Sexual conflict and the evolution of nuptial gifts

这个项目旨在了解性冲突如何驱使雄性节肢动物进化出“操纵性”的婚礼礼物，以及雌性节肢动物对摄入这些礼物有何反应。婚礼食物礼物包括雄性提供给雌性在交配时消费的物质(精子除外)，是各种节肢动物交配系统的组成部分。该项目将研究装饰蟋蟀，这是一种雄性会产生一种婚礼食物礼物的物种，其中含有一种化学物质的鸡尾酒，已知这种化学物质在食用时会影响雌性的生殖。该项目预计将加强澳大利亚在进化研究方面的国际地位，并帮助培养下一代进化生物学家。

This project aims to understand how sexual conflict drives the evolution of “manipulative” nuptial gifts in male arthropods and how females respond to ingesting these gifts. Nuptial food gifts comprise materials (other than sperm) that are offered by males to females to consume at mating, and are an integral feature of the mating systems of a wide variety of arthropods. The project will study the decorated cricket, a species where males produce a nuptial food gift that contains a cocktail of chemicals known to influence female reproduction when eaten. The project is expected to strengthen Australia’s international standing in evolutionary research and help train the next generation of evolutionary biologists.