The evolutionary interplay between animal behaviour and morphology, with particular interest in sexual selection.
Research Area
Imagine the fearsome tusks of prehistoric elephants and the incredible claws of fiddler crabs. These are sexually selected weapons, and they are used to access potential matings with the opposite sex. The sizes and shapes of such weapons are stunningly diverse within and across animal groups.
We use experimentation to understand the evolution of weapon size, shape, and functional diversity. Ultimately, our interest is on the evolutionary interplay of morphology and behaviour, and weapons and physical combat provide an outstanding opportunity to understand this interaction.
We test our hypotheses using a family of insects called the leaf-footed bugs. It is one of only a few animal groups that produce weapons on the hind legs. The hind legs can exhibit extreme modifications including robust spines, club-like expansions, flags, and serrations. Males in many species wrestle end-to-end with these hind leg weapons, and physical injuries are commonplace.
We have recently embraced the tools and perspectives provided by biomechanics, and we are currently investigating how environmental factors, such as diet and temperature, affect the insect skeleton and the ability of these insects to engage successfully in physical combat with rivals.
Project Interests
Insects comprise 80% of species on this planet, and they are critical for ecosystems. We have recently discovered that the insect diet has profound effects on their exoskeleton. In the coming years we will investigate how environmental factors, including diet and temperature, affect the development of skeleton and muscle, and the likely consequences for male-male combat, flight, and survival. Next, we will continue to focus on the behaviours of sexual selection, including to what extent signals of strength are honest. Finally, we are actively developing projects on the phenotypic plasticity of feeding, with implications for invasive plants and pest insects.