Research interests
I am interested in sexual selection and particularly in the various mechanisms of mate choice. Sexual selection may play an important role in evolution, because intra- and intersexual conflicts may affect the structure, dynamics, and genetics of populations. Males and females may have evolved different competitive abilities and mating strategies, in order to maximize their own reproductive success, and may signal them to conspecifics through highly variable colouration.
Using the common lizard Zootoca vivipara as model species, my PhD thesis aims at uncovering and understanding the relation between mating strategies, sexual selection, and males colouration, in order to understand their importance for determining population dynamics. Experiments in natural populations and controlled semi-natural experiments will provide insights on male mating strategies and their evolutionary consequences.
