Wageningen Evolution & Ecology Seminar (WEES) “Prof. Martin Reichard “
Seminar (16:00-
17:00 – Orion C1005)
Evolution of brood parasitism in the cuckoo catfish
Prof. Martin Reichard
Professor at the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Vertebrate Biology
Interspecific brood parasitism is a reproductive strategy whereby biological parents allocate their parental duties to a different species. I will address various aspects of ecology and evolution of brood parasitism in fishes, with special focus on the cuckoo catfish (Synodontis multipunctatus), a brood parasite of mouth-brooding cichlids in the African Lake Tanganyika. I will use a comparative approach to demonstrate how (dis)similar the cuckoo catfish is compared to other Synodontis catfishes in Lake Tanganyika and what this means for the origin of brood parasitism. I will then compare the role of coevolution and learning on the success of cichlid hosts to avoid parasitism by cuckoo catfish and also explain how cuckoo catfish learn to parasitize more effectively as they gain experience. I also address the potential for and constraints on host specialization and research into the origins of this reproductive strategy, using a combination of data collected in the field and laboratory experiments.
Workshop (14:00-15:30 – Orion B3034)
Interspecific reproductive parasitism in fishes
The workshop gives attendees the opportunity to meet the speaker and have a discussion based on recent publications. The workshops are a good opportunity to become acquainted with hot topics in science and to gain experience in discussing these topics with leading scientists in the field. Furthermore, BSc and MSc students can get 1 ECTS for attending 2 workshops. Registration is required to participate in the workshop, so please email Davide Bottacini (davide.bottacini@wur.nl) to register.
In preparation to the seminar and workshop, the speaker recommends reading the papers at the following links, which offer background on the topics discussed:
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2019.05.067
https://www.journals.uchicago.edu/doi/10.1086/724839
Lunch and dinner with Prof. Martin Reichard
A small group will have lunch and dinner with our invited speaker. If you are interested in joining for lunch and/or dinner with Prof. Martin Reichard, please contact Davide Bottacini (davide.bottacini@wur.nl). You may of course also simply decide to join on the day of the seminar. Please, note that participants are expected to cover the costs of lunch and dinner themselves.
Thursday, February 15, 2024
16:00 - 17:00
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