The Rundle lab has interests that span a diverse range of topics in evolutionary ecology and evolutionary genetics. Currently, much of the work in the lab focuses on understanding how selection arising from mate competition impacts fundamental evolutionary process like adaptation. the purging of deleterious mutations, and speciation. We are also interested in how sexual conflict may contribute to these processes and how ecology can impact all of them. We are also studying the evolutionary divergence of mate preferences and how this generates assortative mating that can contribute to both initiating and completing the speciation process. Information about these and other projects can be found on our lab website. Our approach to these and other topics is empirical and utilizes both laboratory and field studies, the former including various species of Drosophila and the antler fly, Protopiophila litigata. Most of what we do involves whole organism assays of fitness, behaviour, morphology, and other phenotypes, although we also dabble in quantitative genetics and genomics. We have a particular interest in contact pheromones in insects (i.e. cuticular hydrocarbons and their derivatives) because of their role as sexual displays, and we have the facilities for their high-throughput quantification via gas chromatography.
Selected publications
- Angell, C.S., R. Janacek and H.D. Rundle. 2022. Maternal and paternal age effects on male antler flies: a field experiment. American Naturalist 199(3): 436-442. doi
- Rowe, L and H.D. Rundle. 2021. The alignment of natural and sexual selection. Annual Review of Ecology, Evolution, and Systematics 52: 499-517. doi
- Yun, L., A.F. Agrawal* and H.D. Rundle*. 2021. On male harm: how it is measured and how it evolves in different environments. American Naturalist 198: 219-23 1. doi
- Mautz*, B.S., N.O. Rode*, R. Bonduriansky and H.D. Rundle. 2019. Comparing ageing and the effects of diet supplementation in wild vs. captive antler flies, Protopiophila litigata. Journal of Animal Ecology 88: 1913-1924. doi
- Videlier, M., H.D. Rundle and V. Careau. 2019. Sex-specific among-individual covariation in locomotor activity and resting metabolic rate in Drosophila melanogaster. American Naturalist 194: E164-E176. doi
- Yun, L., P.J. Chen, K.E. Kwok, C.S. Angell, H.D. Rundle* and A.F. Agrawal*. 2018. Competition for mates and the improvement of nonsexual fitness. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (USA) 115 (26): 6762-6767. doi