Assistant Professor of Biology Jen Hamel, together with Savannah Nease and Dr. Christine Miller of the University of Florida, published a research article in the current issue of the journal Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology is a peer-reviewed professional journal that publishes high-quality studies at the intersection of ecology, evolution and behavior.
Mating between species, called “reproductive interference” by ecologists, is surprising but common in nature. The publication, “Male mate choice and female receptivity lead to reproductive interference,” contains findings and inferences from a study Hamel conducted with an undergraduate mentee (Savannah Nease) and Dr. Christine Miller at the University of Florida. In the study, the team tested hypotheses about what factors result in mating between two species of insects, for which such matings do not produce viable offspring.
This work is part of Hamel’s larger research program, in which she studies the effects of biological community members, such as predators and parasites, on mating preferences and reproductive success in focal species. The purpose of such research is to explain how multiple sources of selection interact to produce the diversity of forms and behaviors seen in nature.