Corvid Cultural Transmission: Learning to Learn From Others - Biosciences, PhD (BBSRC SWBio DTP Funded)

The South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP) is a BBSRC-funded PhD training programme in the biosciences, delivered by a consortium comprising the Universities of Bristol (lead), Bath, Cardiff, Exeter, and Rothamsted Research. Together, these institutions present a distinctive cadre of bioscience research staff and students with established international, national and regional networks and widely recognised research excellence. The partnership has a strong track record in advancing knowledge through high quality research and teaching in partnership with industry and government.

This project is one of a number that are in competition for funding from the South West Biosciences Doctoral Training Partnership (SWBio DTP). Up to 4 fully-funded studentships are being offered to start in September 2018 at the University of Exeter.

Supervisory Team:

Main supervisor: Dr Alex Thornton
Co-supervisor: Dr Dick James
Co-supervisor: Dr Neeltje Boogert
Co-supervisor: Prof Darren Croft
Collaborator: Dr Alex Mesoudi

Location: University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall

Project description:

The ability to learn from others (social learning) allows individuals to develop important skills and can generate cultural traditions within groups. However, social learning also has costs: by learning from others, rather than through their own interactions with the environment, animals risk picking up out-dated or irrelevant information. Animals from bees to birds and humans are known to solve this problem by switching between individual and social learning selectively, using rules to specify when, how and from whom to learn. These rules, known as social learning strategies, are generally assumed to have been shaped by natural selection and be under genetic control. The possibility that social learning strategies are themselves learned has not been investigated in natural populations. Learning to learn from others could be highly beneficial, allowing individuals to change their social learning strategies as conditions change. For instance, as knowledge accumulates with age, many animals follow a “copy older individuals” strategy, but it could be useful to switch from this strategy if, for example, a group of young individuals discovers a new source of food.

This project will examine whether wild jackdaws, birds of the largebrained corvid family, can learn social learning strategies, and explore how such learning influences group structure and dynamics. Our field sites contain thousands of colourringed and RFID-tagged jackdaws. Using programmable RFID-detecting feeders and social network analyses, the project will test

(1) how early life experiences affect individuals’ positions in social networks and

(2) whether jackdaws learn to learn:

a) When to learn socially: using programmable feeders to control individuals’ access to food we will test whether birds can learn when to follow or 4 / 15 avoid others and examine how this learning affects patterns of social interaction in other contexts.

b) Who to learn from: by controlling which individuals are able to access food, we can alter their value as models for others to learn from. This allows us to test whether birds can learn to pay attention to specific individuals or classes of individuals (female/male; young/old) and to change their strategies if conditions change.

c) To coordinate with social partners: in cooperative contexts, such as parents raising young together, coordinating actions may maximise their joint rewards.

We will test whether the strength of existing relationships between individuals affects their ability to learn to coordinate to solve cooperative puzzles. Together, this work will provide important insights into animal social learning and the evolution of culture.

Entry requirements:

Applicants should have obtained, or be about to obtain, a First or Upper Second Class UK Honours degree, or the equivalent qualifications gained outside the UK, in an appropriate area of science or technology. Applicants with a Lower Second Class degree will be considered if they also have Masters degree or have significant relevant non-academic experience.

In addition, due to the strong mathematical component of the taught course in the first year and the quantitative emphasis in our projects, a minimum of a grade B in A-level Maths or an equivalent qualification or experience is required.

If English is not your first language you will need to have achieved at least 6.5 in IELTS and no less than 6.5 in any section by the start of the project. Alternative tests may be acceptable, please see http://www.bristol.ac.uk/study/language-requirements/profile-c/.

Students from EU countries who do not meet the residency requirements may still be eligible for a fees-only award but no stipend. Applicants who are classed as International for tuition fee purposes are not eligible for funding. Further information about eligibility can be found in the following document: http://www.bbsrc.ac.uk/documents/studentship-eligibility-pdf/