Professor Russell Bonduriansky

Research in our lab addresses two broad questions. First, we are interested in the dynamics and consequences of sexual coevolution. Although all sexually-reproducing populations experience sexual selection and conflict, the implications of these powerful processes remain poorly understood. There is also much to learn about how some animals manage to avoid sexual reproduction altogether. Second, we are interested in the effects of environment on phenotype and fitness both within and across generations, and the implications of such effects for evolution. To address these questions, we investigate morphological, life history and behavioural traits. Much of our empirical research takes advantage of native Australian insects, such as neriid flies and phasmids. We also develop new theory.

Some current projects:

● Nongenetic inheritance and its role in evolution

● Effects of diet and stress within and across generations

● Ageing, and the effects of parental age at breeding on offspring

● Sexual conflict and its role in the maintenance of sexual reproduction, especially in facultatively parthenogenetic animals

● The ecology, life history, and behaviour of wild arthropods