Aging - rising mortality, declining function and fertility over age – remains a puzzling phenomenon to evolutionary biologists. How could a seemingly maladaptive trait evolve? The insight that natural selection weakens over age provided an explanation and suggested that aging is inevitable. However, many species escape aging and among species that do age, patterns of age-dependent mortality are so diverse that some live for days and others for centuries. Even within species, how much and how quickly individuals age differs between populations and demographic groups. We do not understand this diversity. In my research I test how sexual selection and sexual conflict affect aging across the sexes.


Diet affects how long we live, how healthy and fertile we are. In fact, diet affects all aspects of biology. I use the Geometric Framework of nutrition (GF) – a powerful dietary mapping technique – to test how nutrition constrains sex-specific life-histories.  I also use this technique to tackle questions of applied importance and I am a Co-I on an EU Agritech grant that uses the GF to optimise diets for farming edible insects. In my current research, I am trying to use nutrition to improve insect pollinator health. This allows me to apply my fundamental background in nutritional ecology to generate data with positive impacts on food security.

2024

Archer, C.R., Castledine, M. and Hosken, D.J. (2024) Sexual conflict over sex – an underappreciated consequences of childbirth? Evolution, Medicine and Public health 12:242-247 https://doi.org/10.1093/emph/eoae027

Archer, C.R. and Weldon, C.W.W. (2024) Editorial: Diet, Nutrition and Insect Responses to Environmental Change. Frontiers in Insect Science 4: https://doi.org/10.3389/finsc.2024.1415809

Archer, C.R. and Hosken, D.J. (2024) Resolving the puzzle of same-sex sexual interactions. Nature Reviews Urology 21:195-196 https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-023-00833-z  

Pennell, T., Katsuki, M., Archer, C.R., Sharma, M.D., Okada, K. and Hosken, D.J. (2024) Predation affects the evolution of sex-specific longevity. Biol. Lett. 20:20240451. https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2024.0451

2023

Archer, C.R., Alper, C., Mack, L., Sharma, M.D., Sutter, A., Weedon, M. and Hosken, D.J. (2023) Alcohol reduces choosiness and relaxes mate preferences in female Drosophila simulans. Biological Journal of the Linnean Society 143:blad165 https://doi.org/10.1093/biolinnean/blad165

Archer, C.R. and Hosken, D.J. (2023) Introduction to topical collection, “Sexual selection, sexual conflict and aging.” Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiogy 77:20. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-023-03295-w

Gasgoine, S.L., Rolph, S., Sankey, D., Nagalakshmi, N., Picman, A.S.S., Hernandez, C.M., Philpott, M.E.R., Salam, A., Bernard, C., Fenollosa, E., Lee, Y.L., McLean, J., Perera, S.H.A., Spacey, O.G., Kajin, M., Vinto, A.C., Archer, C.R, Burns, J.H., Buss, D.L., Caswell, H., Che-Castaldo, J.P., Childs, D.Z., Capdevila, P., Compagnoni, A., Crone, E., Ezard, T.H.G., Hodgson, D., Knight, T.M., Jones, O.R., Jongejans, E., McDonald, J., Tenhumberg, B., Thomas, C.C., Tyre, A.J., Ramula, S., Stott, I., Tremlay, R.L., Wilson, P.W., Vaupel, J.W. and Salguero-Gomez, R. (2023) A standard protocol to report discrete stage-structured demographic information. Methods in Ecology and Evolution 14:2065-2083. https://doi.org/10.1111/2041-210X.14164

Malod, K.M., Archer, C.R., Nicolson, S.W. and Weldon, C.W.W. (2023) Selection on female reproductive schedules in the marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Diptera: Tephritidae) affects dietary optima for female reproductive traits but not lifespan. Frontiers in Insect Science 3:116753. https://doi.org/10.3389/finsc.2023.1166753

2022

Archer, C. R. and Bunning, H., and Rapkin, J., and Jensen, K., and Moore, T., and House, C. M., and del Castillo, E., and Hunt, J. (2022) Carbohydrate But Not Protein Limitation Induces Ovarian Apoptosis in Speckled Cockroaches.  SSRN.  http://dx.doi.org/10.2139/ssrn.4902996

Archer, C. R., Paniw, M., Vega-Trejo, R., & Sepil, I. (2022) A sex skew in life-history research: the problem of missing males. Proceedings of the Royal Society B 289(1979).  https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.1117

Carey, M.R., Archer, C.R., Rapkin, J. et al. (2022) Mapping sex differences in the effects of protein and carbohydrates on lifespan and reproduction in Drosophila melanogaster: is measuring nutrient intake essential?. Biogerontology 23:129-144. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-022-09953-2

Malod K., du Rand E.E., Archer C.R., Nicolson S.W. and Weldon C.W. (2022) Oxidative Damage Is Influenced by Diet But Unaffected by Selection for Early Age of Oviposition in the Marula Fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Diptera: Tephritidae). Front. Physiol. 13:794979. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2022.794979

2021

Archer, C.R., Fähnle, J., Pretzner, M., Üstüner, C., Weber, N., Sutter, A., Doublet, V. & Wilfert, L. (2021) Complex relationship between amino acids, fitness and food intake in Bombus terrestris. Amino Acids 53:1545-1558. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00726-021-03075-8

Compagnoni, A., Levin, S., Childs, D.Z., Harpole, S., Paniw, M., Römer, G., Burns. J.H., Che-Castaldo, J., Rüger, N., Kunstler, G., Bennett, J.M., Archer, C.R., Jones, O.R., Salguero-Gomez, R & Knight, T. (2021) Herbaceous perennial plants with short generation time have stronger responses to climate anomalies than those with longer generation time. Nature Communications 12:1824. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-021-21977-9 

Malod, K., Roets, P. D., Bosua, H. Archer, C.R. & Weldon, C. (2021) Selecting on age of female reproduction affects lifespan in both sexes and age-dependent reproductive effort in female (but not male) Ceratitis cosyra. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology 75:1-16. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-021-03063-8

Marceau, T., Archer, C.R., Bulford, L. & Wilfert, L. (2021) Dose-dependent effects of antibiotic intake on Bombus Terrestris (Linnaeus, 1758) dietary intake, survival and parasite infection prevalence. Journal of Invertebrate Pathology 182:107580.  https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jip.2021.107580

Paniw, M., James, T., Archer, C.R., Römer, G., Levin, S., Compagnoni, S., Che-Castaldo, J., Bennett, J.M., Mooney, A., Childs, D.Z., Ozgul, A., Jones, O.R., Burns, J.H., Beckerman, A.P., Patwary, A., Sanchez-Gassen, N., Knight, T.M., Salguero-Gomez, R. (2021) The myriad of complex demographic responses of terrestrial mammals to climate change and gaps of knowledge: A global analysis. Journal of Animal Ecology. 90:1398-1407.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13467

2020

Archer, C.R., Store, S., Carey, M., Noda, T. & Hosken, D. (2020) Offspring sex-ratios are stable across the life-course in Drosophila simulans. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 33:1606-1613. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13696

Archer, C.R. and Hosken, D.J. (2020). Sexual Selection. Chapter 1, in The SAGE Handbook of Evolutionary Psychology. Eds. Todd Shackleford.

Malod, K., Roets, P. D., Oosthuizen, C., Blount, J.D. Archer, C.R. & Weldon, C. (2020) Selection on age of female reproduction in the marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra, decreases total antioxidant protection and lipid peroxidation. Journal of Insect Physiology 125:104084. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2020.104084

Malod, K., Archer, C.R., Karsten, M., Cruywagen, R., Howard, A., Nicolson, S.W.N. and Weldon, C. (2020) Exploring the role of host specialisation and oxidative stress in interspecific lifespan variation in subtropical fruit flies. Scientific Reports 10:1-11.  https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-020-62538-2

2019

Duffy, E., Archer, C.R., Sharma, M.D., Prus, M., Joag, R.A., Radwan, J., Wedell, N. and Hosken, D.J. (2019) Wolbachia infection can bias estimates of intralocus sexual conflict. Ecology and Evolution 9:328-338. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.4744

Hosken, D.J., Archer, C.R. and Mank, J. (2019) Sexual conflict. Invited Primer, Current Biology 29:R451-455. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2019.03.052

Hosken, D.J., Bretman, A., Goodwin, S and Archer, C.R. (2019) Genes and environment in Drosophila sex. In Genes and Behaviour: Beyond Nature Nurture, Wiley & Sons, Ch 6, 111-129.

Hosken, D.J., Archer, C.R., House, C.M. and Wedell, N. (2019) Penis evolution across species: divergence and diversity. Nature Reviews Urology 16:98-106. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41585-018-0112-z

Matsumura, K., Hosken, D.J., Archer, C.R. and Miyatake, T. (2019) Artificial selection on walking distance suggests a mobility-sperm competitiveness trade-off. Editor’s Choice. Behavioral Ecology 30:1522-1529. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arz110

Tourmente, M. Archer, C.R. and Hosken, D.J. (2019) Complex interactions between sperm viability and female fertility. Scientific Reports 9:1-11. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-019-51672-1

2018

Archer, C.R., Recker, M., Duffy, E. and Hosken, D.J. (2018) Intralocus sexual conflict can resolve the male-female, health-survival paradox. Nature Communications 9:5048. https://doi.org/10.1038/s41467-018-07541-y

Archer, C.R, Bassellini, U., Lee, K P, Simpson, S., Hunt, J. and Baudisch, A. (2018) Diet has independent effects on the pace and shape of aging in Drosophila melanogaster. Biogerontology 19:1-12. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10522-017-9729-1 

Bosua, H. K., Nicolson, S. W., Archer, C.R. and Pirk, C.W.W. (2018) Effects of cage volume and bee density on survival and nutrient intake of honeybees (Apis mellifera L.) under laboratory conditions. Apidologie 49:734-746. https://doi.org/10.1007/s13592-018-0595-x 

Roets, P., Archer, C.R., Bosua, H. and Weldon C. (2018) Life history and demographic traits of the marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra (Walker) (Diptera: Tephritidae): Potential consequences of host specialisation. Physiological Entomology 43:259-267. https://doi.org/10.1111/phen.12255 

Rapkin, J., Jensen, K., Archer, C.R., House, C. M., Sakaluk, S.K., del Castillo, E. and Hunt, J. (2018) The geometry of nutrient space-based life-history trade-offs: sex-specific effects of macronutrient intake on the trade-off between encapsulation ability and reproductive effort in decorated crickets. The American Naturalist 191:452-474. http://orcid.org/0000-0003-2501-425X. 

Sutter, A., Barton, S., Sharma, M.D., Bassellini, U., Hosken, D. and Archer, C.R. (2018) Senescent declines in elite tennis players are similar across the sexes. Behavioral Ecology 29:1357-1358. https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/ary112

2017

Archer, C. R., Orr, T. and Hosken, D. J. (2017) Sperm competition and cryptic female choice in bats. Frontiers in Reproductive Science, Bentham E-Books, Ch 7, 119-147.

Archer, C.R., Stephens, R.M., Sharma, M.D. and Hosken, D.J. (2017) The Drosophila simulans Y chromosome interacts with the autosomes to influence male fitness. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 30:1821-1825. https://doi.org/10.1111/jeb.13141

Malod, K., Archer, C.R., Hunt, J., Nicolson, S. and Weldon C. (2017) Effects of macronutrient intake on the lifespan and fecundity of the Marula fruit fly, Ceratitis cosyra: extreme lifespan in a host specialist. Ecology and Evolution 7:9808-9817. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.3543

Rapkin, J., Archer, C.R., Grant, C.E., Jensen, K., House, C.M., Wilson, A. and Hunt, J. (2017) Little evidence for intralocus sexual conflict over the optimal intake of nutrients for lifespan and reproduction in the black field cricket Teleogryllus commodus. Evolution 71:2159-2177. https://doi.org/10.1111/evo.13299

2016

Archer, C.R. and Hosken, D. J. (2016) Peacock flies. Invited mini-review, Current Biology 26:R1124-R1126. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.06.069

Archer, C.R. and Hosken, D. J. (2016) Evolution: Escaping the Inevitability of Ageing. Invited commentary, Current Biology 26:R202-R204. DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2016.01.015

Bunning, H., Bassett, L., Clowser, C., Rapkin, J., Jensen, K., House, C.M., Archer, C.R. and Hunt, J. (2016) Dietary choice for a balanced nutrient intake increases the mean and reduces the variance in the reproductive performance of male and female cockroaches. Ecology and Evolution 6:4711-4730. https://doi.org/10.1002/ece3.2243

Salguero-Gómez, R., Jones, O.R., Archer, C.R. et al. (2016) COMADRE: a global database of animal demography. Journal of Animal Ecology 85:371-384. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.12482

2015

Archer, C.R., Hempenstall, S., Royle, N., Selman, C., Willis, S., Rapkin, J., Blount, J. and Hunt, J. (2015) Testing the effects of DL-Alpha-Tocopherol supplementation on oxidative damage, total antioxidant protection and the sex-specific responses of reproductive effort and lifespan to dietary manipulation in Australian field crickets (Teleogryllus commodus). Antioxidants 4:768-792. https://doi.org/10.3390/antiox4040768

Archer, C.R. and Hunt, J. (2015) Understanding the link between sexual selection, sexual conflict and aging using crickets as a model. Experimental Gerontology 71:4-13. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2015.06.017

Archer, C.R., Duffy, E., Hosken, D.J., Mokkonen, M., Okada, K., Oku, K., Sharma, M.D. and Hunt, J. (2015) Sex specific effects of natural and sexual selection on the evolution of lifespan and aging in Drosophila simulans. Functional Ecology 29:562-569.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2435.12369

Bunning, H., Rapkin, J., Archer, C.R., Jensen, K. and Hunt, J. (2015) Protein and carbohydrate intake influence sperm number and fertility in male cockroaches but not sperm viability. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 282:20142144. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2014.2144

Okada, K., Archer, C.R., Katsuki, M., Suzaki, Y., Sharma, M.D., House, C. and Hosken, D.J. (2015) Polyandry and fitness in female horned flour beetles (Gnatocerus cornutus). Animal Behaviour 106:11-16. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.05.008

Salguero-Gómez, R., Jones, O.R., Archer, C.R., et al. (2015) The COMPADRE Plant Matrix Database: an open online repository for plant demography. Journal of Ecology 103:202-218.  https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2745.12334

2014

Archer, C.R., Köhler, A. K., Pirk C.W.W., Oosthuizen, V., Apostolides, Z. and Nicolson, S.W. (2014) Antioxidant supplementation can reduce the survival costs of excess amino acid intake in honeybees. Journal of Insect Physiology 71:78-86. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.10.006

Human, H., Archer, C.R., du Rand, E.E., Pirk C.W.W. and Nicolson, S.W. (2014) Resistance of developing honeybee larvae during chronic exposure to dietary nicotine. Journal of Insect Physiology 69:74-79. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jinsphys.2014.03.012

Archer, C.R., Pirk, C.W.W., Wright, G.A. and Nicolson, S.W. (2014) Nutrition affects survival in African honeybees exposed to interacting stressors. Functional Ecology 28:913-923. https://www.jstor.org/stable/24033574 

Archer, C.R., Carvalheiro, L., Pirk, C.W.W. and Nicolson, S.W. (2014) Economic and ecological implications of geographic bias in pollinator ecology in the light of pollinator declines. Oikos 123:401-407. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1600-0706.2013.00949.x

2013

Archer, C.R., Sakaluk, S., Selman, C., Royle N. and Hunt, J. (2013) Oxidative stress and the evolution of sex differences in lifespan and ageing in the decorated cricket Gryllodes sigillatus. Evolution 67:620-634. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01805.x

2012

Archer, C.R., Zajitschek, F., Sakaluk, S., Royle, N. and Hunt. J. (2012) Sexual selection affects the evolution of lifespan and ageing in the decorated cricket Gryllodes sigillatus. Evolution 66:3088-3100. https://doi.org/10.1111/j.1558-5646.2012.01673.x

2009

Archer, C.R., South, S., Selman, C., Royle N. and Hunt, J. (2009) Nutritional geometry provides food for thought. Journals of Gerontology Series A: Biological Sciences and Medical Sciences 64:956-959. https://doi.org/10.1093/gerona/glp069