Pascal R. Marty Ph.D. 

Curator Zoo Zürich
Research associate, University of California, Davis

Research Interests

Sexual Selection • Evolution of Social Systems • Behavioural Adaptations to the Anthropocene • Reproductive Strategies

I am specifically interested in the evolution of social systems and the proximate drivers of such processes. I am fascinated by the tug of war between male and female's interests (mates vs. resources) and how this affects the social structure, male-male competition, reproductive strategies, morphology and ultimately the fitness of individuals in different species. In addition, I am also interested in understanding in which ways the presence of humans affects these factors. Since human populations are growing and many, if not most, primate populations are increasingly forced to share their habitat with humans, behavioral and demographic adaptations to better cope with the urban environment are expected. These changes are likely to impact the social structure of groups (e.g. larger groups may lead to less certain dominance structures and/or a lower monopolization potential for males). 

          Sexual Selection 

• What mechanisms favor either males or females in their opposing reproductive strategies/interests? 
• What are the drivers and mechanisms leading to variation in reproductive skew across species? 

         Male-Male Competition

• ​What strategies do males utilize to increase their reproductive success? 

Living in the Anthropocene

• How do individuals adapt their behaviour according to the costs and benefits of an anthropogenic environment?  
• Do certain individuals benefit more than others in an anthropogenic environment? 

Reproductive Strategies in an Anthropogenic Environment

• How do male and female reproductive strategies change in an anthropogenic environment? 
• How does a larger group size affect the monopolization potential of males? 
• How does access to anthropogenic food affect the reproductive success of individuals?