DISSERTATION RESEARCH: Why do dominant individuals cooperate? Fitness consequences of cooperative courtship in a system with variable cooperative partnerships

长期以来，人类一直对理解合作感兴趣，但这一领域的大多数研究都集中在帮助者为什么会帮助我们，因为对我们来说，帮助是一种悖论，因为帮助者似乎是在牺牲自己的生殖机会来增加他人的生殖成功。然而，同样重要的是要了解合作是否以及如何使接受这种帮助的人(占主导地位的个人)受益，因为合作是由可能有非常不同参与理由的个人相互作用产生的。这项研究调查了主导男性合作的原因和后果，即那些有权选择合作或不合作的男性。该项目利用一种新热带鸟类白额玛纳金鸟种群内合作交配显示的变化，解决了三个目标：(1)量化合作对优势雄性的成本，(2)量化合作对优势雄性的生殖后果，以及(3)评估为优势个体带来间接生殖好处的潜在机制。这项研究将通过将传统的行为观察和实验现场技术与现代基因技术相结合来完成。这项研究解决了合作展示行为的一个以前未被探索的方面，因此对全面理解合作的成本和收益做出了重大贡献。研究活动包括对高中生、本科生、应届毕业生和研究生的积极辅导。这项研究的实地部分在哥斯达黎加的Rara Avis保护区进行，这是一家生态旅游机构，研究人员每天都会与国际和美国游客接触，解释这项研究及其重要性。了解马纳金种群如何合作运作，有助于了解合作可能如何在其他动物群体和人类社会中进化并继续发挥作用。

Understanding cooperation has long interested humans, but the majority of research in this field has focused on why helpers help, because to us helping is a paradox because helpers appear to be sacrificing their own reproductive opportunities to increase others' reproductive success. However, it is equally important to understand whether and how cooperation benefits the recipients of this help (dominant individuals), as cooperation results from the interaction of individuals that may have very different reasons for participating. This research investigates the causes and consequences of cooperation by dominant males, those that have an option to cooperate or not. Using variation in cooperative mating displays within a population of a neotropical bird, the White-ruffed Manakin, this project addresses three objectives: (1) quantify the costs of cooperation for dominant males, (2) quantify the reproductive consequences of cooperation for dominant males, and (3) evaluate potential mechanisms that result in indirect reproductive benefits for dominant individuals. The research will be completed by combining traditional field techniques of behavioral observations and experiments with modern genetic techniques. This research addresses a previously unexplored aspect of cooperative display behavior, and therefore represents a significant contribution to the general understanding of the costs and benefits of cooperation. The research activities include active mentorship of high school students, undergraduates, recent graduates, and graduate students. The field component of this research is conducted at Rara Avis Reserve in Costa Rica, an eco-tourism establishment that puts researchers in contact with international and US tourists on a daily basis where they explain this research and its importance. Understanding how manakin groups function cooperatively sheds light on how cooperation may have evolved and continues to function in other animal groups and in human societies.