Award: IOS-1701657

Negotiations Over Offspring Care: A Test of Alternative Hypotheses Using the Clown Anemonefish Conflict is a pervasive feature of animal societies. Potential conflicts arise whenever the interests of interacting individuals are not wholly aligned. Therefore any social interaction between individuals that are not genetically identical involves potential conflict. Yet many social interactions require individuals to reach some form of compromise to avoid actual conflict. Biparental care is a striking illustration of this: it represents a coordinated, cooperative outcome to an interaction that is rife with conflict. In species with biparental care, both parents benefit from shifting the burden of care to the other and reaping the benefits of care without paying the costs. Studying how conflict among caring parents is resolved is critical to understanding why animals, including humans, form such alliances. Traditionally, theoretical models of conflict between parents assume that each parent?s investment is a ?sealed bid,? i.e. there is no opportunity to respond to each other?s behavior. While this type of model has been highly influential, such a sealed bid is not evolutionarily stable because an individual that can modify their behavior will be able to exploit the other parent?s fixed response. More realistic models of negotiation therefore assume that parents can respond to each other?s efforts. Models of negotiation have yielded a suite of alternative hypotheses for how individuals will respond to their partner in varying contexts. Despite these advances, there are gaps in the body of theory and empirical tests of model predictions have focused on just one hypothesis, limiting the strength of inference and the generality of the findings. The overall objective of this proposal was to develop new theory for understanding negotiations over parental care and test a suite of plausible alternative hypotheses for the factors that govern negotiations. New game theoretic models were to be developed in collaboration with Dr. Suzanne Alonzo at the University of California at Santa Cruz. The empirical test of alternative hypotheses was to be conducted using the clown anemonefish in the field in Papua New Guinea, in collaboration with Dr. Geoff Jones and Dr. Maya Srinivasan at James Cook University in Australia. The project was to enhance the dissertation research of Ms. Tina Barbasch, enabling her to conduct fieldwork, develop national and international collaborations, and provide the foundations for her to become a leader in the field of animal behavior. Intellectual Merit. The proposed research had two specific objectives. Objective 1)To develop a general model that provides testable predictions for how individuals will negotiate when there is an asymmetry in power. In collaboration with Dr. Suzanne Alonzo, we have developed a game theoretic model describing how asymmetric power and punishment influence negotiations over parental care. Given that asymmetries in power are common in systems exhibiting bi-parental care, this model will have broad applicability. Objective 2)To conduct a test of alternative hypotheses of the factors that influence the outcome of negotiations. In collaboration with Dr. Geoff Jones and Dr. Maya Srinivasan, we have conducted an empirical test of alternative hypotheses for how parents respond to changes in each other?s efforts in the clown anemonefish Amphiprion percula. This is one of the first studies to explicitly test the predictions of alternative hypotheses for negotiations over parental care. As such, it will provide a conceptual framework that will enable investigators to discriminate among the alternative hypotheses using their own model system. Taken together, our completion of these two objectives has the potential to transform our understanding of negotiations over parental care. Broader Impacts. 1) Integration of research and teaching. The grant supported Co-PI Barbasch, her dissertation research and professional development. She received training in animal behavior, marine ecology, mathematical modeling, long-term fieldwork and scientific diving. Co-PI Barbasch is close to completing her PhD and is actively seeking a postdoctoral position in the field of animal behavior. 2) Broaden participation of underrepresented groups. The grant supported many undergraduates and high school students recruited from groups traditionally underrepresented in STEM fields, and many of these have gone on to careers in STEM. 3) Broad dissemination to enhance public understanding. The PIs gave talks on their research at Walindi Plantation Resort, and assisted with education programs at Mahonia Na Dari Research and Conservation center, in Papua New Guinea. Results have been, and continue to be, broadly disseminated to the scientific community and general public via publications in high impact journals, presentations at national and international conferences, and press releases. Last Modified: 07/04/2019 Submitted by: Peter Buston