Context-dependent plasticity of sexual selection: linking individual behaviour and population ecology

Individual behaviour and population dynamics are two fields that so far were largely studied separately. However, in an evolutionary context, it is highly relevant to also address the links between them. In this framework, I am going to address environmental and social context-dependent plasticity of sexual selection in a small marine fish with conventional but plastic sex-roles. The common goby (Pomatoschistus microps) occurs along a wide environmental and geographical cline. Traditionally, studies on sexual selection have been focussing on either female choice or male-male competition. This project addresses also the opposite phenomena: choosy males and competing females, as well as the interplay among them. I will use a combination of field work at opposing ends of the coast of the Baltic Sea, controlled laboratory experiments, and theoretical modelling approaches. Results will shed light on how mating systems are affected by its natural context and how individual behaviour and population dynamics interact.