School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences
The Evolutionary Ecology of Sexual Reproduction Research Group comprises two labs, one headed by
Simon Griffith and one by
Rob Brooks.
Together, the group studies the behavioural and evolutionary ecology of sexual reproduction and life histories.
Griffith's lab
focuses primarily on wild and captive populations of passerine birds, using a combination of traditional approaches and new techniques
(e.g. optical spectrometry, transponder tagging, PCR-based molecular tools) to focus on a number questions; integrating sexual selection, maternal affects
and sex allocation, and the evolution of mating systems and color signaling in birds. Members of
Brooks' lab
use quantitative genetic analyses, behavioural observations
and manipulative experiments to test sexual selection and life history theory. We are also interested in the biology of ageing, the evolution of sexual dimorphism, sex
determination, genomic imprinting and of the Y chromosome, and the evolutionary consequences of inbreeding.
[ Postdoctoral fellows:
Russell Bonduriansky |
Erik Postma |
Sarah Pryke |
Alison Rutstein |
Barbara Tschirren ]
Members of Steve Bonser's lab investigate the ecological significance
of plant growth form and life history evolution. We use a combination of experimental and comparative methods to examine the evolutionary ecology of both model plant
systems and Australia's native flora. We are also interested in plant competition and the evolution of plant-herbivore interactions.
Alistair Poore's research group focuses on the ecology and evolution of interactions among marine herbivores and macroalgae.
Laboratory and field experiments are used to examine the evolution of host specificity in marine herbivores, how herbivores select for algal defensive traits,
and how ecological factors may constrain such selection. Additional research is examining the evolution of phenotypic plasticity in macroalgae, and the problems of
defining individuals, and thus fitness, in modular organisms.
School of Biotechnology and Biomolecular Sciences
Mark Tanaka: Quantitative analysis of host-pathogen interactions. In particular studying evolutionary forces influencing the spread of pathogens and developing
quantitative methods for molecular epidemiology.
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