DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Relative Roles of Phylogenetic and Contemporary Ecological Forces on Cooperative Behavior

摘要理解利他行为存在的原因是一个重要的进化问题。已经使用了各种方法来解决这个重要问题。这些不同的方法或分析水平，导致了四种不同的，尽管是互补的，对其存在的解释。这四个类别是：(1)功能后果或选择优势；(2)近似机制或生理需求；(3)亲代抚育行为的个体发生；(4)系统发育起源和历史模式。Maddison博士和他的研究生Burt先生将通过研究同一鸟类家族中的几个不同物种来研究系统发育和当代生态因素在合作行为进化中的相对作用。这些鸟类是进行历史分析的绝佳选择，因为它们有26个不同的物种，而且它们的社会系统也很多样化。为了实现他们的目标，他们将首先从肯尼亚的一个野外地点收集行为数据，然后对DNA进行分子分析。这些结果将用于系统发育重建算法，以估计物种之间的进化关系。这个多方面的项目连接了形态学和分子系统学、进化生态学和动物行为学等学科。这些研究的结果将为解读利他主义社会系统的存在提供框架。

Maddison & Burt IBN 9520666 Abstract An important evolutionary issue is understanding the reasons underlying the existence of altruistic behavior. A variety of approaches have been used to address this important problem. These different approaches, or levels of analysis, have led to four different, albeit complementary, explanations for its existence. The four categories are: (1) functional consequences or selective advantages, (2) proximate mechanisms or physiological requirements, (3) ontogeny of parental care behaviors, or (4) phylogenetic origin and historical patterns. Dr. Maddison and his graduate student, Mr. Burt will examine the relative roles of phylogenetic and contemporary ecological factors on the evolution of cooperative behavior by studying several different species within the same family of birds. These birds are an excellent choice for an historical analysis given the availability of a group of 26 different species and the diversity of their social systems. To accomplish their goals, they will first collect behavioral data from a field site in Kenya and then carry out a molecular analyses of the DNA. These results will be used for the phylogenetic reconstruction algorithms to estimate the evolutionary relationships among the species. This multi-faceted project bridges the disciplines of morphological and molecular systematics, evolutionary ecology, and ethology. The outcome of the studies will provide the framework for deciphering the existence of altruistic social systems.