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Dr Bahar Patlar
Evolutionary biologist | Sexual selection & Seminal Fluid Proteins
My work traces the evolution of ejaculate and seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) by integrating quantitative and population genetics with experimental approaches. I connect genomic variation to sexual selection, ecological gradients, and population structure to explain how selection and
drift shape male ejaculate function and its consequences for
reproduction. Although I work broadly across insects or mammals, Drosophila is my primary model.
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"The deeper I look into evolution, the more I believe that deciphering reproduction is the closest we come to
a theory of everything in nature"
Research
Contrary to the general view of males as mere vectors of sperm, ejaculates comprise a complex mixture of seminal fluid proteins (SFPs) co-transferred with spermatozoa. SFPs are integral to fertilization and modulate post-mating responses, affecting ovulation, receptivity, immunity, and sperm storage/use, thereby shaping fitness in both sexes. Through postcopulatory sexual selection (sperm competition, cryptic female choice), SFPs contribute to differential fertilization success and frequently generate intersexual conflict when male-beneficial modifications of female physiology incur costs to females. My research program integrates evolutionary genetics and functional genomics to quantify rates and modes of SFP evolution, dissect causal roles in reproductive phenotypes, and test contributions to paternal, non-genetic inheritance. In parallel, I investigate the evolution of testes and sperm in insects, including testis morphology and function, and ejaculate composition to understand how gamete traits coevolve with SFPs under sexual and natural selection.
​Ongoing research
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Human SFP evolution across populations
Comparative population-genomic analyses of human SFP loci to infer rates, modes, and targets of selection across continental ancestries and demographic histories. -
Global molecular evolution of SFPs in D. melanogaster
Worldwide population datasets to quantify sequence diversification, allele-frequency dynamics, and ecological correlates of SFP evolution. In collaboration with Axel Wiberg (University of Stockholm - Sweden) and Claudia Fricke (MLU Halle). -
Seminal fluid–mediated paternal effects in D. melanogaster
Experimental and quantitative-genetic tests of how male seminal proteins influence offspring phenotypes via non-genetic (paternal) pathways. -
Reproductive protein divergence among honey-bee lineages
Genomic differentiation of ejaculate and accessory-gland proteins across Apis mellifera lineages; contrasts with genome-wide background. In collaboration with the former group of Prof. Amro Zayed (York University, Canada). -
Testis colour function and evolution in Drosophila
Integrative study of the association between body colour and testis pigmentation, testing links to reproductive physiology and sexual selection. -
Neanderthal mating systems and ejaculate biology
Ancient-DNA–informed inference of mating-system parameters and potential selection on reproductive proteins, integrating Neanderthal/Denisovan data with modern human comparative frameworks. -
Burying beetles (Nicrophorus): sexual selection, ejaculates, and parental care
Investigation of how mating system, biparental care, and resource ecology shape testes investment, and sperm traits in burying beetles.
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