| Affiliations: | Ecology and Evolutionary Biology |
| Project Leader: | Amanda Beckman akb13@tamu.edu Biology |
| Faculty Mentor: | Dr. Michael Morrison, Ph.D. |
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Meeting Times:
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TBD |
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Team Size:
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2 (Team Full) |
| Open Spots: | 0 |
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Special Opportunities:
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Hands-on experience trapping and handling Wild Turkeys, learning different behavioral and ecological field methods
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Team Needs:
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We are looking for volunteer field technicians for (approximately) December 12-23, and/or December 26-January 11 (this time can be used to fulfill a spring research/internship credit if necessary). Field work will include baiting nets, checking trail cameras, and behavioral observations as a team, so you must be comfortable working outdoors in a relatively remote field site. Current students or students that have a degree in any life science field may apply. Either transportation will be provided to/from College Station and/or Kingsville, or carpooling will be organized. Housing will be provided at the field site.
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Description:
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Cooperative display coalitions, groups where an alpha male mates but one or more males assist in attracting females, occur in some animal mating systems. Coalitions of male Rio Grande Wild Turkeys are an ideal system to investigate how cooperation may vary in groups of individuals varying in relatedness. Promiscuous males and females can lead to some coalitions being made up of brothers, half-brothers, or unrelated individuals. This project will investigate how relatedness between individuals influences behavior, parasite presence, and ability to attract females. Turkeys will be captured with drop nets so a blood sample can be obtained, and wing tags with unique numbers will be attached to each turkey for behavioral observations. This study will provide new information about cooperation, and the behavior of Wild Turkeys
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