lundi 5 mai 2008

ISBE Conference; Call for Symposia Abstracts

Call for Abstracts:

The 2008 International Society for Behavioral Ecology meeting in Cornell will host a half day post-conference symposium entitled “Flexible female choice and the evolution of male sexual ornaments” on August 15. Classical theory for the evolution of male traits by sexual selection assumes that female choice is fairly consistent. However, a variety of studies have now shown that female choice can be much more complex and that flexibility in choice can yield fitness benefits. Spatial, temporal, and among female variation is likely to have profound consequences on the evolution of exaggerated male ornaments and changes our perspective on the role females play in such selection. The goal of this symposium is to highlight variable selection and flexible female choice through both empirical and theoretical studies and to generate discussion on questions that would be especially fruitful for future studies of flexible female choice. The symposium will be a balance of talks and discussion and participants should be prepared to take an active role in discussions on the topic.

If you are interested in presenting your work at this symposium (or for more information), please contact Alexis Chaine (alexis.chaine@ecoex-moulis.cnrs.fr) with a brief description of the work you wish to present. Please submit brief ‘abstracts’ by Friday May 16.