PhD studentship based in Taiwan 2025-2029
Extra-pair mating occurs when an individual mates with
one(s) outside of his or her pair bond. It is a
prevalent behaviour in birds
and has been reported in more than 75% of studied socially monogamous species.
However, the causes and consequences of this common behaviour remain unclear.
In birds, extra-pair mating increases
male reproductive success (Dunning et al., 2024), while females face
trade-offs, like reduced paternal care from their social partners (Schroeder et
al., 2016). Adaptive explanations suggest that females obtain indirect benefits
such as good genes and genetic compatibility to offset the costs, but
supportive evidence is limited (Hsu et al., 2014; Hsu et al., 2015).
Alternative hypotheses suggest that
extra-pair mating could be initiated and/or sustained by context-dependent
paternity benefits, where extra-pair offspring enjoy higher fitness under
specific scenarios, or within- or between-sex correlation, such as positive
selection on male extra-pair mating and female responsiveness to within-pair
copulation. Our preliminary analyses with theoretical modelling highlight the
context-dependent paternity effects (Yeh & Hsu, under review), shedding light on the evolution of extra-pair mating
in birds. However, more empirical studies to evaluate these effects in wild
populations are essential.
Research Objectives
This PhD project aims to understand
how various environmental factors influence extra-pair mating. It will explore
the biotic factors, including within-species effects and the interaction with
other species (e.g. predation risk), as well as abiotic factors, such as
bioclimatic effects. The long-term study dataset will provide this project with
an ideal opportunity to explore various environmental effects and their
interactions with extra-pair mating.
Methodology
Fieldwork will be taken on an
offshore UK island where a wild population of house sparrows has been monitored
for over twenty years. Activities will involve nest searching, banding, and
social interaction observations. The PhD will analyse data using advanced
statistical models to explore how environmental conditions impact mating
behaviour.
Candidate Profile
This PhD project will be based at the
Department of Life Sciences, National Cheng Kung University (NCKU), Taiwan.
Applicants must be able to undertake fieldwork in the UK as part of a joint
project. Applicants should review the minimum entry requirements for the
NCKU 2025 Fall Admission. Ideal candidates are motivated, independent, and interested in
evolution and field biology. Experience with fieldwork and statistical analysis
is essential.
Funding
This PhD project will be funded by
various sources. A successful candidate awarded the competitive Veritas et
Conscientia Scholarship from NCKU for the first year will be guaranteed
NT$360,000/yr (the basic living expense for taxpayers in Taiwan in 2023 is
NT$202,000), supported by both the NCKU scholarship and the supervisor’s
research grant for the first three years. From the 4th year onwards,
we will support the PhD candidate in applying for the competitive scholarship
from NCKU, as well as from various resources.
How to apply
To apply, please send your CV, the
name of two referees, a concise statement of your research interests, and the
transcripts of your BSc and MSc as a single PDF file to Dr Yu-Hsun Hsu (yuhsunhsu@ncku.edu.tw). All documents should be in English. The deadline for application is 30th November 2024. An
online interview will be held soon after that. After the interviews, the
successful candidate must go through the official application process for NCKU
2025 Fall Admission (the application platform will be open in January 2025).
For more
information concerning this position, please contact Dr Yu-Hsun Hsu (yuhsunhsu@ncku.edu.tw).
Application Information for NCKU: NCKU 2025 Fall Admission and
application instructions
Related Information
Related publication
Yeh, J. D. & Y.-H. Hsu. Extra-pair mating may evolve under changing
environments. Under review
Hsu, Y.-H. 2022. Consequences of infidelity in non-human animals in T. Shackelford, and T. DeLecce, eds.
The Oxford Handbook of Infidelity. Oxford University Press.
Hsu, Y.-H., M. J. P. Simons, J. Schroeder, A. Girndt, I. Winney, T.
Burke, and S. Nakagawa. 2017. Age-dependent trajectories differ between
within-pair and extra-pair paternity success. Journal of Evolutinary Biology
30:951-959.
Hsu, Y.-H., J. Schroeder, I. Winney, T. Burke, and S. Nakagawa. 2015.
Are extra-pair males different from cuckolded males? A case study and a
meta-analytic examination. Molecular Ecology 24:1558-1571.
Hsu, Y.-H., J. Schroeder, I. Winney, T. Burke, and S. Nakagawa. 2014.
Costly infidelity: Low lifetime fitness of extra-pair offspring in a passerine
bird. Evolution 68:2873-2884.
Related collaboration
Dunning, J., A. Sanchez-Tójar, A. Girndt, T. Burke,
Y.-H. Hsu, S. Nakagawa, I. Winney, and J. Schroeder. 2024. Extrapair paternity
alongside social reproduction increases male lifetime fitness. Animal Behaviour
213:117-123.
Schroeder, J., Y.-H. Hsu, I. Winney, M. J. P.
Simons, S. Nakagawa, and T. Burke. 2016. Predictably philandering females
prompt poor paternal provisioning. American Naturalist 188:219-230.
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