My main interest is in the evolutionary genetics of sex differences, especially sexually antagonistic genetic variation — in other words, when the same gene has opposite effects on the fitness of males and females. Sexually antagonistic genes and traits are interesting because they may hold the key to one of the long-standing paradoxes in evolutionary biology: the maintenance of standing genetic variation. When selection is strong and traits are heritable, it is expected that standing genetic variance for f
I have studied sexually antagonistic genetic variation in fruit flies ( Drosophila melanogaster ) for several years, and have recently begun research on the hermaphroditic flatworm Macrostomum lignano . Although it may seem strange to think of hermaphroditic organisms as experiencing sexual antagonism, there are good theoretical reasons to believe that this is the case. In addition to continuing research on fruit flies, I am therefore also carrying out an extensive investigation of sexual antagonism in M. l
I am also one of several PIs in the EXEB research group (Experimental evolution, ecology, and behaviour) at the Biology Department at Lund University. Our group aims to investigate fundamental questions in ecology and evolution using theory-driven empirical research. You can follow the EXEB group's activities on our blog . I provide updates about my own research via twitter at @jessicakabbott . Brief biography I am originally from Canada, and started my undergraduate degree at the University of Guelp