The battle between the sexes

A new study published in Evolution Letters has shown that female fruits flies can alter their reproductive behaviour to exert control over paternity success of different males. Lead author Dr Meghan Laturney tells us more. Sexual relationships can be very complicated. Part of this complexity is born out of the fact that sexual reproduction, like …

The conflict beneath your feet: tradeoffs between attracting beneficial microbes and repelling parasites in the plant root microbiome

A guest author blog by Dr Corlett Wolfe Wood Nearly all organisms rely on other species to perform crucial physiological functions, from digesting food to fighting disease. Beneficial microbes in our own gut, for example, are an essential component of digestive health. Such cooperative interactions between species, known as mutualisms, are evolutionarily ancient and are …