Contact
Phone: +31(0)50-363 7726
Email: c.a.botero (AT: rug.nl)
Room: E 0245
Project: Realistic models of animal conflict resolution and the honesty of conventional signals
Conventional signals are signals of communication that are arbitrarily linked to a specific context, are fairly easy to fake, and are often used in contexts in which senders could benefit from lying. Previous theoretical work has shed some light on the evolution of these signals but has failed to recognize that they tend to be used in interactions that (1) proceed in multiple stages, (2) include multiple signals of varying intensity, and (3) occur within the context of signaling networks. Such features can drastically alter the equilibrium structure of games and thus need to be considered carefully. I am currently developing a general theory for the evolution of conventional signals that takes into account these features and is sufficiently mechanistic to be tested in the field.
Publications
C.A. Botero, R.J. Rossman, L.M. Caro, L.M. Stenzler, I.J. Lovette & S.L. Vehrencamp (2008): Syllable consistency is related
to age, social status, and reproductive success in the tropical mockingbird. Animal Behaviour, in press.
C.A. Botero, A.E. Mudge, A.M. Koltz, W.M. Hochachka & S.L. Vehrencamp (2008): How reliable are the methods for estimating
repertoire size? Ethology 114, 1227–1238.
E. Amat, J. Olano, F. Forero & C.A. Botero (2007): Notes on Philornis vulgaris (Couri, 1984) (Diptera: Muscidae) in nests of the tropical mockingbird Mimus gilvus (Vieillot, 1808) in the Colombian Andes. Acta Zoológica Mexicana 23, 205-207.
C.A. Botero, J. M. Riveros & S. L. Vehrencamp (2007): Relative threat and recognition ability in the responses of tropical mockingbirds to song playback. Animal Behavior 73, 661-669.
C.A. Botero & S.L. Vehrencamp (2007): Responses of tropical mockingbirds to variation in within-song and between-song versatility. Auk 124, 185-196.
C.A. Botero (2002): Is the white-flanked antwren (Formicariidae: Myrmotherula axillaris) a nuclear species in mixed-species flocks? A field experiment. Journal of Field Ornithology 73, 74-81.
C.A. Botero (2001): First specimen of the Ecuadorian cacique (Icterinae: Cacicus sclateri) from Colombia with notes on its nesting behavior. Wilson Bulletin 113, 327-328.
C.D. Cadena, M. Alvarez, J.L. Parra, I. Jiménez, C.A. Mejía, M. Santamaría, A.M. Franco, C.A. Botero, G.D. Mejía, A.M. Umaña, A. Calixto, J. Aldana and G.A. Londoño (2000): The birds of CIEM, Tinigua National Park, Colombia: an overview of 13 years of ornithological research. Cotinga 13, 46-54.
Scientific Career
2008
Postdoctoral researcher in the Theoretical Biology Group and Animal Ecology Group, University of Groningen, the Netherlands: NWO Rubicon Grant for the project Realistic models of animal conflict resolution and the honesty of conventional signals.
2007
Teaching associate at the Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University: theory and lab sections for the course Methods in Animal Behavior.
Ph.D. Cornell University, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior. Ithaca, NY.
1999
Magna cum Laude and BSc. in Biology Universidad de los Andes, Colombia.
