# Geoff Parker

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Zoologist, evolutionary biologist

For other people named Geoffrey Parker, see [Geoffrey Parker (disambiguation)](/source/Geoffrey_Parker_(disambiguation)).

Geoff Parker FRS Parker in 2018 Born Geoffrey Alan Parker (1944-05-24) 24 May 1944 (age 82) Citizenship British Alma mater University of Bristol (BSc, PhD} Known for Sperm competition Evolutionary game theory Awards ASAB Medal (2002) Frink Medal (2005) Darwin Medal (2008) Scientific career Fields Behavioural ecology Evolutionary biology Institutions University of Liverpool Thesis The reproductive behaviour and the nature of sexual selection in Scathophaga stercoraria L. (the yellow dung fly) (1969) Doctoral advisor H.E. Hinton Website [1]

Professor **Geoffrey Alan Parker** [FRS](/source/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Society) (born 24 May 1944) is an English evolutionary biologist, emeritus [professor](/source/Professor) of [biology](/source/Biology) at the [University of Liverpool](/source/University_of_Liverpool).[1] Parker has been called "the professional's professional".[2]

## Education

Parker attended [Lymm Grammar School](/source/Lymm_Grammar_School) in [Lymm](/source/Lymm), [Cheshire](/source/Cheshire), and gained his [BSc](/source/BSc) from the [University of Bristol](/source/University_of_Bristol) in 1965, from where he also gained a doctorate in 1969 under [H.E. Hinton](/source/H.E._Hinton), [FRS](/source/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Society) (1912–1977). His [PhD](/source/Doctor_of_Philosophy) was on *The reproductive behaviour and the nature of sexual selection in [*Scathophaga stercoraria L. (the yellow dung fly)*](/source/Scathophaga_stercoraria)*, and provided a detailed quantitative test of Darwin's theory of sexual selection,[3][4] and an early application of optimality theory in biology.

## Career and research

Parker moved to the [University of Liverpool](/source/University_of_Liverpool) in 1968, where he became a lecturer in [zoology](/source/Zoology). In 1978-79, he spent a year as a senior research fellow in the Research Centre[5] at [King's College, Cambridge](/source/King's_College%2C_Cambridge). After returning to Liverpool he became a professor in 1989 following his election to the [Royal Society](/source/Royal_Society). In 1996 he became the Derby Chair of Zoology at the [University of Liverpool](/source/University_of_Liverpool), retiring in 2009, but remaining as emeritus professor.

His main research interests have been in [behavioural ecology](/source/Behavioural_ecology) and [evolutionary biology](/source/Evolutionary_biology). He is noted for introducing the concept of [sperm competition](/source/Sperm_competition) and its evolutionary consequences in 1970 in a review on insect mating systems.[6] This work pioneered the development of the field of postcopulatory [sexual selection](/source/Sexual_selection), the study of sexually selected [adaptations](/source/Adaptation) arising from [competition](/source/Competition_(biology)) between the ejaculates of different mates.[7][8]

Much of his work from the 1970s onwards has related to the application of [game theory](/source/Game_theory) to various biological problems, using the [evolutionarily stable strategy](/source/Evolutionarily_stable_strategy) (ESS) approach pioneered by [John Maynard Smith](/source/John_Maynard_Smith) and [George Price](/source/George_R._Price).[9]

With [R.R. Baker](/source/Dr_Robin_Baker) and V.G.F. Smith in 1972, he developed a theory for the evolution of [anisogamy](/source/Anisogamy) (the evolution of [gametes](/source/Gamete) of different sizes) and the two sexes,[10] which is now widely accepted.[11]

In 1974 he proposed that the outcome of animal fighting behaviour is determined by the relative values of the contested resource to each contestant and their assessments of relative [resource holding potentials](/source/Resource_holding_potential) (related to relative fighting abilities).[12][13] This led to the introduction of asymmetries between contestants in early evolutionary game theory.[14][15] Parker also made the first theoretical analysis of [sexual conflict](/source/Sexual_conflict) in evolution in 1979.[16]

Up to the early 1970s, most [ethologists](/source/Ethology) and [ecologists](/source/Ecology) had interpreted [adaptations](/source/Adaptation) in terms of "survival value to the species" ([group selection](/source/Group_selection)).[17] However, the [paradigm shift](/source/Paradigm_shift) of the [gene-centric view of evolution](/source/Gene-centric_view_of_evolution) (popularised by [Richard Dawkins](/source/Richard_Dawkins) in *[The Selfish Gene](/source/The_Selfish_Gene)*) shortly afterwards overturned this idea: mainstream views in behavioural ecology and sociobiology saw [natural selection](/source/Natural_selection) restored to Darwinian principles in terms of survival value to the individual (and [its kin](/source/Kin_selection)). Parker's work has played a part in this shift, especially in the development of behavioural ecology.[18]

## Awards and distinctions

- [Fellow of the Royal Society](/source/Fellow_of_the_Royal_Society)[19] (1989).

- Niko [Tinbergen Lecture](/source/Tinbergen_Lecture) (Annual Distinguished Lecture of the [Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour](/source/Association_for_the_Study_of_Animal_Behaviour)) (1995).

- [ASAB Medal](/source/ASAB_Medal) ([Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour](/source/Association_for_the_Study_of_Animal_Behaviour) Medal) (2002).

- Animal Behavior Society Distinguished Animal Behaviorist Award[20] (2003).

- [Frink Medal](/source/Frink_Medal) of the [Zoological Society of London](/source/Zoological_Society_of_London) (2005).

- W. D. Hamilton Lecture (Biennial Distinguished Lecture of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology)[21] (2006).

- Distinguished Zoologist Lecture, Benelux Congress of Zoology[22] (2007).

- [Darwin Medal](/source/Darwin_Medal) of the [Royal Society](/source/Royal_Society) (2008).

- Honorary [Doctor of Science](/source/Doctor_of_Science), [University of Bristol](/source/University_of_Bristol)[23] (2011).

- Honorary Fellow of the [Royal Entomological Society](/source/Royal_Entomological_Society)[24] (2012).

- Honorary [Doctor of Science](/source/Doctor_of_Science), [Memorial University of Newfoundland](/source/Memorial_University_of_Newfoundland)[25] (2018).

## References

1. ^ [***a***](#cite_ref-GAP_web_1-0) [***b***](#cite_ref-GAP_web_1-1) ["Em Prof Geoff Parker BSc MA(Cantab) PhD FRS"](https://www.liverpool.ac.uk/people/geoff-parker). *Our people*. University of Liverpool. Retrieved 15 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-2)** [Ruse, M](/source/Michael_Ruse) (1999). "Chapter 10: "Geoff Parker: the professional's professional."". *Mystery of Mysteries: is Evolution a Social Construction?*. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press. pp. 194–213. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-674-00543-3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-674-00543-3).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-3)** Parker, GA (2001). "Chapter 1: Golden flies, sunlit meadows: a tribute to the yellow dungfly". In [Dugatkin, Lee Alan](/source/Lee_Dugatkin) (ed.). *Model Systems in Behavioral Ecology: Integrating Conceptual, Theoretical, and Empirical Approaches*. Princeton, NJ: Princeton University Press. pp. 3–26. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-691-00653-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-691-00653-6).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-4)** Simmons, LW; Parker, GA; Hosken, DJ (2020). ["Evolutionary insight from a humble fly: sperm competition and the yellow dungfly"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7661454). *Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B*. **375** (1813) 20200062. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1098/rstb.2020.0062](https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frstb.2020.0062). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [7661454](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7661454). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [33070730](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33070730).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-5)** King's College Sociobiology Group, ed. (1982). *Current Problems in Sociobiology*. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [0-521-28520-8](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/0-521-28520-8).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-6)** Parker, Geoff (1970). ["Sperm competition and its evolutionary consequences in insects"](https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-185X.1970.tb01176.x). *Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society*. **45** (4): 525–567. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/j.1469-185X.1970.tb01176.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1469-185X.1970.tb01176.x). [S2CID](/source/S2CID_(identifier)) [85156929](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:85156929). Retrieved 15 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-7)** [Birkhead, TR](/source/Tim_Birkhead) (2010). ["How stupid not to have thought of that: post-copulatory sexual selection"](https://zslpublications.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/j.1469-7998.2010.00701.x). *Journal of Zoology*. **281** (2): 78–93. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1111/j.1469-7998.2010.00701.x](https://doi.org/10.1111%2Fj.1469-7998.2010.00701.x). Retrieved 15 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-8)** Simmons, LW; Weddell, N (2020). ["Fifty years of sperm competition: the structure of a scientific revolution"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7661452). *Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B*. **375** (1813) 20200060. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1098/rstb.2020.0060](https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frstb.2020.0060). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [7661452](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7661452). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [33070719](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33070719).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-9)** [Maynard Smith, John](/source/John_Maynard_Smith); [Price, George R](/source/George_R._Price) (1973). "The logic of animal conflict". *Nature*. **246** (5427): 15–18. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[1973Natur.246...15S](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1973Natur.246...15S). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1038/246015a0](https://doi.org/10.1038%2F246015a0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-10)** Parker, GA; [Baker, RR](/source/Dr_Robin_Baker); Smith, VGF (1972). "The origin and evolution of gamete dimorphism and the male-female phenomenon". *Journal of Theoretical Biology*. **36** (3): 529–553. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[1972JThBi..36..529P](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1972JThBi..36..529P). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/0022-5193(72)90007-0](https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0022-5193%2872%2990007-0). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [5080448](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/5080448).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-11)** Lehtonen, J (2021). ["The Legacy of Parker, Baker and Smith 1972: Gamete competition, the evolution of anisogamy and model robustness"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7998237). *Cells*. **10** (3): 573. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.3390/cells10030573](https://doi.org/10.3390%2Fcells10030573). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [7998237](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7998237). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [33807911](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33807911).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Parker_1974_12-0)** Parker, GA (1974). "Assessment strategy and the evolution of fighting behaviour". *Journal of Theoretical Biology*. **47** (1): 223–243. [Bibcode](/source/Bibcode_(identifier)):[1974JThBi..47..223P](https://ui.adsabs.harvard.edu/abs/1974JThBi..47..223P). [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/0022-5193(74)90111-8](https://doi.org/10.1016%2F0022-5193%2874%2990111-8). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [4477626](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/4477626).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-13)** Briffa, M; Hardy, ICW (2013). "1. Introduction to animal contests". In Briffa, M; Hardy, ICW (eds.). *Animal Contests*. Cambridge, UK: Cambridge University Press. pp. 1–4. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-521-88710-6](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-521-88710-6).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Reichert_2013_14-0)** [Reichert, S](/source/Susan_Riechert) (2013). ["Maynard Smith & Parker's (1976) rule book for animal contests"](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0003347213001930). *Animal Behaviour*. **86**: 3–9. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.04.013](https://doi.org/10.1016%2Fj.anbehav.2013.04.013). Retrieved 15 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-gametheory_50_15-0)** Leimar, O; [McNamara, JM](/source/John_McNamara_(mathematical_biologist)) (2023). ["Game theory in biology: 50 years and onwards"](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10024991). *Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B*. **378** (1876) 20210509: 2021059. [doi](/source/Doi_(identifier)):[10.1098/rstb.2021.0509](https://doi.org/10.1098%2Frstb.2021.0509). [PMC](/source/PMC_(identifier)) [10024991](https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10024991). [PMID](/source/PMID_(identifier)) [36934762](https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/36934762).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-Parker_1979_16-0)** Parker, GA (1979). "Sexual selection and sexual conflict". In Blum, MS; Blum, NA (eds.). *Sexual Selection and Reproductive Competition in Insects*. New York, NY: Academic Press. pp. 123–166. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-12-108750-0](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-12-108750-0).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-17)** Parker, GA (2005). "Behavioural ecology: natural history as science". In Lucas, JR; Simmons, LW (eds.). *Essays on Animal Behavior: Celebrating 50 Years of Animal Behavior*. Burlington, MA: Elsevier. pp. 23–56. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-12-369499-7](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-12-369499-7).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-18)** [Birkhead, TR](/source/Tim_Birkhead); Monaghan, P (2010). "1. Ingenious ideas: the history of behavioural ecology". In Westneat, DE; Fox, CW (eds.). *Evolutionary Behavioral Ecology*. Oxford, UK: Oxford University Press. pp. 3–15. [ISBN](/source/ISBN_(identifier)) [978-0-19-533192-9](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Special:BookSources/978-0-19-533192-9).

1. **[^](#cite_ref-19)** ["Professor Geoffrey Parker FRS"](https://royalsociety.org/people/geoffrey-parker-12040/). *Fellow Detail Page*. The Royal Society. Retrieved 15 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-20)** ["Distinguished Animal Behaviorist Award"](https://www.animalbehaviorsociety.org/web/awards-distinguished.php). *Grants & Awards*. The Animal Behavior Society. Retrieved 15 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-21)** ["Volume 18: Number 1"](https://static1.squarespace.com/static/56e7c4be37013b080105e202/t/578f6d32bebafbdbc795aa29/1469017414839/Vol18%281%29.pdf) (PDF). *ISBE Newsletter*. International Society for Behavioral Ecology. Retrieved 15 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-22)** ["Distinguished Zoologist Lectures"](https://kndv.nl/wp-content/uploads/2020/02/Distinguished-Zoologist-Lectures.pdf) (PDF). *Distinguished-Zoologist-Lectures*. Benelux Congress of Zoology. Retrieved 15 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-bristol_23-0)** ["Professor Geoffrey Parker, FRS"](https://www.bristol.ac.uk/alumni/our-alumni/honorary-degrees/honorary-graduates/2011/parker.html). [University of Bristol](/source/University_of_Bristol). 15 July 2011. Retrieved 16 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-24)** ["Professor Geoff Parker FRS Hon FRES"](https://www.royensoc.co.uk/about-us/people/professor-geoff-parker-frs-hon-fres/). *About Us: People*. Royal Entomological Society. Retrieved 15 September 2025.

1. **[^](#cite_ref-25)** Cook, Mandy (12 September 2018). ["Academic celebration: Fall convocation honorary degree recipients announced"](https://gazette.mun.ca/campus-and-community/academic-celebration-2/). *Memorial University Gazette*. Memorial University of Newfoundland. Retrieved 15 September 2025.

v t e Fellows of the Royal Society elected in 1989 Fellows Brian Anderson Kenneth Bagshawe John M. Ball Adrian Bird Roger Blandford Arthur Cain Mark Child Alwyn Davies Peter Goddard Michael Green Brian Heap Geoffrey Hewitt Derek Hull Julian Hunt Richard Hynes Michael James Francis Kelly John Lawton Gilbert George Lonzarich Andrew David McLachlan Michael A. Moore Kim Nasmyth Paul Nurse Robert Ladislav Parker Geoff Parker Richard Peto Warren Roper John Martin Rowell Ian John Russell John Philip Simons Roger Slack Marshall Stoneham Roger C. Thomas Anne Treisman Kenneth Wade Pat Wall Rob Webster Thomas Summers West Andrew Wiles Ian Robert Young Statute 12 Edward Shackleton, Baron Shackleton Foreign Nicole Marthe Le Douarin Paul Erdős Kenichi Fukui Edward B. Lewis Barbara McClintock Edward Mills Purcell

Authority control databases: Academics ORCID ResearcherID Publons

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