Research Interests

My research focuses on the evolution of mating systems and alternative mating tactics and strategies. I am interested in how different mechanisms of sexual selection and sexual conflict can influence variance in reproductive success and reproductive mode in fishes. I am using two model systems to address questions relating to the evolution of mating systems, Atlantic salmon (Salmo salar) and fishes of the genus Oryzias. My salmon research focuses on how ecological factors, such as density during mating, can influence the mechanism of sexual selection that is operating, and how these different mechanisms affect the outcome of competitive interactions between and within alternative male strategies, which include ‘fighter’ and ‘sneaker’ males. In addition, I use fish of the genus Oryzias, to investigate how sexual selection and sexual conflict can influence sperm competition, male morphology, and reproductive mode.