DR. MARIA SANTACÀ
The Full Story
My research interest
Visual illusions as a tool to understand how vertebrates see the world
The study of visual illusions in non-human animals represents a useful tool to compare visual perception of human and non-human animals. Such investigations allow us to assess whether animals interpret and alter visual inputs or if they are more like machines, detecting visual inputs with little or no variability. Investigation of illusion susceptibility may also shed light on the impact of environmental and evolutionary pressures on visual perception.
MHC and mate choice
Since their significance in inbreeding avoidance and possible benefits for offspring immunocompetence, genes of the major histocompatibility complex (MHC) are a plausible target of mate choice. Nonetheless, direct evidence for precopulatory and postcopulatory female choice for complementary MHC alleles among competing males in still limited, especially in fish.
The role of female reproductive fluid in sperm competition, Volume: 375, Issue: 1813, DOI: (10.1098/rstb.2020.0077)
The role of female reproductive fluid on sexual selection and fertilization mechanisms
A male's ability to effectively fertilize eggs has historically been related to the quality of his ejaculate (sperm quantity, viability, and motility), frequently in comparison to rivals when females mate frequently. The ovarian fluid that surrounds the eggs (FRF) has been shown to have a role in postcopulatory mechanisms through its differential effects on sperm performance. Nonetheless, we currently know relatively little about the mechanisms driving sperm-FRF interaction and its underlying evolutionary processes.