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Ecology - Aquatic | Ecology - Behavior | Evolution - Population Biology | Organismal Biology - Animal Behavior

Ian M. Hamilton

Assistant Professor, EEOB and Mathematics

390 Aronoff Laboratory

318 W. 12th Avenue, Columbus, OH 43210

Phone: 614-292-9147

E-mail: hamilton.598@osu.edu

Lab Web Page: http://www.biosci.ohio-state.edu/~eeob/drupal//?q=node/282

Education:
Ph.D. Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC (2001)
M.Sc. University of Calgary, AB (1996)
B.Sc. University of Calgary, AB (1993)

Postdocs:

Departments of EEOB and Electrical and Computer Engineering, The Ohio State University (2006-2007)
Institute of Zoology, University of Bern, Switzerland (2003-2006)
Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal (2002-2003)

Brief Description of Research Interests

Evolution of social behavior

Detailed Research Interests

I use a combination of mathematical modeling and experimental work, mainly with fish, to study the evolution of social behavior. Many behaviors, like cooperation or mating displays, only make sense if we consider the social context in which they occur. However, that social context emerges from social interactions that are also under selection. Therefore, social behavior is both a target and an agent of selection.

One of the key questions that I am working on is why organisms invest in cooperative behavior, that is, behavior that provides benefits to others. I focus on so-called cooperatively breeding systems, in which some group members help raise the offspring of others in the group. In some cases, these individuals apparently cooperate not only by helping, but also by restraining their own reproduction or growth. Understanding cooperative breeding involves understanding why animals group, why they help and the interactions among group members. I use evolutionary dynamics approaches to model the dynamics and stability of cooperative behavior in these systems. As well, I use cooperatively-breeding cichlid fish from Lake Tanganyika in East Africa as an experimental system. In addition to this work on cooperation, I also work on social influences on mating systems, foraging and territorial behavior.

CV

CV in PDF format

Key Citations

Hamilton IM and D Heg. 2007. Clutch size adjustments and skew models: effects on reproductive partitioning and group stability. Behav Ecol. 18: 467-476.

Hamilton, IM, MP Haesler and M Taborsky. 2006. Predators, reproductive parasites and the persistence of poor males on leks. Behav Ecol. 17: 97-107.

Hamilton, IM and M Taborsky. 2005. Contingent movement and cooperation under generalized reciprocity. Proc R Soc Lond B. 272: 2259-2267.

Hamilton, IM and M Taborsky. 2005. Unrelated helpers will not fully compensate for costs imposed on breeders when they pay to stay. Proc R Soc Lond, B. 272: 445-454

Hamilton, IM, D Heg and N Bender. 2005. Size differences within a dominance hierarchy influence conflict and help in a cooperatively breeding cichlid. Behaviour 11-12: 1591-1617.

Lab Group

Post-docs:
Wiline Pangle
Suzanne Robertson
Roger Schuerch

Graduate Students:
Erin Greenlee
Jonathan Hall
Erin Lindstedt
Isaac Ligocki
Andy Yoak

Undergraduate Students:
Rachel Burns
Elizabeth Hoskins
Abby Pfleiderer

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