Assistant Researcher at CONICET, Instituto de Diversidad y Ecología Animal (IDEA).
Assistant Professor at Facultad de Ciencias Exactas, Físicas y Naturales, Universidad Nacional de Córdoba.
My research line is entitled “Sexual selection in arachnids: production and use of sperm in different mating systems”. It is oriented particularly on the effect of sperm competition over different spermatic mechanisms.
My model organisms are arachnids of the orders Scorpiones and Solifugae. Within the reproductive biology of these groups, there is little knowledge about sperm storage in males and ejaculate transfer. Besides, sperm destination in the female genital system, and the sperm dynamics and energy physiology of the gamete are neglected in arthropods in general. Thus, my present line of study aims to analyze these production and storage variables in males and sperm dynamics and fertilization patterns in females. Finally, I aim to perform a preliminary analysis of the energy physiology of spermatozoa in these groups. I have begun to analyze the volume and concentration of sperm inside the seminal vesicles, as well as inside the ejaculate of males. For this I generally use standard techniques such as counting with Neubauer camera, fluorescence microscopy and scanning and transmission electron microscopy.
E-mail: dvrech@yahoo.com