DR. RAMAKRISHNAN VASUDEVA
I am an Evolutionary ecologist interested in the role of environmental factors causing reproductive sensitivities and fertility declines. Studying the extent and causes of subfertility is an emerging area in the context of global warming. Extreme heat events (e.g., heatwaves and thermal stress) and poor diets (habitat degradation) disrupt key biological processes (e.g., reproduction, immune function). The consequences of such unprecedented global events is likely to have significant impacts on species conservation. I use insect models and experimental evolution tools to uderstand the complexities of environments on reproductive form and function. I am also interested in the role of sexual selection to study reproductive divergence, especially traits associated with reproductive success.
MY LATEST RESEARCH
Some of my broad interests in evolutionary biology are, a) Sexual selection processes in speciation b) Thermal environments, plasticity and Sperm and Egg form and function; ejaculate:female interactions c) Inbreeding within small populations d) Lifespan evolution e) Thermal Adaptation and acclimation at different time scales f) Mate choice and Copulatory behaviour g) Sex-specific sensitivities to simulated conditions looking at broad scale effects on populations of varying sizes.
