Veranstaltungen am Max-Planck-Institut für Verhaltensbiologie

Understanding the genetics of bird migration is a long-standing goal in evolutionary biology. Blackcaps Sylvia atricapilla are ideal for this work as different populations exhibit enormous difference in migratory behaviour and little else. We characterize (i) phenotype, population structure and demographic history the blackcap, and (ii) identify sequence variants and signaling pathways that are associated with variation of the migratory phenotype. My talk will cover insight from classical studies on selection and cross-breeding experiments, ring recovery data, tracking approaches in the wild, to finally introducing novel insight from using a de novo assembled genome of the blackcap as reference for large scale demographic study with different phenotypes across their breeding range. [mehr]

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Sleep is vital for health and fitness, and its expression is shaped by ecological and social contexts that may either promote or disturb it. Most research, however, has focused on captive settings, detached from natural environments that can modify the balance between benefits and drawbacks of sleeping in a group. Using direct recording of sleep using a custom-made, infrared remote camera, mounted on a telescopic pole s, we examined the impact of social rank and context on sleep in wild chimpanzees in Uganda. High-ranking males experienced shorter, more fragmented and less efficient sleep than subordinates. Party composition also influenced sleep: whereas sleeping in groups generally prolonged sleep duration and reduced wake-bout durations compared to sleeping alone, increasing the number of adult males in the sleeping party delayed nesting time and reduced sleep duration in high-ranking individuals. The presence of sexually active females delayed nesting time and advanced waking time in males, tended to reduce sleep duration and increased sleep fragmentation. These findings emphasize the need to study sleep in ecological contexts to gain a deeper understanding of the trade-offs shaped by social dynamics in sleep patterns. [mehr]

Courtship displays, driven by sexual selection, are fascinating behaviors across a wide range of animal taxa. Birds, in particular, serve as excellent study models due to their often multimodal sexual exhibitions, which involve various sensory modalities such as coloration, body movements, and vocalizations. In this lecture, I will share insights from my research on Neotropical bird species. My work has focused on the mechanisms behind the production of these multimodal displays and their impact on female choice. I will explore key aspects such as intra- and interindividual variability in display performance, vigor, and skill, which have been central to my projects. I will specially discuss my studies on the Swallow-tailed Manakin, native to the Atlantic Forest and particularly notable for its cooperative cartwheel-like dance involving multiple males. I look forward to sharing these findings and discussing their implications for the study of animal behavior and evolutionary biology. [mehr]

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