A major focus of my current research program involves testing this genetic incompatibility hypothesis against alternative hypotheses to account for the enhanced reproductive success of polyandrous females in the harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion, Cordylochernes scorpioides . The discovery that polyandry is a pervasive feature of natural populations seems likely to shed light not only on the forces driving microevolutionary change within populations but also on the processes contributing to reproductive isolation between incipient species. As an extension of my research on polyandry, we are investigating the potential importance of gametic interactions and postcopulatory processes in the evolution of cryptic species of neotropical arthropods. Reproductive mode and the genetic benefits of polyandry. Animal Behaviour .
Genetic benefits enhance the reproductive success of polyandrous females.
Transmission distortion at a minisatellite locus in the harlequin beetle riding pseudoscorpion. Dump material as an effective small-scale deterrent to herbivory by Atta cephalotes . Polyandrous females discriminate against previous mates. Mitochondrial DNA sequencing reveals extreme genetic differentiation in a cryptic species complex of neotropical pseudoscorpions. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge.