Principles of social evolution and related theories. Reproduction and social organization. Social organization in some microorganisms and animal taxa; social insects. Symbiosis and parasitism in social organisms.
Dustin R. Rubenstein John Alcock
Etologia. Un approccio evolutivo. Principi di evoluzione sociale. Zanichelli.
Wilson E.O. Sociobiologia. Zanichelli.
Scientific papers suggested by the lecturer.
Learning Objectives
Knowledges:
Social organizations in animals and some microorganisms and theories explaining their evolution.
Competences
Interpreting social life as one among the major transitions in evolution; interpreting different form of social organizations at the light of hypotheses and theories explaining social evolution. Understanding the cultural and scientific debate on sociobiology
Prerequisites
Recommended Courses: General and systematic zoology, entomology.
Teaching Methods
Lectures, seminars, virtual laboratories.
Type of Assessment
Oral exam on the whole program and presentation of a short seminar on a topic or scientific paper agreed by the student with the lecturer.
Course program
Living in groups: Social organization in animals and some protists. From solitary life to eusociality; environment constrains and evolution of social life; pros and contras of social life; social life and interspecific biological relationships, parasitism and symbiosis.
Altruism, levels of selection, kin selection, reproduction in social groups: individual versus group selection; altruism and kin selection, kin selection and inclusive fitness, haplodiploidy and the evolution of sociality; testing the haplodiploidy hypothesis, sterility and caste differentiation, conflicts in social groups, reproductive conflicts.
Social behaviours: forms of social behavior, mutual benefit, altruism and reciprocity, Non-cooperative social behaviors: selfishness and spite, cooperative reproduction, mechanism of reproductive suppression; individual differences in social behaviour, social learning.
Sociality and communication: the role of communication in social cohesion and organization, kin and colonial recognition.
Social organisms and environment: Sociality and adaptation to the environment; social insects and ecosystem services.