Professor Nick Davies FRS Tel: +44 (0)
1223 334 405 Position held: Professor of Behavioural Ecology |
 |
||||||||
| Research | |||||||||
| My research is in Behavioural Ecology, the study of behavioural adaptations in relation to ecological and social conditions. In theory, natural selection should favour behavioural strategies which best promote an individual's ability to pass copies of its genes on to future generations. This creates conflicts in animal populations, not only conflicts between rivals for territories and mates but also conflicts within seemingly harmonious ventures such as male-female pairs cooperating to rear offspring. My work attempts to elucidate the nature of these conflicts and to understand how they are resolved. |
 Illustration by David Quinn, from Dunnock Behaviour and Social Evolution (see below) |
||||||||
 Illustration by David Quinn, from Cuckoos, Cowbirds and Other Cheats (see below) |
My current work is concerned with two topics. First, how does social organisation within a population reflect conflicts within and between the sexes? Field observations and experiments with colour-ringed populations of Dunnocks Prunella modularis (Cambridge Botanic Garden) and Alpine Accentors P. collaris (Pyrenées) have shown how male-female conflicts give rise to variable mating systems and variable patterns of parental care. Second, a study of a breeding conflict between species, namely between the Cuckoo Cuculus canorus and its hosts, has revealed co-evolution of adaptations and counteradaptations at both the egg and chick stage. Current work is aimed at understanding how cuckoo chicks manipulate their hosts by their begging behaviour, and is being extended to other species of cuckoos. I encourage PhD students and post-docs to come up with their own ideas for research. Current and recent topics include: cowbirds versus hosts in Argentina and Costa Rica, Cuckoos and parasitic finches versus hosts in South Africa, Polyandry in jacanas in India, Chorusing in mesites in Madagascar, Oxpeckers and hosts in Zimbabwe, Competition between resident and migrant birds. |
||||||||
Selected
Publications (click here for a complete
list)
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
|
|||||||||
