Sex allocation and sexual pleiotropy
Many evolutionary problems turn on the balance between male and female fitness. Why do organisms produce sons and daughters in the proportions they do? How do traits evolve when they are genetically correlated across the sexes? I study how trade-offs between males and females are shaped by the genetics, mating system, and ecology. This work spans the evolution of sexually antagonistic alleles under different inheritance systems and age structures, and patterns of sex allocation when mothers, fathers, and offspring may each have conflicting interests.
Many evolutionary problems turn on the balance between male and female fitness. Why do organisms produce sons and daughters in the proportions they do? How do traits evolve when they are genetically correlated across the sexes? I study how trade-offs between males and females are shaped by the genetics, mating system, and ecology. This work spans the evolution of sexually antagonistic alleles under different inheritance systems and age structures, and patterns of sex allocation when mothers, fathers, and offspring may each have conflicting interests.
Social evolution and intragenomic conflict
Natural selection shapes not only how organisms affect their own fitness, but also how they affect the fitness of others. The rules of inheritance play a key role in determining the value an individual places on their social partners. I develop models of the evolution of social traits under different inheritance systems and demographic structures. A recurring theme is how different genes within the same individual might be differently related to social partners, generating intragenomic conflicts over the expression of social behaviours.
Natural selection shapes not only how organisms affect their own fitness, but also how they affect the fitness of others. The rules of inheritance play a key role in determining the value an individual places on their social partners. I develop models of the evolution of social traits under different inheritance systems and demographic structures. A recurring theme is how different genes within the same individual might be differently related to social partners, generating intragenomic conflicts over the expression of social behaviours.
Genomic consequences of reproductive diversity
Organisms vary enormously in how they reproduce and transmit genes between generations. They might alternate between sexual and asexual reproduction, be haploid or diploid, and may asymmetrically transmit their gene copies. I study how this diversity reshapes core population-genetic processes, including effective population size, fixation probabilities, mutation load, and the rate of adaptation. The aim is to understand how different reproductive systems shape the genomes and traits of the species which have them, and how we can use this to learn about evolutionary processes.
Organisms vary enormously in how they reproduce and transmit genes between generations. They might alternate between sexual and asexual reproduction, be haploid or diploid, and may asymmetrically transmit their gene copies. I study how this diversity reshapes core population-genetic processes, including effective population size, fixation probabilities, mutation load, and the rate of adaptation. The aim is to understand how different reproductive systems shape the genomes and traits of the species which have them, and how we can use this to learn about evolutionary processes.