Obiettivo The aim of this proposal is to investigate how evolutionary theory that applies to cooperative birds and mammals can explain the incidence of family living and cooperative breeding in pre-industrial humans. Such theory suggests that (1) families evolve when adverse ecological conditions render offspring dispersal costly and philopatry beneficial, and (2) cooperative breeding evolves when delayers can accrue fitness by helping. Hypotheses will be primarily tested using data from pre-industrial Finns, but will be supplemented with similar data from Canadians and contemporary Dominicans. The data on Finns has been collected on a range of life-history (births, deaths, marriages, dispersal), ecological (weather, climate, harvest yield, famine, war) and social (class) variables for more than 2000 families from five different areas in Finland. The data is restricted to the pre-industrial era (1720-1900) when mortality was high and fertility natural. This project will consequently result in the most comprehensive analyses yet conducted on this subject in humans, and aspects will rival the quality hitherto reserved for a few species of cooperative birds and mammals. It is proposed that powerful techniques of mixed and matrix statistical modelling are used to investigate two main questions: (1) what are the ecological factors that promote family living? and (2) does the presence of potential helpers influence lifetime reproductive success and overall fitness of breeders and the helpers themselves? I predict that families will be more common where and when ecological conditions render dispersal and independent breeding costly and helping beneficial. Finally, I will model what costs of dispersal and benefits of helping are necessary to promote family living in humans. It is envisaged that this study will lead to substantial advances of our understanding of the evolutionary significance of the family in humans, and cooperative breeding in general. Campo scientifico social sciencessociologydemographymortalitysocial sciencessociologydemographyfertilitynatural sciencesbiological scienceszoologymammalogy Parole chiave adaptation cooperative breeding dispersal family living human ecology human evolution Programma(i) FP6-MOBILITY - Human resources and Mobility in the specific programme for research, technological development and demonstration "Structuring the European Research Area" under the Sixth Framework Programme 2002-2006 Argomento(i) MOBILITY-2.1 - Marie Curie Intra-European Fellowships (EIF) Invito a presentare proposte FP6-2004-MOBILITY-5 Vedi altri progetti per questo bando Meccanismo di finanziamento EIF - Marie Curie actions-Intra-European Fellowships Coordinatore THE UNIVERSITY OF SHEFFIELD Contributo UE Nessun dato Indirizzo Western Bank SHEFFIELD Regno Unito Mostra sulla mappa Collegamenti Sito web Opens in new window Costo totale Nessun dato
