Potential PhD project at the University of Tasmania, Australia Applications are currently being received for a 2015 commencement For more information please contact Prof Elissa Cameron (elissa.came...@utas.edu.au) &/or Assoc Prof Erik Wapstra (erik.waps...@utas.edu.au) at the School of Biological Sciences, University of Tasmania.
The study of parental effects is a fundamental area in evolutionary ecology, but is characterised by poor integration of proximate causation and ultimate explanation. Parents influence the development of their young through both genetic and non-genetic effects, with sex allocation one maternal effect that can have profound implications for fitness. In mammals, the glucose hypothesis has been postulated to link the adaptive hypotheses of sex ratio adjustment and unify other proposed mechanisms. This PhD project will investigate the role of glucose as a unifying mechanism in sex allocation theory and the practical applications of skewing sex ratios for conservation purposes in mammals.
