Upama Aich

How do organisms maintain fitness in a fluctuating environment? @upama.bsky.social and colleagues found that trade-offs in reproductive allocation in mosquito fish depend on sex and age. besjournals.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/pdfdirec...
@bbmwong.bsky.social @mikejennions.bsky.social

Are current methods inaccurate in quantifying ageing & selective disappearance? We compare methods using simulations, analytical solutions, and empirical data, across life histories & methodologies (eg incomplete data). Surprising results & several recommendations. ecoevorxiv.org/repository/v...

This work, an amazing collboration with Asif Ahmed, Meng-Han Joseph Chung, @bbmwong.bsky.social & @mikejennions.bsky.social, was directly supported by @sse-evolution.bsky.social Rosemary Grant award and Forrest Research Foundation.
@ceb-uwa.bsky.social @monashbiol.bsky.social @biologyanu.bsky.social

Does early-life environment stress affect future reproductive investment? 🌊🐟
Our new paper found that when raised in fluctuating salinity, mosquitofish females produce eggs with lower protein, while older males had higher ejaculate glycogen content!

Read the full paper here doi.org/10.1111/1365...

When feral cats are away, potoroos and bandicoots are more likely to play When feral cats are scarce, potoroos and bandicoots forage more freely, altering their behaviour and chances of survival.

How can we tell if potoroos & bandicoots are afraid of feral cats? With peanut butter balls, of course! Read about past @deakinuniversity.bsky.social Honours student, Te Ao Marama Eketone's study! theconversation.com/when-feral-c... Research 👉 zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

The adaptive significance of polyandry: a meta-analysis Abstract. Polyandry is prevalent, but the optimal patterns of mating for females remain poorly understood despite their importance for our understanding of

Compelling meta-analytic evidence for female fitness benefits of polyandry in arthropods by Yan et al.

academic.oup.com/evolut/advan...

ECR/Postdoc position - 2 years.

ARC Discovery Project - Transgenerational implications of microplastic toxicity.

Field and mammal handling experience preferred. Microplastic analysis experience ideal.

Scope to support a PhD student.

Please email Renée (renee.firman@uwa.edu.au) for more details!

Cryptic spiders 🕷️❓

Congratulations to #CEB member Jackson Rendall on their recent publication in Austral Entomology (@austentsoc.bsky.social) about the natural history of the South Australian spiny trapdoor spider (Blakistonia aurea).

Read the paper here: onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/...

Yesterday (17th Feb) we began the 2026 UWA School of Biological Sciences (#SBS) Conference 🔬🕷️🌿🐳🧬🦘🧪! We had the amazing opportunity to see the breadth of research being conducted across our school.

Below is the thread of outstanding presentations from fellow CEBers on Day 1 (17th Feb):

Happy birthday to one of my favourite haters, Charles Darwin

That sexual selection is one of the primary drivers in evolution is well established. Studies of Mesozoic #dinosaurs and #pterosaurs, however, have been dominated by the view that the variation, extravagance and diversity seen in these animals is not due to the pressures of sexual selection, but...

New #PhD on #bees (BeeHd?)! Despite the ad saying "UK Students only", a limited number of scholarships are available for international candidates. So please apply!

What's more fun than writing this paper is the brilliant minds of @plosbiology.org @roliroberts.bsky.social coming up with ways to deal with BlueSky's censorship.
Men with surfboards, could this paper be anymore aussie? @ceb-uwa.bsky.social @monashbiol.bsky.social @biologyanu.bsky.social

Thanks Rocco! Hope you’re well

Size matters. Among the great apes, human penises are unusually large. Why? Check out our new open access paper in @plosbiology.org led by @upama.bsky.social. Link here: journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

And read the lay article in @theconversation.com here: journals.plos.org/plosbiology/...

3/3 None of this would have happened without THE AMAZING Chloe Tan, who collected the vast majority of data single-handedly!
A fun study done! All thanks to this awesome bunch: Chole, @mikejennions.bsky.social @bbmwong.bsky.social Rebecca Bathgate, Khandis Blake, Rob Capp, Jacob Kuek, Brian Mautz

Experimental evidence that penis size, height, and body shape influence assessment of male sexual attractiveness and fighting ability in humans Why the human penis is unusually large compared to other primates is a long-standing evolutionary question. This study shows that genital size is a cue used during male-male assessment in humans, sugg...

2/3 This paper is a COVID baby, and took 6 years into making! Read the full paper here: doi.org/10.1371/jour...

Why is the human penis longer and thicker than those of other great apes, such as chimpanzees and gorillas? Read our @aunz.theconversation.com piece to find out!
Full paper from @plosbiology.org below! 👇 1/3

Congrats to @shiho-ozeki.bsky.social on her PhD paper studying the potential impacts of pollution from the contraceptive pill on a marine species, the crested weedfish.

doi.org/10.1111/eth....

Text: Society for the Study of Evolution, American Society of Naturalists, Society of Systematic Biologists, Undergraduate Community at Evolution Program. Applications due January 20, 2026.

Are you an undergrad interested in ecology, evolution or related fields? Apply by January 20 for our Undergraduate Community at Evolution program! This program provides funding, mentoring, and a presentation opportunity at #Evol2026. www.evolutionsociety.org/content/educ...

Best explanation of the liar's dividend that I've ever seen.

🚨 Postdoctoral Opportunity for Female Scientists🚨

The University of Vienna is awarding at least 20 fully funded 4 year postdoctoral positions to outstanding female scientists

Interested? Get in touch via direct message
careers.univie.ac.at/en/postdoc/e...

#MicroSky 🧪

#PostDoc @univie.ac.at

Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute The Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute was founded with the purpose of increasing and sharing knowledge about the past, present and future of tropical ecosystems and their relevance to human welf...

🧪📍🌊 🦑🍎 Marine Scientist Position – Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute (STRI), full-time, permanent Marine Scientist position based in Panama. Application review begins February 15, 2026 (open until filled). Early-career researchers are strongly encouraged to apply. www.stri.si.edu

Header: ECBB 2026 Plenary Speakers Image of Dr Bibiana Rojas, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna Text next to photo reads: Main interests in the interface between behavioural and evolutionary ecology Aspects of communication, animal colouration, predator-prey interactions, aggression, parental care, and life history trade-offs The effects of anthropogenic activities such as habitat alteration and contamination on the life history, health and behaviour of amphibians

We know you're jumping with excitement to find out the penultimate ECBB 2026 plenary speaker so we won't keep you waiting much longer!
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It's the marvellous @biobiiana.bsky.social!

A new PhD opportunity in Melbourne!

A lot of human medical things funded, no animal health studies funded - please human health researchers stick to the millions in NHMRC and MRRF available to you that the rest of us can't apply for!

Jolie, an adult female chimpanzee of the Ngogo community in Kibale National Park, Uganda, with sleeping infant son, Zawinul. CREDIT: Kevin Langergraber

After the Ngogo chimpanzee group killed 21 members of neighboring groups and expanded their territory by 22%, female birth rates more than doubled and infant survival increased sharply—showing clear fitness benefits from intergroup killing. In PNAS: https://ow.ly/TKmf50XuPjY

👏 A proud moment for #CEB!

Emeritus Professor Leigh Simmons has been announced as the 2026 Hamilton Lecturer at @isbe2026.bsky.social, one of the most prestigious honours in behavioural ecology.

#BehaviouralEcology #ISBE2026 #UWA #EvolutionaryBiology

Not all sexual swellings signal fertility. Some signal strategy. In our new Current Biology paper, we show how gelada females “fake it” during male takeovers—and why it works.
authors.elsevier.com/a/1m7%7E93QW...