Ellie Chesterton

Project: Individual variation in reproductive success in the Seychelles warbler

The evolution of cooperation is a topic of great interest to behavioural ecologists. Numerous benefits of such social breeding have been proposed, yet evidence for these benefits is largely ambiguous and varies greatly from species to species.

Funded by a Leeds Doctoral Scholarship, my PhD will contribute to the literature on cooperative breeding through an analysis of individual variation in the reproductive success of Seychelles warblers. More specifically, I am interested in how the social environment influences reproductive success, considering the reproductive costs and benefits of cooperative breeding at length. By considering these costs and benefits, I hope to gain insight into the evolution of cooperative breeding.