Social evolution: merits and limitations of inclusive fitness theory

13 - 15 July 2014

Michael Taborsky

Prof. Michael Taborsky, University of Bern (CH)
Dr Joachim Frommen, University of Bern (CH)

Prof. Rufus Johnstone, University of Cambridge (UK)
Prof. Laurent Lehmann, University of Lausanne (CH)
Dr Christina Riehl, Harvard University (US)
Prof. Hanna Kokko, Australian National University (AU)
Dr Erol Akcay, University of Pennsylvania (US)
Dr Elli Leadbeater, University of London (UK)
Prof. Carel van Schaik, University of Zürich (CH)
Prof. Gerald S. Wilkinson, University of Maryland (US)

Inclusive fitness theory is generally assumed to sufficiently explain the evolution of social behaviour. However, empirical evidence is accumulating that other evolutionary concepts need to be involved to explain cooperation and social structure in a wide range of taxa. This includes the archetypical examples of altruism, like the reproductive division of labour in eusocial hymenoptera and the cooperative breeding groups observed in many vertebrates. Recent evidence from insects and vertebrates reveals that high levels of relatedness can even reduce rather than further cooperation and altruism.

The aim of this workshop is to combine pertinent evolutionary theoreticians and empiricists to discuss complementary evolutionary mechanisms to inclusive fitness theory. This is a topic of great interest to students and biologists in general, because there is a growing awareness that explanations based on inclusive fitness, which have dominated the theoretical and empirical literature for the past half century, cannot account for many examples of apparently altruistic behaviour observed in nature.

Hotel Kurhaus, Arolla (Switzerland)

Map

2

ECTS?
- 2 for active participation

When?
13-15 July 2014

Where?
Hotel Kurhaus, Arolla (CH)

Contact

Caroline Betto-Colliard
Coordinator of the Inter-University
Doctoral Program in Ecology and Evolution
Biophore building
University of Lausanne
Tel: +41 (0)21 692 4244
Fax: +41 (0)21 692 4165
E-mail: [email protected]

PhD students of the DPEE can attend for free. PhD students of the DPEE are eligible for reimbursement of incurred travel expenses by train (half-fare card, and 2nd class). Please send the original tickets (no copies, except for the general abonnement) with the reimbursement form to Caroline Betto-Colliard.

Others will pay the costs of their room and board, approximately CHF 405. Every no show will be charged .

CUSO PhD students: through your MyCUSO account. 

External participants (non-CUSO PhD students, post-docs, etc...): use the icon "registration" at top of page and the last gray box "non-CUSO student" ("personne hors myCUSO").

Deadlne of registration: June the 14th, 2014

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