Spring 2024

Talks are Tuesdays at: 08:00 (PDT), 11:00 (EDT), 17:00 (CEST), 20:30 (IST), 01:00 (Wednesday, AEST)

Conner Philson

Title: Evolution of social position and structure – a multilevel selection perspective. Recorded Talk.

Date: 20 February 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. Emergent social structure is typically not associated with survival in a facultatively social mammal.

2. Group social structure has limited impact on reproductive success in a wild mammal.

3. The social microbiome: gut microbiome diversity and abundance are negatively associated with sociality in a wild mammal.

Elise Huchard

Title: The evolution of power asymmetries between the sexes in primates. Recorded Talk.

Date: 27 February 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. Sexual coercion in a natural mandrill population.

2. Sex and dominance: How to assess and interpret intersexual dominance relationships in mammalian societies.

3. The eco-evolutionary landscape of power relationships between males and females.

Dominik Deffner

Title: Social decision-making in unconstrained human collectives. Recorded Talk.

Date: 05 March 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. Collective incentives reduce over-exploitation of social information in unconstrained human groups.

2. A cognitive computational approach to social and collective decision-making.

3. Visual-spatial dynamics drive adaptive social learning in immersive environments.

Nigel Bennett

Title: Socially induced infertility in highly social mole-rats: a tale of two mechanisms of reproductive suppression. Recorded Talk.

Date: 12 March 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. Evidence for contrasting roles for prolactin in eusocial naked mole-rats, Heterocephalus glaber and Damaraland mole-rats, Fukomys damarensis.

2. LH responses to single doses of exogenous GnRH by social Mashona mole–rats: a continuum of socially induced infertility in the family Bathyergidae.

3. Reproductive suppression in subordinate, non-breeding female Damaraland mole-rats: two components to a lifetime of socially induced infertility.

4. Reproductive status-dependent kisspeptin and RFamide-related peptide (Rfrp) gene expression in female Damaraland mole-rats.

5. Reproductive status-dependent dynorphin and neurokinin B gene expression in female Damaraland mole-rats.

Kaia Tombak

Title: Understanding the multiple selection forces shaping animal societies. Recorded Talk.

Date: 19 March 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. New estimates indicate that males are not larger than females in most mammal species.

2. A new classification of uni-male multi-female groups based on interrelationships and fundamental principles.

3. Divergent water requirements partition exposure risk to parasites in wild equids.

Esteban Fernandez-Juricic

Title: Improving inferences (and rigor) in Ecology and Evolution. Recorded Talk.

Date: 26 March 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. Sample Size Justification

2. The meaningfulness of effect sizes in psychological research: differences between sub-disciplines and the impact of potential biases.

3. Why sharing data and code during peer review can enhance behavioral ecology research.

Hannah Correia and Steve Dobson

Title: Why isn’t there more multiple paternity? A null model and phylogenetic analyses. Recorded Talk.

Date: 02 April 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. Multiple mating and its relationship to brood size in pregnant fishes versus pregnant mammals and other vivparous vertebrates.

2. Multiple paternity and number of offspring in mammals.

3. Multiple paternity and the number of offspring: a model reveals two major groups of species.

Loreto Correa

Title: Female and male morphotypical masculinization and its consequences on male and female reproductive success in a social rodent. Recorded Talk.

Date: 09 April 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. Masculinized females produce heavier offspring in a group living rodent.

2. Highly masculinized and heavier males attain higher reproductive success in a social rodent.

3. One for all and all for one: phenotype assortment and direct fitness in masculinized females.

Eve Davidian

Title: From reproductive control to social empowerment: Lessons from female spotted hyenas. Recorded Talk.

Date: 16 April 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. Why do some males choose to breed at home when most other males disperse?

2. Social support drives female dominance in the spotted hyaena.

3. The ecoevolutionary landscape of power relationships between males and females.

Julia Ostner

Title: The long reach of seasonal reproduction in wild macaques.

Date: 23 April 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. The long-term gut bacterial signature of a wild primate is associated with timing effect of pre- and postnatal maternal glucocorticoid levels.

2. Prenatal maternal stress effects on the development of primate social behavior.

3. The effect of reproductive state on activity budget, feeding behavior, and urinary C-peptide levels in wild female Assamese macaques.

Amiyaal Ilany

Title: Sociality in hyraxes and hyenas.

Date: 30 April 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. High-resolution tracking of hyrax social interactions highlights nighttime drivers of animal sociality.

2. Rank-dependent social inheritance determines social network structure in spotted hyenas.

3. Social inheritance can explain the structure of animal social networks.

Sonja Wild

Title: Cognition and social learning in birds and mammals.

Date: 07 May 2024

Suggested Readings:

1. Multi-network-based diffusion analysis reveals vertical cultural transmission of sponge tool use within

   dolphin matrilines.

2. Complex foraging behaviours in wild birds emerge from social learning and recombination of

   components.