Grant: Canada Research Chairs

Biologists recognize that evolution does not produce a single best male or female phenotype within a species. In fact, many animal species exhibit widespread variation among individuals within a sex that is related to reproductive morphology and behaviour. Such alternative reproductive phenotypes are hypothesized to play a fundamental role in creating biodiversity by facilitating speciation. Our knowledge, however, of how alternative reproductive phenotypes are expressed and maintained in nature is surprisingly limited. Dr. Kellys research program seeks a comprehensive understanding of not only alternative phenotype biology but also their role in the broader evolutionary context of speciation and biodiversity generation.