Evolution of mating systems and parental care strategies

我的研究解决了生殖策略的演变：个人如何选择社会和繁殖伴侣，以及每个人如何投资于父母照顾。理论表明，抚养后代的夫妻之间既有合作，也有冲突。每个人都可能有机会在婚姻纽带之外交配(不忠)，而且每个人在照顾后代的类型和数量上可能有不同的优先事项。我将研究北方的Flicker，这是一种通常在社会上是一夫一妻制的啄木鸟，但它表现出兼职的一夫多妻。啄木鸟在灵长类鸟类中几乎是独一无二的，因为雄性在夜间孵化，似乎比雌性承担了更多的父母照顾。然而，这些生活史特征使啄木鸟成为一个有趣而新颖的物种，可以用来研究基于性别的父母努力的进化。总体目标是：1)使用DNA测试来确定父母是否与其巢中的幼崽有亲缘关系(是否存在额外配对交配或雌性倾倒卵子)，并确定与这些替代生殖策略相关的社会和环境因素；2)研究雄性和雌性父母的食物分配模式与雏鸟年龄、性别和健康的关系。我将使用小型摄像机拍摄树洞内的乞讨和食物转移；3)研究杂交区域的配偶选择和繁殖成功，并确定外生寄生是否是年复一年地重复利用树洞的成本。在过去的9年里，我建立了世界上最大和最密集的啄木鸟研究之一。大样本量的巢有利于实验方法，并且能够捕捉到几乎100%的成年鸟并将其带化，使我能够将年龄、经验、身体状况和形态等因素纳入父母努力的模型中。关于啄木鸟繁殖的最新数据也有实际用途。啄木鸟是森林生态系统中重要的基石物种，也是保护的目标。在这项长期研究中收集的基线生殖和生活史数据将有助于建立种群动态模型，并将这些物种维持在景观中。

My research addresses the evolution of reproductive strategies: how individuals choose social and breeding partners, and how each invests into parental care. Theory suggests there will be both co-operation and conflict between members of a pair raising young.  Each may have opportunities for mating outside the pair bond (infidelity) and each may have different priorities for the type and quantity of care given to the offspring. I will study the northern flicker, a woodpecker that is usually socially monogamous but which shows facultative polyandry. Woodpeckers are nearly unique among altricial birds because males incubate at night and seem to contribute more parental care than females.  These life history traits make woodpeckers an interesting and novel species in which to study the evolution of gender-based parental effort. The general objectives are: 1) to use DNA tests to determine whether parents are related to the young in their nest (whether there are extra-pair copulations or egg-dumping by females) and to determine the social and environmental factors correlated with these alternate reproductive strategies, 2) to study food allocation patterns of male and female parents in relation to nestling age, sex and health.  I will use small cameras to video-tape begging and food transfer within tree cavities, 3) to study mate selection and reproductive success in the hybrid zone and to determine whether ectoparasitism is a cost of reusing tree cavities year after year. Over the past 9 years, I have established one of the largest and most intensive studies of woodpeckers in the world.  The large sample size of nests facilitates an experimental approach and the ability to capture and colour-band nearly 100% of adults allows me to incorporate factors such as age, experience, body condition, and morphology into models of parental effort.  Data on woodpecker reproduction also has practical uses.  Woodpeckers are important as keystone species in forest ecosystems and are targets for conservation. The baseline reproductive and life history data collected during this long-term study will be useful for modelling population dynamics and maintaining these species on the landscape.