The Ecology and Evolution of Cooperative Breeding

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My research group applies modern computational methods to study theoretical problems in evolutionary ecology. Work from my group appears in top journals like Nature, the American Naturalist, Evolution, and Proceedings B. Furthermore, our discoveries have driven our discipline forward, as evidenced by numerous invitations to attend conferences and join international scientific working groups. The long-term objective of my research is to understand why social behaviours like cooperation are adaptive. At first glance, cooperation in a "dog-eat-dog world" is puzzling, and solving this puzzle is a major challenge in evolutionary biology. In the short-term, I am proposing to study the cooperative breeding systems found in mammals, birds, insects, and even some micro-organisms. My research group will use mathematical and computer models to understand how the ecology of a species can promote (or inhibit) the emergence of cooperative breeding. Unlike previous work in other groups, we will apply models that pay careful attention to the dynamic processes that feed into species' ecology. Our work will address connections between the occurrence of cooperative breeding, and (i) dispersal, (ii) mating systems, (iii) patterns of parental investment in offspring, and (iv) the division of reproductive success within social groups. Answers to the questions we ask are crucial to anyone who wishes to accurately study cooperation (or social behaviour in general) in the wild. The proposed work will involve at least twelve trainees. Each will learn how to conduct research in evolutionary ecology using computational approaches valued by academia, government, and industry. Trainees, therefore, will be highly qualified to make contributions to any one of these three sectors.