Evolutionsbiologie; spieltheoretische Untersuchung zur Evolution von Paarungssystemen

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Understanding the evolution of animal mating systems is a major theoretical challenge, and lies at the heart of many topical problems in behavioural ecology. Evolutionary game theory provides a tool for analysing situations where the adaptive value of a phenotypic trait depends on traits expressed by other members of the population, as is frequently the case in the evolution of mating systems. In the proposed research, I will use game theory models to study the evolutionary causes and consequences of parental care, sperm competition, and mating behaviour. Specifically, I will address (i) the relative benefits for males of investing in parental care versus engaging in further mate search; (ii) the relationship between males investment in gaining matings and the degree of sperm competition at the population level; (iii) the conditions under which males are selected to mate with a single female only, even in the absence of male parental care. The anticipated results will be relevant to a massive body of theoretical and empirical literature, and may stimulate further research in this field.