Hastings Natural History Reservation

02 Jul, 07 AM - 12 Jul, 05 AM

Cooperative breeding is a system in which non-breeding individuals assist in raising young or alloparenting. A long-standing assumption in cooperative breeding theory states that alloparental behavior must evolve after selection for individuals to stay on their parents? territory, delayed dispersal. Once an individual has delayed dispersal and these nonbreeding individual are in contact with begging young, helping behavior evolves. The time-line of these decisions is usually over the course of the year, with independent young deciding to winter on their parent?s territory and then deciding to help as an adult in the following year. Interestingly, juvenile alloparents are rarely reported in eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) but are observed on a regular basis in western bluebirds (Sialia mexicana). I suggest that juvenile helping behavior can be intermediate stage, predisposing a given species to evolve into one with adult helpers. I propose that a comparative study of the physiology of parental and helping behavior in eastern and western bluebird populations has the potential to test this hypothesis.

Visit #15087 @Hastings Natural History Reservation

Approved

Under Project # 9937 | Research

Hormonal mechanisms of parental and alloparental behavior in the eastern and western bluebird.

faculty - Ripon College

Reservation Members(s)

Group of 3 Other Jul 2 - 12, 2008 (11 days)
Memuna Khan Jul 2 - 12, 2008 (11 days)

Reserve Resources(s) | Create Invoice

Hastings Cabin 4 Jul 2 - 12, 2008