Maddison & Burt IBN 9520666 Abstract An important evolutionary issue is understanding the reasons underlying the existence of altruistic behavior. A variety of approaches have been used to address this important problem. These different approaches, or levels of analysis, have led to four different, albeit complementary, explanations for its existence. The four categories are: (1) functional consequences or selective advantages, (2) proximate mechanisms or physiological requirements, (3) ontogeny of parental care behaviors, or (4) phylogenetic origin and historical patterns. Dr. Maddison and his graduate student, Mr. Burt will examine the relative roles of phylogenetic and contemporary ecological factors on the evolution of cooperative behavior by studying several different species within the same family of birds. These birds are an excellent choice for an historical analysis given the availability of a group of 26 different species and the diversity of their social systems. To accomplish their goals, they will first collect behavioral data from a field site in Kenya and then carry out a molecular analyses of the DNA. These results will be used for the phylogenetic reconstruction algorithms to estimate the evolutionary relationships among the species. This multi-faceted project bridges the disciplines of morphological and molecular systematics, evolutionary ecology, and ethology. The outcome of the studies will provide the framework for deciphering the existence of altruistic social systems.
