Staff Profile

Roles and Responsibilities

• CAV Regional Research Student Adviser

Area of expertise

• Evolutionary biology

Qualifications

• BSc Biology University of Sussex 1975
• PhD University of East Anglia 1982

Previous Positions

• NERC Advanced Research Fellow, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, 1990-1995

Memberships

• International Society for Behavioural Ecology (former elected secretary)
• Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (former council member)

Honours and Awards

• Corresponding Fellow American Ornithologists' Union

Informal Interests

• Cooking for friends

Google Scholar: Click here.

SCOPUS: Click here.

Former students include:_

Research Interests

Sexual selection
Maintenance of genetic variation
Evolution of evolvability
Evolution of Ageing and cell death
Mate choice for MHC haplotypes
Evolution of sex ratios
Mechanisms of sex ratio adjustment
Kin selection
Kin recognition and the avoidance of inbreeding

Postgraduate Supervision

Former Student: Professor Michael Jennions ANU
Former Student: Dr Tom Pike, Senior Lecturer, Lincoln University

Esteem Indicators

Chair Evolution and Ecology grant awarding panel, Research Council of Norway

Member Ecology and Evolution panel, Academy of Finland

Scientific advisor for Centres of excellence in Evolution and Ecology, Finland

NERC Fellowships panel member 

Expert evaluator for the Research Council of Norway Centres of Excellence

BMS 2014 Biology of Ageing Module leader and lecturer

BMS 2058 Evolution Lecturer

• Articles

  • Roberts G, Petrie M. Sexual selection for males with beneficial mutations. Scientific Reports 2022, 12(1), 12613.
  • Petrie M. Evolution by Sexual Selection. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 2021, 9, 786868.
  • Gellatly C, Petrie M. Pre-natal sex selection and female infant mortality are more common in India after firstborn and second-born daughters. Journal of Epidemiology and Community Health 2017, 71, 269-274.
  • Roberts SC, Little AC, DeBruine LM, Petrie M. Discrimination of Attractiveness and Health in Men’s Faces: the Impact of Color Cues and Variation in Relation to Sex and Age of Rater. Adaptive Human Behavior and Physiology 2017, 3(4), 401-411.
  • Roberts SC, Little AC, Burriss RP, Cobey KD, Klapilova K, Havlicek J, Jones BC, DeBruine L, Petrie M. Partner Choice, Relationship Satisfaction, and Oral Contraception: The Congruency Hypothesis. Psychological Science 2014, 25(7), 1497-1503.
  • Roberts SC, Havlicek J, Petrie M. Repeatability of odour preferences across time. Flavour and Fragrance Journal 2013, 28(4), 245-250.
  • Little AC, Burriss RP, Petrie M, Jones BC, Roberts SC. Oral contraceptive use in women changes preferences for male facial masculinity and is associated with partner facial masculinity. Psychoneuroendocrinology 2013, 38(9), 1777-1785.
  • Roberts SC, Klapilová K, Little AC, Burriss RP, Jones BC, DeBruine LM, Petrie M, Havlíček J. Relationship satisfaction and outcome in women who meet their partner while using oral contraception. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 2012, 279(1732), 1430-1436.
  • Savelev S, Perry J, Bourke S, Taylor R, Fisher A, Corris P, Jary H, Petrie M, De Soyza A. Volatile biomarkers of Pseudomonas aeruginosa in cystic fibrosis and non cystic fibrosis bronchiectasis. Letters in Applied Microbiology 2011, 52(6), 610-613.
  • Petrie M, Cotgreave P, Pike TW. Variation in the peacock’s train shows a genetic component. Genetica 2009, 135(1), 7-11.
  • Petrie M, Pinxten R, Eens M. Moorhens have an internal representation of their own eggs. Naturwissenschaften 2009, 96(3), 405-407.
  • DeBruine LM, Smith FG, Jones BC, Roberts SC, Petrie M, Spector TD. Kin recognition signals in adult faces. Vision Research 2009, 49(1), 38-43.
  • Hale ML, Verduijn MH, Møller AP, Wolff K, Petrie M. Is the peacock's train an honest signal of genetic quality at the major histocompatibility complex?. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 2009, 22(6), 1284-1294.
  • Roberts SC, Gosling LM, Carter V, Petrie M. MHC-correlated odour preferences in humans and the use of oral contraceptives. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 2008, 275(1652), 2715-2722.
  • Savelev SC, Antony-Babu S, Roberts S, Wang H, Clare AS, Gosling LM, Petrie M, Goodfellow M, O'Donnell A, Ward A. Individual variation in 3-methylbutanal: A putative link between human leukocyte antigen and skin microflora. Journal of Chemical Ecology 2008, 34(9), 1253-1257.
  • Loyau A, Petrie M, Saint Jalme M, Sorci G. Do peahens not prefer peacocks with more elaborate trains?. Animal Behaviour 2008, 76(5), e5-e9.
  • Savelev S, De Soyza A, Nicholson A, Perry J, Petrie M, Taylor R, Bourke SJ, Fisher AJ, Corris PA. Developing a non-invasive test for pseudomonas detection: towards an electronic nose. Thorax 2008, 63(Supplement 7), A37-A38 no. S81.
  • Petrie M, Roberts G. Sexual selection and the evolution of evolvability. Heredity 2007, 98(4), 198-205.
  • Lanyon CV, Rushton SP, O'Donnell AG, Goodfellow M, Ward AC, Petrie M, Jensen SP, Gosling LM, Penn DJ. Murine scent mark microbial communities are genetically determined. FEMS Microbiology Ecology 2007, 59(3), 576-583.
  • Roberts SC, Hale ML, Petrie M. Correlations between heterozygosity and measures of genetic similarity: Implications for understanding mate choice. Journal of Evolutionary Biology 2006, 19(2), 558-569.
  • Pike TW, Petrie M. Offspring sex ratio is related to paternal train elaboration and yolk corticosterone in peafowl. Biology Letters 2005, 1(2), 204-207.
  • Roberts SC, Little AC, Gosling LM, Perrett DI, Carter V, Jones BC, Penton-Voak I, Petrie M. MHC-heterozygosity and human facial attractiveness. Evolution and Human Behavior 2005, 26(3), 213-226.
  • Roberts SC, Little AC, Gosling LM, Jones BC, Perrett DI, Carter V, Petrie M. MHC-assortative facial preferences in humans. Biology Letters 2005, 1(4), 400-403.
  • Pike TW, Petrie M. Maternal body condition and plasma hormones affect offspring sex ratio in peafowl. Animal Behaviour 2005, 70(4), 745-751.
  • Roberts SC, Gosling LM, Spector TD, Miller P, Penn DJ, Petrie M. Body odor similarity in noncohabiting twins. Chemical Senses 2005, 30(8), 651-656.
  • Hale ML, Petrie M, Wolff K. Polymorphic microsatellite loci in peafowl (Pavo cristatus). Molecular Ecology Notes 2004, 4(3), 528-530.
  • Roberts SC, Havlicek J, Flegr J, Hruskova M, Little AC, Jones BC, Perrett DI, Petrie M. Female facial attractiveness increases during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle. Proceedings of the Royal Society of London B: Biological Sciences 2004, 271(s5), S270–272.
  • Roberts SC, Havlicek J, Flegr J, Hruskova M, Little AC, Jones BC, Perrett DI, Petrie M. Female facial attractiveness increases during the fertile phase of the menstrual cycle. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences 2004, 271(5), S270-S272.
  • Pike TW, Petrie M. Potential mechanisms of avian sex manipulation. Biological Reviews 2003, 78(4), 553-574.
  • Moller AP, Petrie M. Condition dependence, multiple sexual signals, and immunocompetence in peacocks. Behavioral Ecology 2002, 13(2), 248-253.
  • Petrie M, Schwabl H, Brande-Lavridsen N, Burke T. Maternal investment: sex differences in avian yolk hormone levels. Nature 2001, 412(6846), 498-499.
  • Petrie M, Schwabl H, Brande-Lavridsen N, Burke T. Maternal investment - Sex differences in avian yolk hormone levels. Nature 2001, 412(6846), 498-498.
  • Petrie M, Krupa A, Bucke T. Peacocks lek with relatives even in the absence of social and environmental cues. Nature 1999, 401(6749), 155-157.

• Book Chapters

  • Petrie M. Mating systems and genetic variation. In: Szkely, T., Komdeur, J., Moore, A, ed. Social Behaviour: Genes Ecology and Evolution. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press, 2010, pp.302-305.
  • Gosling, L.M. and Petrie, M. The economics of social organization. In: Townsend, C.R. and Calow, P, ed. Physiological Ecology:an evolutionary approach to resource use. Oxford: Blackwell Scientific Publications, 1981, pp.315-345.

• Conference Proceedings (inc. Abstracts)

  • Savelev S, Perry J, Bourke SJ, Taylor R, Fisher AJ, Petrie M, Corris PA, De Soyza A. Identification of pseudomonas aeruginosa infection via volatile organic compounds in sputum headspace gases. In: Thorax: British Thoracic Society Winter Meeting. 2010, Westminster, UK: BMJ Group.
  • Lanyon CV, Colvan SR, Goodfellow M, Gosling LM, O'Donnell AG, Petrie M, Jensen SP, Roberts SC, Waite IS, Ward AC, Penn D. Does the immune system play a role in the community structure of commensal micro-flora and associated chemosensory individuality?. In: Molecular Microbial Ecology Group (MMEG). 2004, Essex, UK.

• Note

  • Roberts G, Petrie M. Commentary: Mating Preferences of Selfish Sex Chromosomes. Frontiers in Ecology and Evolution 2019, 7, 456.

• Reviews

  • Jennions MD, Moller AP, Petrie M. Sexually selected traits and adult survival: A meta-analysis. Quarterly Review of Biology 2001, 76(1), 3-36.
  • Jennions MD, Petrie M. Why do females mate multiply? A review of the genetic benefits. Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society 2000, 75(1), 21-64.