Project description DEENESFRITPL Social and sexual selection and the evolution of cooperation Partner choice is instrumental in the evolution and stability of cooperation, but its importance is not yet fully understood in terms of natural systems. The findings of recent research in captive conditions suggest that animals tend to couple with more cooperative individuals. Manipulating cooperation in the wild to examine the consequences of partner choice may shed light on whether partner choice offers an evolutionary explanation for cooperation. The EU-funded COOPERATIVE PARTNER project is based on a long-term study on a highly cooperative bird, the sociable weaver Philetairus socius. The project will use a new conceptual scheme to examine whether cooperation is repeatable and sophisticated technology to manipulate cooperative conduct and assess the resulting patterns of social and sexual partner choice. It will also use physiological standards and lifetime reproductive success to consider the advantages of partner choice. Show the project objective Hide the project objective Objective Cooperation represents an evolutionary puzzle because natural sCooperation poses an evolutionary problem because natural selection is thought to favour cheaters over co-operators. However, theory and studies in humans show us that co-operators are preferred over cheaters as social and sexual partners. Partner choice may therefore provide a powerful explanation for the evolution and stability of cooperation, alongside kin selection and self-serving benefits, but we lack an understanding of its importance in natural systems. Recent studies showing that animals have a preference for associating with more cooperative individuals are promising but were mostly conducted in artificial captive conditions, making the evolutionary implications of partner choice hard to assess. Manipulating cooperation in the wild to test the fitness consequences of partner choice is the leap that is required to understand whether or not partner choice provides an evolutionary explanation for cooperation. I will pursue this goal using a long-term study that I established on a highly cooperative wild bird, the sociable weaver Philetairus socius. New methodological developments now allow us to conduct large-scale experiments in the wild, and detailed tracking of individual for several years will allow us to quantify the fitness consequences of choice. Specifically, here I will: i) use a new conceptual framework to test whether cooperation is repeatable (a pre-requirement for partner choice); ii) use state-of-the-art technology to manipulate cooperative behaviour and measure the resulting patterns of social and sexual partner choice; iii) use physiological measures and lifetime reproductive success to examine the fitness benefits arising from partner choice and the underlying mechanisms for both co-operators and the individuals that associate with them. Ultimately, the project will provide a novel and robust evaluation of the roles of social and sexual selection for the evolution of cooperation. Fields of science natural sciencesbiological scienceszoologyornithology Programme(s) H2020-EU.1.1. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - European Research Council (ERC) Main Programme Topic(s) ERC-2019-COG - ERC Consolidator Grant Call for proposal ERC-2019-COG See other projects for this call Funding Scheme ERC-COG - Consolidator Grant Coordinator ASSOCIACAO BIOPOLIS Net EU contribution € 1 693 337,82 Address Campus de vairao da universidade do porto, rua padre armando quintas nº7 4485-661 Vairao, vila do conde Portugal See on map Region Continente Norte Área Metropolitana do Porto Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 Beneficiaries (2) Sort alphabetically Sort by Net EU contribution Expand all Collapse all ASSOCIACAO BIOPOLIS Portugal Net EU contribution € 1 693 337,82 Address Campus de vairao da universidade do porto, rua padre armando quintas nº7 4485-661 Vairao, vila do conde See on map Region Continente Norte Área Metropolitana do Porto Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00 ICETA INSTITUTO DE CIENCIAS, TECNOLOGIAS E AGROAMBIENTE DA UNIVERSIDADE DO PORTO Participation ended Portugal Net EU contribution € 305 997,18 Address Rua d manuel ii apartado 55142 4051 401 Porto See on map Region Continente Norte Área Metropolitana do Porto Activity type Research Organisations Links Contact the organisation Opens in new window Participation in EU R&I programmes Opens in new window HORIZON collaboration network Opens in new window Other funding € 0,00
