Ingrid Ahnesjö, Associated professor

Contact

Address
Dept of Animal Ecology
Evolutionary Biology Centre (EBC)
Uppsala University
Norbyvägen 18 D
SE-752 36 Uppsala
SWEDEN

Telephone
+46 18 471 2670

Telefax
+46 18 471 6484

Research

My main research interests are in sexual selection and life-history strategies. In particular, I am fascinated by sex-role reversals and paternal brood care in pipefishes. In the broad-nosed pipefish females compete among each other for access to male mating partners i.e. sex-roles are reversed. How to predict mating competition by the use of sexual differences in PRR (potential reproductive rate) and how this can be influenced by environmental components is a main theme of my research.

Among pipefishes and seahorses it is always the male alone providing brood care. Embryos are brooded on the male bodies (trunk or tail) and in pouch structures varying in degree of closure and complexity. Interestingly, in a phylogenetical comparison the occurrences of sex-role reversals within the family Syngnathidae in not related to degree of male brooding complexity.

Furthermore, males brooding embryos commonly give birth to fewer newborn than what was initially supported in the brood pouch (brood reduction). Presently, we are investigating various post-mating selective processes, for instance, can males allocate resources differentially among their offspring in the brood pouch, can males use and benefit from reduced embryos (i.e. parasitize on the female reproductive investment), is there embryo competition in the pouch based on egg size or other characteristics, what are the costs and benefits of multiple matings in males and females, respectively. Pipefishes are also suitable model organisms for the investigation of the coevolution between egg size and brood care, in particular in relation to the oxygenation of the embryos.

Collaborators:
Lotta Kvarnemo, Gry Sagebakken and Ines Goncalves at Gothenburg University,
Anders Berglund Uppsala University
Malin Ah-King and the GenNa-project Uppsala University,
Tony Wilson Zürich University,
Adam Jones, Charlyn Partridge and Kenyon Mobley, Texas A&M University,
Amanda Vincent and project seahorse, University of British Columbia.

Teaching

My main pedagogic visions are to teach students a scientific and evolutionary way of thinking. I am responsible for the first undergraduate biology course on the Natural Science Program The evolution and diversity of organisms and in particular the field course at Klubban Biological Station where we teach the scientific method by curiosity based small marine ecological projects.

I am also coordinating the DiaNa project (dialog for natural scientists) an ability training project in communication. During the whole education students will learn biology by oral and written presentations and group interactions. In order to develop their skills students are given positive feed back by teachers and fellow students and do self-assessments in a digital portfolio system.