects offspring phenotype and performance, including resistance to starvation, and whether and how maternal exposure to increased temperatures affects offspring life history traits and behaviour, including their resistance to heat waves. (PhD thesis will be carried out by Rok Golobinek)
Urban environments pose many challenges for animals, two being increased temperature and pollution. Temperature is a critical factor (especially for ectotherms), and heavy metal toxicity has both short and long term negative effects. The direct effects of both are well understood, but studies on transgenerational effects of maternal exposure on offspring phenotypes, are lacking in invertebrates. Spiders make excellent models for studying transgenerational effects, because they are ectotherms, have short generation times and are top invertebrate predators. We propose to determine whether maternal effects can act as a short term buffer against the effects of increased temperature and heavy metal exposure in Larinioides sclopetarius. We will test whether and how maternal exposure to sub-lethal concentrations of a heavy metal affects offspring phenotype and performance, including resistance to starvation, and whether and how maternal exposure to increased temperatures affects offspring life history traits and behaviour, including their resistance to heat waves. (PhD thesis will be carried out by Rok Golobinek)
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Quantitative genetics of the extreme sexual size dimorphism
Females and males commonly differ in the expression of traits. The evolution of sexual dimorphism requires sex-specific selection and at least partly independent genetic variation between the sexes. However, females and males share an almost identical genome that constrains the sexes to respond independently to the selection and may result in a stage when one or both sexes express traits outside their optima. Quantitative genetics provides tools to predict the extent to which the evolution of sexual dimorphism is genetically constrained between sexes by assessing the cross-sex genetic correlation. The cross‐sex genetic correlation can be estimated as rmf =COVAmf∕sqrt(VAf ∗VAm), where COVAmf is the additive genetic covariance between the sexes, and VAm and VAf are additive genetic variances of males and females, respectively. When is close to unity, the sexes are assumed to have a nearly identical genetic architecture for the trait and evolution of sexual dimorphism should be constrained; close to zero values of rmf indicate complete independence in the genetic architecture of the trait between males and females and thus sex independent evolution. A cross‐sex genetic correlation between zero and one suggests that some of the genes acting on the shared trait already differ between males and females and indicates a further possibility for the evolution of sexual dimorphism in the trait. In this project, we aim to assess genetic variances and cross‐sex genetic correlations of size in an extremely sexually-size dimorphic spider, Nephilinis cruentata. In these spiders, females are considerably larger than males, they weigh more than 70X more than males. Our preliminary analyses found rmf close to zero suggesting that females and males do not share genetic architecture for size, indicates a resolved intra-locus sexual conflict and potential for further sex independent evolution of size. The result reflects differences in the effects of sexual and natural selection on body size between the sexes. The amount of genetic variation is significantly lower in females compared to males implying that females have been under the stronger directional selection (for fecundity) compared to males that are more plastic. |
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