Hanna Algora

I am interested in how evolution has shaped organisms, generating a high diversity of forms and behaviours. Alternative Reproductive Tactics (ARTs) manifest with discrete differences in reproductive traits. Ruffs (Calidris pugnax) provide a textbook example to study ART evolution and maintenance. Ruffs present three male morphs that are genetically determined and are behaviourally and morphologically distinctive. The genetic characteristics of the system produce substantial fitness costs to some of the morphs, which need to be compensated in order to maintain all three reproductive tactics. Male mobility is a trait that is morph dependent and our general hypothesis is that morph specific mobility can form the basis of the fitness cost compensation. In my PhD, I aim to study the effect of movement on the evolution of ruff ARTs, through the use of state-of-the-art animal tracking technologies. This project bridges several fields of biology, including evolutionary and movement ecology. I study a wild ruff population in the Liminganlahti area close to Oulu, Finland, as a part of a collaboration project between the University of Oulu and the Max Planck Institute for Ornithology. Ruffs have a large distribution range and are therefore not considered threatened at a global scale, however they are categorized as endangered in Finland. Due to this, the project is also relevant for species conservation and management.