Evolutionary Ecology

We research behavior, ecology and evolution mainly using insects. Research topics are the evolutionary process from the view point of natural selection and/or sexual selection, environmental effects on traits in animals, life-history evolution, and applied entomology in evolutionary biology.

Staffs

	Prof. Dr. Takahisa MIYATAKE E-mail： miyatake@（@okayama-u.ac.jp)
	Assist. Prof. Dr. Kensuke OKADA E-mail： okaken@（@cc.okayama-u.ac.jp）

Main research topics

Sexual selection and sexual conflict
How do female insects choose mates? Why are the sexes in conflict in some insects? We research the mechanism of the process of sexual relationships.

Publications

• Miyatake T, Nakayama S, Nishi Y, Nakajima S, (2009) Tonically immobilised selfish prey can survive by sacrificing others. Proceedings of the Royal Society B in press.
• Okada K, Miyatake T (2009) Effect of losing on male fights of broad horned flour beetle, Gnatocerus cornutus. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology in press.
• Okada K, Miyatake T (2009) Genetic correlations between weapons, body shape and fighting behaviour in the horned beetle Gnatocerus cornutus. Animal Behaviour 77: 1057–1065.
• Miyatake T, Tabuchi K, Sasaki K, Okada K, Katayama K, Moriya S (2008) Pleiotropic anti-predator strategies, fleeing and feigning death, correlated with dopamine levels in Tribolium castaneum. Animal Behaviour 75: 113-121.
• Okada K, Nomura Y, Miyatake T (2007) Relationships among allometry, male-male interactions, and dispersal in a sap beetle Librodor japonicus. Animal Behaviour 74: 749-755.
• Ohno T, Miyatake T (2007) Drop or fly? Negative genetic correlation between death-feigning intensity and flying ability as alternative anti-predator strategies. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 274: 555-560.