PhD project:

As suggested by the handicap theory, the cost of a courtship display can be an explanation for the evolution of exaggerated sexual display traits in males of several animal species. The goal of my project is to give a better understanding of this highly debated but yet under-researched aspect of the sexual selection literature.

For that, I will conduct an empirical studies on a wild population of Spotted Bowerbirds (Chlamydera maculata, Ptilonorhynchidae) in Queensland, Australia. Bowerbirds are an interesting family of birds to study courtship displays because they perform it in multiple sensory modalities and include several courtship components. The polygynous males build a dedicated, highly elaborate structure called bower where they perform courtship including numerous sequences of movements and vocalisations. The construction of the bower and practising their display choreography are known to be highly time consuming for these birds.

In a first study, I will assess if the time, the energy and metabolic investment in courtship is limited and whether differences among males' investments influence their mating success. In a second study, I will focus on energy allocation among display elements. If courtship is costly, males must make a trade-off in the energy they allocate between the different components. All aspects of the males’ displays will then be analysed using phenotypic network analysis, one of the most integrative approaches to study multimodal display.

Past experiences:

Having always been attracted by the study of wildlife, I began my higher education with a bachelor degree in environmental biology at the University of Toulouse. My following first year of master in ecology allowed me to acquire a solid understanding of the concepts of evolutionary biology. During this year, I also carried out a first research project in which I studied the foraging strategies of the Drosophila larvae.

Because of my interest in tropical ecosystems, I continued my studies in French Guiana, with a second year of a master specialised in tropical rainforest ecology. I wrote my thesis on the functional diversity of spiders and ants of French Guiana, focusing on the effect of altitude on competition between these two taxa.

Back in France, having always wanted to practice a more manual profession, I took advantage of the end of my studies to work as a carpenter and mason in old buildings.

In 2019, I returned to the academic world as a volunteer field assistant. I went to Australia to work with Giovanni Spezie for the first time on the behaviour of the Spotted Bowerbird. Particularly enthusiastic about this experience, and with the goal of completing a PhD in this field of research, I decided to enroll in the master specialised in modelisation of ecological systems at the University of Toulouse.

I took advantage of an Erasmus contract to come in Vienna to analyse the data we had collected in Australia during my volunteering. I chose to study for my thesis the social learning of courtship vocalisations of this Spotted Bowerbird. This time I spent in Vienna and my passion for Bowerbirds led me to write the PhD proposal for which I've been hired today.

Outside the lab:

I spend most of my free time in very divers activities such as hiking, bird watching, wood working, gardening or even brewing beer.

Contact:

email: job.knoester@univie.ac.at