PLEASE NOTE: THIS SEMINAR HAS BEEN CANCELLED

How do we explain costly and ridiculous traits like bright colours, elaborate ornaments, exaggerated weapons and lethal aggression? The current best model is sexual selection; males are limited by the number of females they can mate and they use these traits to improve their chances. Females on the other hand, focus on producing and caring for offspring, and are selective about their mates. This is a powerful model, and is used throughout evolutionary biology to explain the evolution and persistence of sex differences. However, there are a lot of assumptions built into this model, assumptions that are rarely examined or tested. I will present a series of case studies in which I use birds to examine some common and foundational assumptions regarding the evolution of complex social traits including aggression, elaborate song, and bright plumage. In some cases, these assumptions are solid, but in most, they are poorly supported and in need of revision.