Thesis supervisor: Sándor Zsebők
co-supervisor: István Scheuring
Location of studies (in Hungarian): ELTE TTK Abbreviation of location of studies: ELTE
Description of the research topic:
Several aspects of our human life including social structure, economics, language, fashion, internet usage, are determined by processes of cultural evolution. However, cultural evolution is not only specific to humans. The socially learnt behavioural elements are essential for the survival and reproduction of individuals in their prevailing environment in many species. The accumulation of such behavioural elements in a population constitutes a culture, and its diversity and stability will determine the characteristics of the adaptation of the population. Therefore, it is crucial to understand how cultural diversity emerges, fluctuates and evolves, but evidence for such complex mechanisms operating within the same system are rare at the best. We aim to study the elements of the cultural processes acting in bird song. Our model species, the collared flycatcher (Ficedula albicollis), is well-known for its elaborate songs used in sexual selection, and it is likely that individuals form acoustic networks through vocal interactions. In this study system, we seek answers to the following questions. Are there constraints from individual quality (e.g. due to experience, behaviour, social and genetic relatedness) that affect the acquisition of cultural elements? How social interaction between two individuals affects their behavioural repertoire, and how long such alterations last? Is there a link between the role played in the communication network and the qualitative aspects of individual signals? How the temporal and spatial dynamics of networks translate into the diversity and stability of cultures? We use two different methodological approaches: collecting field data (observational and experimental) and using computer simulations. If you are interested in finding answers to these questions with us by any of these two approaches, we welcome you to join our team. We seek highly motivated and hardworking students.
Required language skills: angol Number of students who can be accepted: 2
Deadline for application: 2019-05-31
2024. IV. 17. ODT ülés Az ODT következő ülésére 2024. június 14-én, pénteken 10.00 órakor kerül sor a Semmelweis Egyetem Szenátusi termében (Bp. Üllői út 26. I. emelet).
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