WENDY P. TORI

Research interests
Ecology, evolution and conservation of neotropical birds
Sp: Spatial relationships, genetics, sexual-selection

Current research
Understanding what determines female mate choice and male reproductive success is central to sexual selection theory. Mate choice is a complex issue as it is often the result of an interplay of direct (e.g. courtship feeding, paternal care, territory quality) and indirect benefits (e.g. good genes) to females. Lek-mating systems provide a unique opportunity to study these “processes”, because female benefits consist mainly of the gametes that the male provides and because there are fewer confounding variables than in species that defend resources . Using white-crowned manakins (Pipra pipra), as a “model system” I am studying the factors underlying female mate choice and male mating success.
In a nutshell, I'm interested in characterizing the processes that shape male reproductive success in an exploded lek species (Pipra pipra) and get a better understanding of the mechanisms that affect female mate choice and male reproductive skew. I will be looking, particularly, at how ecological, behavior and genetic factors interact to influence the outcomes of male reproductive success.
This project is part of a larger multi-institutional and collaborative research project that investigates factors influencing male reproductive success and female mate choice in 6 manakin species (See Collaborations). Our research takes place specifically at Tiputini Biodiversity Station- ECUADOR. The station is adjacent to the Yasuní Biosphere Reserve in equatorial western Amazonia which has one of the greatest concentration of species diversity on Earth.

Other Research Studies
Spatial and temporal variation of Birds in the Neotropics (Lic Thesis)