I have been asked to pass this on for those who may be interested.
Jenny
Friday 12 April at 3.30 pm
Eucalyptus Seminar Room, Robertson Building ANU
Constanza Leon (Final)
Exploring the social structure of white-winged choughs
Group-living animals are affected by both the physical and social environment they inhabit, influencing
population dynamic processes such as reproductive success, survival and dispersal patterns; all of which ultimately shape the evolution of a species.
During my PhD I examined the social structure of white-winged choughs (Corcorax melanorhamphos),
a highly social species of Australian bird. Choughs are obligate cooperative breeders, meaning they must breed in groups to produce offspring successfully. I explored the influence of variable climatic conditions on the population genetics of choughs and the
fitness consequences of varying levels of relatedness between group members. I used network analysis to investigate the social dynamics within cooperative groups including the patterns of associations among individuals according to life history traits (age,
sex), relatedness, cooperative efforts and personality.
