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Research RSEE PhD courses

Life History Theory

Organizers

Dr. Corine Eising (RSEE)
Prof. Simon Verhulst (Behavioural & Physiological Ecology, GELIFES)

Course Teachers

Prof. Kees van Oers (Online - NIOO-KNAW & WUR)
Prof. Ido Pen (Theoretical Biology, GELIFES)
Prof. Koen Verhoeven (NIOO-KNAW & WUR)
Prof. Tom van Dooren (Evolutionary Ecology, CNRS, Paris)
Prof. Christiaan Both (Global Change Ecology, GELIFES)
Dr. Bernice Sepers (Bielefeld University, Germany)

2024 Special guest lecturer(s)

Prof. Gert Stulp (Sociology & Evolutionary Biology, UG)
Dr. habil. Sandra Bouwhuis (IFV - Life History Biology, Institute of Avian Research, Wilhelmshaven, Germany)

Aim of the course

Life History Theory deals with species-specific adaptive schemes of the distribution of the reproductive effort over the life of an organism. The general theoretical problem is to predict which combination of traits will evolve under specific conditions. The concepts used are also relevant to study within species variation in life history traits. The one week course aims at giving an overview of the field and will discuss methodology and recent developments.

Contents & Structure

The subject will be worked out on the basis of lectures, case histories, discussion and literature. Attention will be paid to various groups of organisms such as birds, fishes, insects and plants. The contact with current research projects is guaranteed as concrete examples will be treated by scientists working in the field. In poster sessions work and/or plans of the participating students will be discussed with the whole group and we will use computers to illustrate some of the concepts.

Topics and Teachers:
  • Life History Theory, Cost of reproduction and aging in a life history context, Calculating fitness (Simon Verhulst, GELIFES)
  • Evolutionary genomics, Personality, Epignetics and life history trade-offs (Kees van Oers, Online - NIOO-KNAW & WUR)
  • Modelling age-structured and stage-structured life, Calculating fitness Life history models, The evolution of senescence in super-organisms (Ido Pen, GELIFES)
  • Life history models with rates of development and survival, Age and size at maturity (Tom van Dooren, Evolutionary Ecology, CNRS, Paris)
  • Life history evolution in plants & Plant Epigenetics (Koen Verhoeven, NIOO-KNAW & WUR)
  • A brief history of life history research on Schiermonnikoog & Excursion (Christiaan Both, GELIFES)
  • Genetics, epigenetics and life-history trade-offs (Bernice Sepers, Bielefeld University, Germany)

Provisional Program:

Sunday 14 January 2024:
Arrival at the "Herdershut", simple meal, arrangement of lodging, short session on who is who - course venue, Field station the Herdershut , Schiermonnikoog, the Netherlands.

17.00 - 19.30
Welcome, sleeping arrangements, drinks & dinner
19.30 - 20.00
Introduction to the course (Simon Verhulst )
20.00 - 21.00
'Movie night'

Monday 15 January :

08:00-08:45
Breakfast
09:00-10:30
Simon Verhulst - The basics of life history evolution
10:30-11:00
Coffee
11:00-12:30
Simon Verhulst - Optimality in evolutionary ecology
12:30-13:30
Lunch
13:30-15:00
Ido Pen - Modelling age-structured and stage-structured life
15:00-15:30
Tea
15:30-17:30
Ido Pen - Calculating fitness (bring your own laptop!)
Life history models
18:00-19:00
Dinner
19:30-21:00
Poster presentations

Tuesday 16 January :

08:00-08:45
Breakfast
09:00-10:30
Ido Pen - The evolution of senescence in super-organisms
10:30-11:00
Coffee
11:00-12:30
Poster presentations
12:30-13:30
Lunch
13:30-15:00
Tom van Dooren - Age and size at maturity
15:00-15:30
Tea
15.30-17.30
Tom van Dooren - Life history models with rates of
development and survival
18:00-19:00
Dinner
19:30-21:00
Posters presentations

Wednesday 17 January:

08:00-08:45
Breakfast
09:00-10:30
Christiaan Both - A brief history of life history research
on Schiermonnikoog
10:30-12:30
Christiaan Both - Excursion
12:30-13:30
Lunch
13:30-15:00
Gert Stulp - An evolutionary approach towards
understanding human behavior
15:00-15:30
Tea
15:30-17:30
Gert Stulp - Workshop data visualisation
18:00-19:00
Dinner
19:30-21:00
Kees van Oers -  life-history trade-offs and
Animal personality (online)

Thursday 18 January:

08:00-08:45
Breakfast
09:00-10:30
Sandra Bouwhuis - Slow Life Histories
10:30-11:00
Coffee
11:00-12:30
Bernice Sepers - Genetics, epigenetics and
life-history trade-offs
12:30-13:30
Lunch
13:30-15:30
Koen Verhoeven - Life history evolution in plants
& Plant Epigenetics
15:30-16:00
Tea
16:00-18:00
Koen Verhoeven en Bernice Sepers -
Practical The genetic basis of life history trade-offs’
18:00-19:00
Dinner
19:30-21:00
Sandra Bouwhuis - Crisis in a longterm study: avian flu

Friday 19 January:

08:00-08:45
Breakfast
09:00-10:30
Wrapping up, evaluation & final discussion
(Bernice, Sandra & Koen - How does your own PhD project relate
to Evolution of Life histories?
10:30-11:00
Coffee
11:00-12:00
Early lunch
12:00-12.45
Packing & cleaning up
12:45-13:30
Departure for boat
13:30
Boat
General Information
Required knowledge & preparation
Poster: We ask you to make a poster on your own work to be discussed at the course. Send in your poster as pdf before 22 December 2023 at the very latest and prepare a short 5-minute powerpoint presentation (3-5 slides) to start the discussion on your poster. We will print the posters in a booklet so you can read them before the discussion.
A digital copy of the book by Roff (1992), The Evolution of Life Histories: Theory and Analysis will be made available via the RSEE Office to the course participants.
Course material
Because we will run computer simulations, PhD students should bring along their laptop.
Course credits
2.5 ECTS
Location
Field Station The Herdershut, Heereweg 10, 9166 SE, Schiermonnikoog, phone 0519-531363
Duration & date
5 days; the course starts Sunday afternoon the 14th of January and ends Friday the 19th of January 2024
Costs
The registration fee is PROVISIONALLY € 350,- for all participants belonging to the RSEE and affiliated research schools (PE&RC, WIMEK). All other participants pay € 600,-. This includes lodging, meals, and the course material at the course venue.
Participants
The number of participants is limited to 25.
Information
  • Simon Verhulst - BPE Group, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES), Linnaeusborg, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen.
  • Corine Eising - Coordinator Research School Ecology and Evolution, Linnaeusborg, P.O. Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, Phone: 0031 (0) 50 363 9140
Registration

Registration is closed.

Payment, Registration
and Cancellation
Please take note of our general course information on payment, registration and cancellation, applicable to all registrations.
Last modified:16 January 2024 4.57 p.m.