BEGIN:VCALENDAR VERSION:2.0 PRODID:-//Talks.cam//talks.cam.ac.uk// X-WR-CALNAME:Talks.cam BEGIN:VEVENT SUMMARY:Evolution of social behaviour in wild populations: European badger s &\; Seychelles warblers - Dr Hannah Dugdale\, University of Sheffield DTSTART:20150203T160000Z DTEND:20150203T170000Z UID:TALK55192@talks.cam.ac.uk CONTACT:Dr Hannah Rowland DESCRIPTION:Cooperation is a social interaction that occurs at all biologi cal levels\; as such it is a major force underlying biological organizatio n. Cooperative breeding occurs when individuals help to raise offspring th at are not their own. Cooperative breeding is widespread\, however\, it is a conundrum: Why do individuals postpone their own breeding to help other s to breed\, rather than breeding themselves? This is puzzling because nat ural selection is a competitive process that favours genes that are maximi sed in future generations. Social evolution theory resolves this puzzle: I ndividuals can spread their genes\, not only by breeding themselves\, but also by helping their relatives to breed\, as relatives share genes. Altho ugh social evolution theory has been hotly debated\, it is well establishe d. My work aims to test social evolution theory using long-term datasets f rom wild populations that differ in their extent of cooperative breeding. Even with such rare long-term data\, testing social evolution theory in wi ld populations is complex\, as the parameters required to do this are not easily measured. To understand why individuals breed cooperatively it is n ecessary to quantify the costs and benefits of cooperative breeding\, alon g with the relatedness of interacting individuals\, which is not a trivial matter. I will present an overview of how the mating system impacts on re latedness\, whether relatedness promotes cooperation\, and whether there a re fitness benefits to cooperative breeding\, using data from European bad gers and Seychelles warblers. LOCATION:Part II Lecture Theatre\, Department of Zoology END:VEVENT END:VCALENDAR