Presenter(s): Ruben Lancaster
Faculty Mentor(s): Katja Kasimatis & Patrick Phillips
Poster 10
Session: Sciences
Mating is vital for sexually reproducing species, yet the ideal mating strategy for males and females can differ. The ensuing conflict between the sexes results in negative population fitness effects. Previous studies in the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans show that a male-skewed sex ratio during mating causes female lifespan decreases, indicative of sexual conflict. However, these studies do not reflect ecologically relevant mating conditions on which sexual selection and sexual conflict are acting. Therefore, I conducted population-based mating assays using both natural and male-skew sex ratios. I found no effect of mating on lifespan relative to virgin females in either sex ratio condition in two different strains of C. elegans. My results identify population size as a potential mediator of mating effects on female lifespan and highlight the need for ecologically relevant conditions for understanding life-history traits.