Léa Daupagne, PhD

My research focus on sexual selection in aquatic organisms, with a particular focus on fish. I am particularly interested in the dynamics of intra-sexual competition and mate choice, exploring how these selective forces shape the phenotypic and genetic architecture of sexually selected traits. Ultimately, my work aims to uncover how these processes drive trait evolution. I am especially fascinated by how variation in sexual selection can be modulated by both physical and social environmental factors.

To address my research questions, I employ a diverse array of methods, including behavioural observations, genetic parentage analysis, and individual-based modelling. This interdisciplinary approach allows me to comprehensively examine the complexities of sexual selection.

I recently defended my PhD dissertation at the University of Pau & the Adour Region in France, under the supervision of Cédric Tentelier and Émilien Lasne. My doctoral research focused on how environmental factors—such as temperature, spawning substrate, and operational sex ratios (OSR)—affect mating success in lampreys, a fascinating group of 41 fish species exhibiting diverse mating systems.

Currently, I am a postdoctoral fellow at Stockholm University, Sweden, where I work under the the supervision of John Fitzpatrick. My research here explores inbreeding avoidance behaviours in various species of the Poeciliidae family, further expanding my knowledge on the role of post-copulatory processes in sexual selection.