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SUMMARY:Cuckoo-host arms races - Dr Justin Welbergen\, Department of Zoolo
 gy
DTSTART:20090514T114500Z
DTEND:20090514T124500Z
UID:TALK18222@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Dr James Kirkbride
DESCRIPTION:Coevolutionary arms races\, where adaptations in one party sel
 ect for counter-adaptations in another and vice-versa\, are fundamental to
  interactions between organisms and their predators\, pathogens and parasi
 tes. Avian brood parasites and their hosts have emerged as model systems f
 or studying such reciprocal coevolutionary processes. For example\, hosts 
 have evolved rejection of foreign eggs in response to brood parasitism fro
 m cuckoos\, and cuckoos have evolved host-egg mimicry as a counter-respons
 e. However\, there are other host defences such as protecting the nest fro
 m being parasitised in the first place. Our recent research shows that mob
 bing of cuckoos can be socially transmitted and varied strategically accor
 ding to local parasitism risk. This front line of defence is effective in 
 reducing parasitism and has likely selected for mimicry of hawks by cuckoo
 s. The emerging view is that cuckoo hosts use a ‘defence in depth strate
 gy’\, whereby they deploy sequential lines of defence in a coevolutionar
 y arms race with corresponding offensive lines of the brood parasite. This
  highlights the need for more holistic research into the coevolutionary co
 nsequences when multiple adaptations and counter-adaptations evolve in con
 cert.
LOCATION:Entertaining Room\, Darwin College
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