Professor Russell Bonduriansky
PhD: University of Toronto
BSc, MSc: University of Guelph
I am an evolutionary ecologist. I was born in Ukraine, and completed my PhD at the University of Toronto in 2004. Later that year, I joined the School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences at UNSW.
Research keywords: evolution, ecology, sexual selection, plasticity, life history, genetics, insects
- Publications
- Grants
- Awards
- Research Activities
- Engagement
- Teaching and Supervision
- Media
| 2022 | ARC Discovery Grant: The transgenerational dimension of ageing | |||
| 2020 | ARC Discovery Grant: The role of sexual conflict in the maintenance of sexual reproduction |
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2022 |
E&ERC Outstanding Supervisor Award |
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2018 |
PGC Postgraduate Supervisor Award |
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2015 |
E&ERC Outstanding Supervisor Award |
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2012-2016 |
Future Fellowship |
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2010 |
E&ERC Outstanding Supervisor Award |
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2007-2011 |
Australian Research Fellowship |
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2006 |
Dobzhansky Prize (Society for the Study of Evolution) |
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2004-2006 |
Australian Postdoctoral Fellowship |
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2004-2005 |
NSERC (Canada) Postdoctoral Fellowship |
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1996 |
Canadian Science Writers’ Association Student Writing Award |
Research in the Bonduriansky Lab addresses two broad questions.
The dynamics and consequences of sexual reproduction and coevolution
Although all sexually reproducing populations experience sexual selection and conflict, the implications of these powerful processes are not fully understood.
Moreover, it remains unclear why so many animals can only reproduce sexually, given that the ability to switch between sexual and asexual modes of reproduction appears to be highly advantageous. Theory suggests that sexual conflict could hold a key to this 'paradox of obligate sex'. We are currently testing this theory using facultatively parthenogenetic animals that possess the unusual ability to reproduce with and without mating.
The effects of environment on development and fitness within and across generations, and implications for evolution
Environmental influence on development ('developmental plasticity') has been recognized for over a century, but the role of plasticity in evolution remains controversial. We are investigating effects of diet, social interactions, and other key environmental parameters on the development of body size and shape (including secondary sexual traits), behaviours, and life history traits (especially ageing).
Moreover, the potential for some effects of environment to influence the development of offspring and even more remote descendants was denied and neglected for decades. While nongenetic inheritance is now widely recognized, its ecological and evolutionary implications remain poorly understood. We are investigating such effects experimentally in insects and other invertebrates.
● Nongenetic inheritance and its role in evolution
● Effects of diet and stress within and across generations
● Ageing, and the effects of parental age at breeding on offspring
● Sexual conflict and its role in the maintenance of sexual reproduction, especially in facultatively parthenogenetic animals
● The ecology, life history, and behaviour of wild arthropods
Much of our empirical research takes advantage of native Australian insects, such as Neriid flies and phasmids (stick and leaf insects). We also develop new theory.
For more details, please see the Bonduriansky Lab website.
My Teaching
| ● Evolution (BIOS3171) |
| ● Biology of Invertebrates (BIOS2031) |
| ● Evolutionary and Functional Biology (BIOS1101) |
| ● Introductory Skills for Science (SCIF1131) |
| ● Exploring the Natural World (BEES1041) |