Martine Maan
University of Groningen, Gelifes, Faculty Member
The several hundred species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Victoria (East-Africa) are textbook examples of explosive speciation. This thesis evaluates the hypothesis that sexual selection by female mate choice has contributed to this... more
The several hundred species of cichlid fish endemic to Lake Victoria (East-Africa) are textbook examples of explosive speciation. This thesis evaluates the hypothesis that sexual selection by female mate choice has contributed to this process of divergence, by investigating the mechanisms that drive the evolution and divergence of mating preferences for colour patterns. I studied two representative model systems, the
Research Interests:
Research Interests:
Females of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid Lamprologus callipterus exclusively breed in empty snail shells that males collect in their territories. Male--male competition for shells is severe, leading to frequent shell stealing and territory... more
Females of the Lake Tanganyika cichlid Lamprologus callipterus exclusively breed in empty snail shells that males collect in their territories. Male--male competition for shells is severe, leading to frequent shell stealing and territory takeover. As a consequence, males have breeding females in their shells that spawned with competitors. In this field study, we investigated both naturally occurring and experimentally induced