DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Mating Behaviors in Simultaneous Hermaphrodites

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Sexual conflict and partner manipulation in simultaneous hermaphrodites:Dr. Barry R Sinervo and Brooke L W MillerMating often appears to be a friendly encounter, however, in actuality, conflicts of interest often exist between mating partners. Males seek to prevent females from mating with additional partners to prevent sperm competition, whereas females often seek additional mating partners to reduce the cost of mating with a bad sire. These "sexual conflicts" can lead to the evolution of behaviors that males use to manipulate the mating behavior of the female ("partner manipulation tactics"). Simultaneous hermaphrodites are animals that are both male and female at the same time. They are excellent systems to study sexual conflict due to their unique biology, yet are relatively unstudied. This project examines sexual conflict, sperm competition and the evolution of partner manipulation strategies in the simultaneously hermaphroditic Banana slug, Ariolimax dolicophallus. These slugs exhibit a highly unusual mating behavior of penis chewing after mating, which is explored as an evolved response to sperm competition.Sinervo and Miller have a long standing interests in science outreach, and this project has been very popular among non-science audiences. Also, because this project is labor intensive, it allows them to work closely with a team of undergraduate students (mostly women) and mentor them on the basics of scientific research. Undergraduates learn a variety of broadly applicable field and molecular laboratory research techniques that they can use in a variety of scientific fields.