About

This is the blog of Steve Ramm‘s research group, based in the ECOBIO lab at the Université de Rennes, France.

We study traits important to male fertility such as spermatogenesis and seminal fluid, with a focus on the evolutionary consequences of sperm competition. Because our main model organisms are simultaneous hermaphrodites, a complementary goal is to understand the implications of this sexual system for the operation of sexual selection. We also study the causes and consequences of mating system evolution (outcrossing vs. selfing), and associated feedbacks on sexual selection and sex allocation. Our overarching aim is to bridge organismal and molecular perspectives on adaptive evolution and plasticity, driven by both (1) social environmental variation affecting levels of sexual competition and/or mate availability and (2) physical environmental factors such as temperature and salinity to understand whether and how reproductive systems can cope under climate change.

Our research is supported by a Chaire de Recherche Rennes Métropole on “Fertility in a Changing World” and a Chaire de Professeur Junior from the Université de Rennes.

From 2012-2022 the lab was based in the Department of Evolutionary Biology at Bielefeld University, Germany. Our research was supported by the DFG, the Alexander von Humboldt Stiftung and the Marie Curie Actions of the EU.

For more details on our current research and projects of individual lab members, please see our (previous) university webpages, and for citation details, news etc.,  please see also:

Join Us?

If you’d be interested in joining the lab, I’m always happy to discuss potential projects and funding options. Having just moved to Rennes, I’m in the process of building up my research group here – both M1 and M2 internships potentially available, PhD projects will be advertised shortly and I’d be keen to support like-minded postdocs with potential joint or fellowship funding applications, especially if you’re interested in working at the intersection of sexual selection and climate change adaptation.

Please get in touch!