X. Zhan
Research interests
PhD project: Competition as a driver of eco-evolutionary dynamics - Linking individual aggression and environmental quality to reproductive performance
I am studying the combined effects of phenotype (aggression) and environmental quality in driving dispersal, settlement and fitness (reproductive performance) using a long-term individual-based population study of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). Aggression is expressed during intraspecific competition over finite resources (food, territories, mates) essential for survival and reproduction. However, there are still knowledge gaps in our understanding of the trade-offs governing the eco-evolutionary causes and consequences of aggressive behavior. My PhD project aims at: (1) Testing for phenotype-environment correlation between aggression and territory quality; (2) Assessing the role of individual aggression in mate selection and the fitness consequences for each sex; (3) Documenting the links between individual aggression, environmental quality and breeding dispersal; (4) Providing a systematic review and/or meta-analysis on the trade-off between resource acquisition and resource utilization. This project will shed light on the role of among-individual variation in aggression in driving competition-induced phenotype-environment correlation and its implications for the adaptive potential of natural populations in a changing environment.