Markus Zöettl (University of Cambridge) - Social Organisation of Damaraland Mole-Rats (Fukomys Damarensis)
4:00pm - 5:00pm /
Tuesday 27th February 2018
/ Venue: Lecture Theatre 1 Life Sciences Building
- Kelly Welburn
- Suitable for: Staff/Students with an interest in Behaviour, Evolution, Ecology and Microbiology
Add this event to my calendar
Click on "Create a calendar file" and your browser will download a .ics file for this event.
Microsoft Outlook: Download the file, double-click it to open it in Outlook, then click on "Save & Close" to save it to your calendar. If that doesn't work go into Outlook, click on the File tab, then on Open & Export, then Open Calendar. Select your .ics file then click on "Save & Close".
Google Calendar: download the file, then go into your calendar. On the left where it says "Other calendars" click on the arrow icon and then click on Import calendar. Click on Browse and select the .ics file, then click on Import.
Apple Calendar: The file may open automatically with an option to save it to your calendar. If not, download the file, then you can either drag it to Calendar or import the file by going to File >Import > Import and choosing the .ics file.
Previously it has been suggested that Naked and Damaraland mole-rats groups may be organised in permanent, distinct castes that differ in behaviour and physiology, suggesting that their social organisation resembles that of obligatorily eusocial insects. My research aims to understand the life-history and the variation of cooperative behaviour across individuals in Damaraland mole-rats, using capture mark and recapture data and behavioural data from laboratory colonies of Damaraland mole-rats. My research provides no evidence that non-reproductive individuals show fixed, divergent developmental pathways, or specialise in particular tasks or specific life-history trajectories. Variation in growth appears to be related to competition among group members and investment in cooperative behaviour is affected by energetic demands of certain tasks. My research suggests that variation in mole-rat behaviour may represent a state-dependent, age-related polyethism. Behavioural organisation of social mole-rat groups is similar to that of other singular cooperatively breeding vertebrates and similarities to obligatorily eusocial insects may have been overestimated.