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Dr. Fabrice Helfenstein
To webpage of the Evolutionary Ecology Lab
Contact
University of Bern
Institute of Ecology and Evolution
Evolutionary Ecology Lab
Baltzerstrasse 6
3012 Bern
Office D 209
Tel +41 (0)31 631 3019
Fax +41 (0)31 631 3008 (secretary)
fabrice.helfenstein <at> free.fr
Research
I am broadly interested in sexual selection. My work has primarily focused on individual quality and the potential for mate choice in the colonial black-legged kittiwake Rissa tridactyla, in which we found that individuals do not adjust their mate choice by copulating outside the pairbond, and are thus under strong selective pressure to optimally choose their mate. Further work now focuses on the criteria used by male and female kittiwakes in choosing their partner.
My main research area now deals with sperm traits - morphology, swimming ability, longevity - which determine male fertilisation success, i.e. sperm competitive ability. More precisely, I investigate how oxidative stress influences sperm quality and how it may mediate the relationships between sperm quality, sexual ornaments and male social status. I explore these questions in territorial (great tits Parus major, PhD by Sylvain Losdat) and colonial (house sparrows Passer domesticus) birds and polygynous tropical bats (PhD by Nicolas Fasel).
Curriculum vitae
Publications
| Losdat S, Helfenstein F, Saladin V & Richner H. 2011. Higher in vitro resistance to oxidative stress in extra-pair offspring. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 24:2525-2530. Link |
| Leclaire S, Bourret V, Wagner RH, Hatch SA, Helfenstein F, Chastel O & Danchin E. 2011. Behavioral and physiological response to male handicap in chick-rearing black-legged kittiwake. Behavioral Ecology, 22:1156-1165. Link |
| Losdat S, Helfenstein F, Gaude B & Richner H. 2011. Reproductive effort transiently reduces antioxidant capacity in a wild bird. Behavioral Ecology, 22:1218-1226. Link |
| Losdat S, Richner H, Blount JD & Helfenstein F. 2011. Immune activation reduces sperm quality in the great tit . PLoS ONE, 6: e22221. Link |
| Losdat S, Helfenstein F, Gaude B & Richner H. 2010. Effect of sibling competition and male carotenoid supply on offspring condition and oxidative stress. Behavioral Ecology, 21: 1271-1277. pdf |
| Leclaire S, Helfenstein F, Degeorges A, Wagner RH & Danchin E. 2010. Family size and sex-specific parental effort in black-legged kittiwakes. Behaviour, 147: 1841-1862. pdf |
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Helfenstein F, Losdat S, Møller AP, Blount JD & Richner H. 2010. Sperm of colourful males are better protected against oxidative stress. Ecology Letters, 13: 213-222. pdf Media coverage: BBC New Scientist Nature National Geographic |
| Helfenstein F, Podevin M & Richner H. 2010. Sperm morphology, swimming velocity and longevity in the house sparrow Passer domesticus. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 64: 557-565. pdf |
| Mulard H, Danchin E, Talbott S, Ramey A, Hatch SA, White JF, Helfenstein F & Wagner RH. 2009. Evidence that pairing with genetically similar mates is maladaptive in a monogamous bird. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 9: 147. Pdf |
| Helfenstein F, Szép T, Nagy Z, Kempenaers B & Wagner RH. 2008. Between-male variation in sperm size, velocity and longevity in sand martins Riparia riparia. Journal of Avian Biology, 39: 647-652. pdf |
| White JF, Wagner RH, Helfenstein F, Hatch SA, Mulard H, Naves LC & Danchin E. 2008. Multiple deleterious effects of experimentally aged sperm in a monogamous bird. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, USA. Pdf |
| Helfenstein F, Losdat S, Saladin V & Richner H. 2008. Females of carotenoid-supplemented males are more faithful and produce better quality offspring. Behavioral Ecology. pdf |
| Berthouly A, Helfenstein F, Tanner M & Richner H. 2008. Sex-related effects of maternal egg investment on offspring in relation to carotenoid availability in the great tit. Journal of Animal Ecology, 77: 74-82. pdf |
| Helfenstein F, Berthouly A, Tanner M, Karadas F & Richner H. 2008. Nestling begging activity and parental effort in relation to pre-laying carotenoid availability. Behavioral Ecology, 19: 108-115 pdf |
| Berthouly A, Helfenstein F, & Richner H. 2007. Cellular immune response, stress resistance and competitiveness in nestling great tits in relation to maternally transmitted carotenoids. Functional Ecology, 21: 335-343. Pdf |
| Helfenstein F, Danchin E & Wagner RH. 2004. Assortative mating and sexual size dimorphism in kittiwakes. Waterbirds, 27: 350-354 Pdf |
| Helfenstein F, Danchin E & Wagner RH. 2004. Is male unpredictability a paternity assurance strategy ? Behaviour, 141: 675-690. Pdf |
| Wagner RH, Helfenstein F & Danchin E. 2004. Choice for young sperm by monogamous female kittiwakes. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London, Series B (Supplement), 271: S134-S137. Pdf |
| Helfenstein F, Tirard C, Danchin E & Wagner RH. 2004. Low frequency of extra-pair paternity and high frequency of adoption in Black-Legged Kittiwakes. The Condor, 106: 150-157. Pdf |
| Helfenstein F, Wagner RH & Danchin E. 2003. Sexual conflict over sperm ejection in monogamous pairs of kittiwakes. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 54: 370-376. Pdf |
| Helfenstein F, Wagner RH, Danchin E & Rossi JM. 2003. Functions of courtship feeding in black-legged kittiwakes: natural and sexual selection. Animal Behaviour, 65: 1027-1033. Pdf |
| Tirard C, Helfenstein F & Danchin E. 2002. Polymorphic microsatellites in Rissa tridactyla. Molecular Ecology Notes, 2: 431-433. Pdf |
| Wagner RH, Danchin E, Boulinier T & Helfenstein F. 2000. Colonies as byproducts of commodity selection. Behavioral Ecology, 11: 572-573. Pdf |