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e s e a r c h.. f o c u s :
Life
history evolution
Differences
among organisms in the pattern of energy allocation to various fundamental
activities, including growth, somatic repair and reproduction, determine
important attributes that characterize species. Our comparative
studies have revealed that a significant amount of the variation
among Drosophila species in important life history traits, such
as body size, testis size, and age at first reproduction, is explained
by variation in sperm length. These fundamental differences among
species appear to reflect differential costs of spermatogenesis.
Selected
Related Publications:
Pitnick,
S., and G. T. Miller. 2000. Correlated response in reproductive
and life history traits to selection on testis length in Drosophila
hydei. Heredity 84: 416-426. [PDF]
Pitnick,
S. 1996. Investment in testes and the cost of making long sperm
in Drosophila. The American Naturalist 148: 57-80. [PDF]
Pitnick,
S., Markow, T. A., and G. S. Spicer. 1995. Delayed male maturity
is a cost of producing large sperm in Drosophila. Proceedings
of the National Academy of Science, USA 92: 10614-10618. [PDF]
For
more details and selected publications on the different aspects
of my research program, follow these links:
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