What’s my reproduction number?

Cambridge Reproduction

Life history strategies: an interdisciplinary perspective.

West Hub

<p>Reproduction is essential to the survival of the species, and we can observe different life history strategies for growth, reproduction and survival across the tree of life. These strategies are often interconnected, with positive, neutral or negative effects on other organisms and populations. This can be observed at the macroscale – for example, in food chains – or at the microscale, as in the case of infectious pathogens exploiting the resources of their hosts.</p><p>In the first part, we will explore what “success” means for different organisms from an evolutionary perspective. We will discuss why some forms of life evolved complex multicellular structures, and how social organisation can enhance the reproductive success and survival of certain animal species.</p><p>Then we will ask 'What is my reproductive number?' We will examine how mathematicians and biologists use reproductive numbers to model population dynamics and identify the constraints that limit population growth. We will explore biological trade-offs in energy allocation among growth, maintenance, and reproduction, and consider examples in which humans have intentionally altered populations through biological control.</p><p><br></p><h2>PROGRAMME</h2><h3></h3><h2><a href="https://www.repro.cam.ac.uk/file/260423forumlt2026programmepdf-0" title="https://www.repro.cam.ac.uk/file/260423forumlt2026programmepdf-0" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Download the programme here</a></h2><a href="https://www.repro.cam.ac.uk/files/media/260423_forum_lt2026_programme_0.pdf" title="https://www.repro.cam.ac.uk/files/media/260423_forum_lt2026_programme_0.pdf" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Download the programme here</a><h3><br></h3><h3><strong><strong>15:00 Arrival for welcome tea/coffee</strong></strong></h3><h3><strong><strong>15:15 Introduction</strong></strong></h3><h3><strong><strong>15:20 Session 1: What does success look like?</strong></strong></h3><p><strong><strong>Flash talks</strong></strong></p><p>Chair: Alice Truszczynska (Gurdon Institute)</p><ul><li>All your eggs in one basket: yolk, extra-embryonic tissue and reproductive trade-offs<br>Josephine Blagrove (PDN)</li><li>Physiological investment through socially transferred material<br>Dr Adria LeBoeuf (Zoology)</li><li>From cancer to parasite: adapting to a new lifestyle<br>Clara Gyhrs (Zoology)</li></ul><p><strong><strong>Interdisciplinary dialogue</strong></strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/staff/dr-mark-dyble" title="https://www.arch.cam.ac.uk/staff/dr-mark-dyble" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr Mark Dyble (Archaeology)</a> (Chair)</li><li><a href="https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/rufus-johnstone" title="https://www.zoo.cam.ac.uk/directory/rufus-johnstone" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Professor Rufus Johnstone (Zoology)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/research/robinson-group" title="https://www.slcu.cam.ac.uk/research/robinson-group" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr Sarah Robinson (Sainsbury Laboratory)</a></li></ul><h3><strong><strong>16:30 Break</strong></strong></h3><h3><strong><strong>16:50 Session 2: What’s my reproduction number?</strong></strong></h3><p><strong><strong>Flash talks</strong></strong></p><p>Chair: Nina Valenbreder (Veterinary Medicine)</p><ul><li>Characterizing the cytomegalovirus infection response in human placental macrophages<br>Isabel Marchand-Casas (Pathology)</li><li>Transmissible cancers in Tasmanian devils: transmission dynamics and life history strategies<br>Sophia Belkhir (Veterinary Medicine)</li><li>A face full of baby mussels: exploring freshwater bivalve reproduction<br>Dan Cossey (Zoology)</li></ul><p><strong><strong>Interdisciplinary dialogue</strong></strong></p><ul><li><a href="https://www.campop.geog.cam.ac.uk/people/davenport/" title="https://www.campop.geog.cam.ac.uk/people/davenport/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Professor Romola Davenport (Geography)</a> (Chair)</li><li><a href="https://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/directory/frank-jiggins" title="https://www.gen.cam.ac.uk/directory/frank-jiggins" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Professor Frank Jiggins (Genetics)</a></li><li><a href="https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/directory/or226%40cam.ac.uk" title="https://www.vet.cam.ac.uk/directory/or226%40cam.ac.uk" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Dr Olivier Restif (Veterinary Medicine)</a></li></ul><h3><strong><strong>18:00 Drinks and networking reception</strong></strong></h3><p>The event will bring these ideas together through an interdisciplinary dialogue led by Cambridge-based researchers, with the audience actively involved in the conversation.</p><p>This event is co-organised by <a href="https://www.repro.cam.ac.uk/home-do-not-delete" title="https://www.repro.cam.ac.uk/home-do-not-delete" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Cambridge Reproduction</a> and <a href="https://www.infectiousdisease.cam.ac.uk/" title="https://www.infectiousdisease.cam.ac.uk/" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">Cambridge Infectious Diseases</a>.</p><p>The image used in our advertising materials is a medical illustration of drug-resistant <em><em>Mycoplasma genitalium </em></em>bacteria. Illustrator: Jennifer Oosthuizen. Courtesy of the <a href="https://wwwn.cdc.gov/phil/Details.aspx?pid=23243" title="https://wwwn.cdc.gov/phil/Details.aspx?pid=23243" target="_blank" data-msys-clicktrack="0" rel="nofollow noopener noreferrer">CDC Public Health Image Library</a> (public domain).</p><p>Date:Thursday, 23 April, 2026 - 15:00 to 18:00</p><p>Event location:West Hub, JJ Thomson Ave, Cambridge CB3 0US</p>

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What’s my reproduction number?

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