Current Research on Macrostomum

We primarily work with the free-living flatworm Macrostomum lignano, a transparent simultaneous hermaphrodite that we have recently described taxonomically (more on this).

Sex allocation

Evolutionary theory makes detailed predictions about how animals should allocate limited resources to their male and female reproductive functions. Because we can non-invasively measure testis and ovary size in Macrostomum lignano, it is a great model organism to study sex allocation (more on this).

Sperm competition

We can accurately measure changes in sperm production in worms that have grown up in different social situations, and using a sperm tracking technique we have developed, we can observe where these sperm end up in the mating partner (more on this).

Mating behaviour

We have developed a convenient way to observe and record the mating behaviour in Macrostomum. We use this method to quantitatively describe its intriguing mating behaviours (more on this).

Sexual conflict

Sexual conflict can lead to sexually antagonistic co-evolution, which can lead to co-variation in the complexity of male and female genitalia and complex mating behaviours. We are performing phylognetically controlled comparative studies to investigate reproductive trait evolution (more on this).

Taxonomy of the genus Macrostomum

We do field work to collect and describe other members of the genus Macrostomum, and take DNA samples to perform molecular phylogenetic work. The different Macrostomum species vary enormously in reproductive morphology (more on this).

this page was last updated on Saturday, February 19, 2011