Jonathan Evans

Publications

Broadly, I am interested in the interface between pre- and post-mating sexual selection, and in particular how these different episodes of selection interact to influence male reproductive fitness. I use a range of study systems, including freshwater fishes (guppies and native rainbowfish) and marine invertebrates (sea urchins), to focus on this and the following key topics:

• Understanding how selection acts through pre- and postcopulatory processes to influence male reproductive success
• Estimating the genetic basis of traits that mediate competitive fertilization success (sperm competition)
• Genital evolution in Trinidadian guppies (with Andrea Pilastro)
• Disentangling sources of variance in competitive fertilization success (with Paco Garcia-Gonzalez)
• Population genetics
• Differential maternal allocation
• Male sperm allocation
• Linking hydrodynamic theory to sperm performance (with Stuart Humphries and Leigh Simmons)

Funding received

2007 ARC: Discovery Grant (with Paco Garcia-Gonzalez)
2006 ARC: Discovery Grant and QEII Fellowship
2006 UWA: Research Grant
2003 ARC: Discovery Grant and APD Fellowship
2002 Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour: Research Grant
2001 European Commission: Research Grant and Marie Curie Fellowship
2000 Fisheries Society of the British Isles: Small Research Grant

External collaborators

Andrea Pilastro, Trevor Pitcher, Indar Ramnarine & Stuart Humphries

Postdoctoral Researchers

Dr John Fitzpatrick (NSERC Canadian Research Fellow)

Dr Michelle Taylor (Postdoctal Associate)

Students

Michael Young (PhD) The evolution of geographical colour pattern variation in the western rainbowfish, Melanotaenia australis

Rachel Binks (PhD) Reproductive and genetic ecology of the Australian sea urchin, Heliocidaris erythrogramma

Opportunities for student research

I welcome applications from suitably qualified students who wish to undertake undergraduate and postgraduate research projects in sexual selection. Please contact me for further information. Please note that international candidates (non Australian/New Zealand) must seek an International Scholarship to cover University fees for postgraduate research.