Research team
How conditional cooperation can be achieved to resolve the conflict between caring parents.
Abstract
Biparental care requires that two unrelated individuals raise their offspring together, which increases offspring survival and therefore parental fitness. However, each parent has to invest in care which comes with an individual cost and thus both parents aim to invest as little as possible. Recently, a parental strategy has been proposed that could provide a resolution for this conflict between the parents, that is taking turns in offspring provisioning, a form of cooperation that implies that parents alternate their feeding visits. However, some important aspects are still unknown, while vital for our understanding of the adaptive significance of this strategy. In particular, I aim to study (a) whether and how turn taking is an honest, evolutionary stable strategy; (b) how such a resolution of conflict between parents affects the parent-offspring conflict, as turn taking is thought to increase nest visit rates and thus offspring growth; (c) how turn taking can last, if parents may have to invest more heavily in another parental task besides provisioning; (d) how important compatibility between pair members is, and how such compatibility can be achieved; (e) and finally how the environmental conditions shape such parental strategy. To answer these questions, I will study a wild population of blue tits, a species with biparental care. I will use sophisticated tracking devices and cameras that allow detailed behavioural measurements, combined with well-designed experiments.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Müller Wendt
- Co-promoter: Iserbyt Arne
- Fellow: Griffioen Maaike
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
How conditional cooperation can be achieved to resolve the conflict between caring parents.
Abstract
Biparental care requires that two unrelated individuals raise their offspring together, which increases offspring survival and therefore parental fitness. However, each parent has to invest in care which comes with an individual cost and thus both parents aim to invest as little as possible. Recently, a parental strategy has been proposed that could provide a resolution for this conflict between the parents, that is taking turns in offspring provisioning, a form of cooperation that implies that parents alternate their feeding visits. However, some important aspects are still unknown, while vital for our understanding of the adaptive significance of this strategy. In particular, I aim to study (a) whether and how turn taking is an honest, evolutionary stable strategy; (b) how such a resolution of conflict between parents affects the parent-offspring conflict, as turn taking is thought to increase nest visit rates and thus offspring growth; (c) how turn taking can last, if parents may have to invest more heavily in another parental task besides provisioning; (d) how important compatibility between pair members is, and how such compatibility can be achieved; (e) and finally how the environmental conditions shape such parental strategy. To answer these questions, I will study a wild population of blue tits, a species with biparental care. I will use sophisticated tracking devices and cameras that allow detailed behavioural measurements, combined with well-designed experiments.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Müller Wendt
- Co-promoter: Iserbyt Arne
- Fellow: Griffioen Maaike
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Sexual conflict over parental care – temporal dynamics of the negotiation process
Abstract
Parents who raise their offspring are nowadays no longer considered as harmoniously interacting family members, but rather as entities being involved in an arms race shaped by underlying evolutionary conflicts of interest. Although parents temporarily cooperate to enhance offspring survival, each parent can gain extra benefits by transferring the largest workload to the partner. Parents thus need to negotiate about their investment to reach optimal cooperation. However, it is currently unclear how such negotiation can contribute to evolutionary stable levels of care. In fact, contradicting assumptions and predictions pile up among theoretical studies, which is largely due to a lack of empirical knowledge about how the negotiation process develops throughout a reproductive event. The aim of this proposal is therefore to cover the expenses of a re-usable transponder-reader system, in order to fill and bridge this knowledge gap via carefully designed experimental manipulations in our blue tit study population near Antwerp. Such a transponder-reader system is easy to apply and particularly useful to gather extremely detailed information about male and female provisioning strategies. This purchase would create a tremendous complementary benefit to my planned research. Together, the transponder-reader system will significantly increase our knowledge about the mechanisms that lead to sexual conflict (and its resolution) and set the stage for the next generation of theoretical negotiation models explaining evolutionary stability of biparental care.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Iserbyt Arne
Research team(s)
Project website
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Optimal parental investment – a battle between the sexes.
Abstract
Families in which two parents raise their offspring are currently no longer seen as a harmonious unit. They rather represent a battleground shaped by evolutionary conflicts of interest among its members that are not perfectly related. This is particularly true for parents. Although parents temporarily cooperate to enhance offspring survival, each parent can gain extra benefits by transferring the largest workload to the partner. Parents thus need to negotiate about their investment to reach optimal cooperation. However, it is currently unclear how such negotiation can contribute to evolutionary stable levels of care. This is largely due to a lack of empirical knowledge about (1) how the negotiation process develops throughout a reproductive event, (2) sex differences in the costs and benefits of negotiation and (3) potential physiological constraints on cooperation. The aim of this proposal is to fill and bridge these knowledge gaps via carefully designed experimental manipulations of parental exploitation opportunities, sexual conflict intensity and family structures. Meanwhile, I will include a proximate view to examine the extent to which hormone profiles constrain negotiated levels of care. Taken together, this proposed research will significantly increase our knowledge about the mechanisms that lead to conflict resolution and set the stage for the next generation of theoretical negotiation models explaining evolutionary stability of biparental care.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Müller Wendt
- Co-promoter: Eens Marcel
- Fellow: Iserbyt Arne
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Evolution of suites of traits and constraints by intralocus sexual conflict.
Abstract
The main objective of this quantitative genetic study is to evaluate the existence of genetic correlations within individuals, between individuals and between sexes, as well as the potential for correlational selection on suites of traits. I will use a captive canary (Serinus canaria) population to compare several repeated physiological and behavioural measurements between full-siblings (brothers and sisters) and relate these estimates to their reproductive success.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Iserbyt Arne
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Evolution of intra-sexual colour polymorphism in female damselflies of different shape frequencies.
Abstract
This project represents a research agreement between the UA and on the onther hand IWT. UA provides IWT research results mentioned in the title of the project under the conditions as stipulated in this contract.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Van Dongen Stefan
- Fellow: Iserbyt Arne
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Evolution of intra-sexual colour polymorphism in female damselflies of different shape frequencies.
Abstract
Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Van Dongen Stefan
- Fellow: Iserbyt Arne
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project
Evolution of intrasexual colour polymorphism in female damselflies.
Abstract
Species showing multiple morphs present a challenge for evolutionary theory. Current explanations for the evolution of female-limited polymorphism do not suffice to account for the recently observed variation in female morph frequencies, which is far greater than previously appreciated. Focus on variation in density and frequency in relation to morph-specific fitness, behaviour and morphology should allow reaching a more general explanation.Researcher(s)
- Promoter: Van Dongen Stefan
- Fellow: Iserbyt Arne
Research team(s)
Project type(s)
- Research Project