Project description
Can cooperation be adverted by vocal signals?
What’s the link between cooperative behaviour and mating success? Does cooperative behaviour influence partner choice in wild animals? The EU-funded SOCIAL MATCH project will answer these questions. It will study the cooperative behaviours of a natural population of passerine perching bird, the sociable weaver. These sparrow-sized birds nest together in large groups. Specifically, the project will check whether cooperation brings sexually selected benefits. If this is the case, it should be linked to mating success and promoted as such. With miniature microphones, the project will quantify the vocal behaviour of cooperating birds. It will then use a machine learning algorithm to classify the obtained vocalisations. The aim is to design a playback experiment to explore the links between vocal advertisement of cooperation and probability of finding a mate.
Objective
Cooperation is at the very base of our society and it has been argued that the adoption of cooperative breeding by our hominin ancestors provides the most parsimonious explanation for the origin of human hyper-cooperation. In addition, in humans, cooperation seems to bring not only kin benefits but also sexual benefits by influencing partner choice. Whether cooperative behaviour also influences partner choice in wild animals remains almost unknown. Two powerful tools will be used in this project, SOCIAL MATCH, to answer this question. First, statistical analyses of a long-term database including both cooperative behaviour and mating success and, second, new technologies to determine if and how cooperative behaviours can be sexually selected. In my project SOCIAL MATCH, I will focus on the cooperative behaviours of a natural population of a passerine under long-term investigation, the Sociable Weaver (Philetairus socius). I will test the predictions that if cooperation brings sexually selected benefits then it should be linked to mating success, condition and should be advertised. I will measure condition developing automated detection of individual mass. I will quantify the vocal behaviour of cooperating birds using on-board miniature microphones and classify the obtained vocalizations with machine learning algorithm. With the acquired information I will be able to design a playback experiment to explore the links between vocal advertisement of cooperation and probability of finding a mate. Therefore, I will quantify every step from the decision of helping to the breeding phase. Despite their explicit evolutionary relevance, the consequences of sexually selected direct benefits on promoting and maintaining cooperation have remained largely unexplored. SOCIAL MATCH aims to be a keystone project in the path of resolving these questions.
Fields of science (EuroSciVoc)
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CORDIS classifies projects with EuroSciVoc, a multilingual taxonomy of fields of science, through a semi-automatic process based on NLP techniques. See: The European Science Vocabulary.
- natural sciences computer and information sciences databases
- natural sciences computer and information sciences artificial intelligence machine learning
- social sciences sociology anthropology physical anthropology
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Programme(s)
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
Multi-annual funding programmes that define the EU’s priorities for research and innovation.
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H2020-EU.1.3. - EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Actions
MAIN PROGRAMME
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H2020-EU.1.3.2. - Nurturing excellence by means of cross-border and cross-sector mobility
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Topic(s)
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Calls for proposals are divided into topics. A topic defines a specific subject or area for which applicants can submit proposals. The description of a topic comprises its specific scope and the expected impact of the funded project.
Funding Scheme
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
Funding scheme (or “Type of Action”) inside a programme with common features. It specifies: the scope of what is funded; the reimbursement rate; specific evaluation criteria to qualify for funding; and the use of simplified forms of costs like lump sums.
MSCA-IF - Marie Skłodowska-Curie Individual Fellowships (IF)
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Call for proposal
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
Procedure for inviting applicants to submit project proposals, with the aim of receiving EU funding.
(opens in new window) H2020-MSCA-IF-2019
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Net EU financial contribution. The sum of money that the participant receives, deducted by the EU contribution to its linked third party. It considers the distribution of the EU financial contribution between direct beneficiaries of the project and other types of participants, like third-party participants.
75794 PARIS
France
The total costs incurred by this organisation to participate in the project, including direct and indirect costs. This amount is a subset of the overall project budget.