The link between social organization and demographic and genetic structure has frequently been looked at in mammal species. This includes the effects of social strategies (mating and dispersal) on the distribution of genes within groups and populations, the effect of conspecifics on survival and recruitment, the influence of group composition and size on dispersal rates, or the assessment of the impact of ecological disturbances (habitat fragmentation, diseases…) relative to social systems variations. Insights about these influences are relevant to the evolutionary biology and preservation of mammals and other species.The goal of our conference is to bring together an international group of leading researchers, to examine current and recent researches on the topics mentioned above, to provide a prospective view on future researches of these topics, and to explore possibilities of new collaboration among diverse research groups. We have planned that the conference should result in the publication of papers in a supplementary issue of a scientific journal publishing on behavioral ecology, evolution or conservation biology.
We propose the conference to be organized around 2 major themes: Social organization and demographic structure – The influence of philopatry, polygyny, dispersal bias among sexes, natal sex ratio, social reproductive suppression, kin selection and kin discrimination, on demographic structure; Social organization and genetic structure – The effects of social organization and group dynamics, the role of group fission, fission-fusion social systems, sex biased dispersal, the influence of dominance rank (lineages or individuals), mate choice on the distribution of relatedness and gene diversity of neutral and functional (for instance MHC) genes. The conference will mix theoretical and empirical approaches, scientific questions with methodological issues.
The conference will be organized with presentation and discussion sessions. It will be limited to about 40 speakers including senior researchers (see also the provisional program) in different themes of the conference.
© 2010 CNRS UMR 6553 Ecobio