Research interests

My research uses Drosophila melanogaster as a model organism to explore plasticity and trade-offs in sexual traits, such as courtship and copulation behaviour and physiology, and how this ultimately impacts upon an individuals reproductive success. As resources (time, energy etc.) are limited, and reproductive and life processes are costly, it is not possible for an individual to maximise all traits simultaneously. Therefore, an individual must adjust traits accordingly via plastic mechanisms in response to it's environmental stimuli. I am interested in how flexible male behaviour is, and when and why the level of flexibility (ability to adjust these plastic traits) vary between individuals.