This work develops one aspect of the fascinating findings made by Juliey Beckman during her PhD research on allocation of reproductive effort in
A. agilis.
Remarkable trait variability in intraspecific differences in teat number in females is known to occur across the geographic range of antechinuses. For these small, litter-bearing marsupials, the number of teats possessed by a mother sets the upper limit to the number of offspring she can rear in one reproductive bout. As a consequence of selective pressures, optimal litter sizes are expected to emerge in response to the distribution and abundance of resources during the breeding season.
Juliey Beckman’s work has indicated that populations in which females have 6-teats may have evolved more than once. If true, this would be excellent evidence of the strong selection for low teat number under certain ecological conditions. To investigate this, Nich will apply microsatellites and mtDNA d-loop analysis to understanding the timing and degree of divergence of 6-teat populations from their nearest ancestors.
See also Juliey Beckman’s research work
