Deciphering the evolution of male sexual ornaments and female preference in stalk-eyed flies

About the Project

The selected candidate will conduct cutting-edge research to investigate the evolution of male sexual ornaments and the role of female preference in shaping these traits. The project aims to unravel the underlying genomic, physiological, and behavioural mechanisms driving the elaborate displays, ornaments, and courtship behaviors observed in diverse species.

Sexual selection is a powerful agent of evolution, responsible for some of the most striking traits in the animal kingdom. Many of these sexual traits are highly exaggerated, particularly in males, and are thought to have evolved as honest signals of male quality. Females then use these traits to decide who to mate and produce offspring with. Establishing how these traits arise is vital to understanding how and why the diversity of life is established and maintained.

This project will study the evolution of male ornaments and female preferences using stalk-eyed flies. Stalk-eyed flies are a classic model of sexual selection as they exhibit highly-exaggerated eye-stalks, with males often having an eye span greater than their body length. Females prefer to mate with males with longer eye spans as it is an honest indicator of male quality.

Specific questions and approaches taken can be tailored to the particular interests of the student, but objectives could include:

1. Applying cutting-edge genomic methods to study the development and evolution of honest male ornaments across numerous species
2. Develop innovative gene knockout techniques to identify the genes that produce honest traits
3. Design and execute laboratory experiments, such as experimental evolution and behavioural assays, to understand how sexual selection acts on honest traits and female preferences
4. Collaborate with neurobiologists to gain a deeper understanding of female preference and evolution of the brain and visual system

The Team

The PhD student will be joining a productive and collaborative research group in the School of Biosciences at the University of Sheffield. There will be many opportunities to collaborate with ongoing work in the lab. For more details see http://www.alisonewright.co.uk. Applicants are strongly encouraged to contact Dr Alison Wright, the lead supervisor, for more details on the group, project and facilities (a.e.wright@sheffield.ac.uk).

Please apply for this project using this link: https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/postgraduate/phd/apply/applying