Dr Ramakrishnan Vasudeva

Profile

I am interested in the impacts of thermal environments on reproduction and identifying fertility limits using insect models. An important evolutionary question that I have worked on in the past was, Why are males of some species sensitive to thermal stress from heatwaves?

Familiar with and have used experimental evolution protocols to address fertility sensitivity across sexes, maintained long term selection lines within strict regimes. More recently, I have conducted experiments to explore the extent of thermally induced damage on sperm, sensitive life stages and its transgenerational transmission in the flour beetles.

Worked on Sexual selection processes addressing the divergent evolution within sperm, genitalia and traits relevant to reproduction and ferilization.

I am currently working in the Bretman lab to understand why spermatogenesis is sensitive to sublethal temperatures employing a few Drosophila species. Within this, I am interested in the mechanisms driving this and specifically what might the prospects be when the planet gets warmer in the future.

Responsibilities

• Researcher

Research interests

Thermal Biology, reproduction, mating behaviour, thermal sensitivity, sperm morphological diversity, fertility limits, Sexual selection, speciation and ecology.

Qualifications

• PhD
• Masters (MSc)
• BSc
• Diploma

Professional memberships

• Animal Behaviour
• European Society for Evolutionary Biology
• Society for Experimental Biology
• Biology of Sperm

Student education

Biology, Zoology, Biochemistry and Genetics