Jeremy Hyman Research Interests

My research interests are in communication and social interactions in territorial systems. Territorial male songbirds interact with a network of neighbors around them, and develop complex social interactions with these neighbors that can have profound impacts on their breeding success. These interactions can be competitive, including competition for extra-pair copulations with their neighbor's mates. Other interactions appear more cooperative, such as the reduced aggression seen between familiar neighbors, known as the "dear enemy effect." My current research on song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), focuses on individual variation in the strength of territory defense. Despite the fact that holding a territory is essential for a male song sparrow to gain reproductive success, there is considerable individual variation in just how strongly males defend their territory. In this project, we hope to uncover some of the causes of this individual variation, and to determine what consequences this might have on the reproductive success of individual males.

	Jeremy Hyman
	My research interests are in communication and social interactions in territorial systems. Territorial male songbirds interact with a network of neighbors around them, and develop complex social interactions with these neighbors that can have profound impacts on their breeding success. These interactions can be competitive, including competition for extra-pair copulations with their neighbor's mates. Other interactions appear more cooperative, such as the reduced aggression seen between familiar neighbors, known as the "dear enemy effect." My current research on song sparrows (Melospiza melodia), focuses on individual variation in the strength of territory defense. Despite the fact that holding a territory is essential for a male song sparrow to gain reproductive success, there is considerable individual variation in just how strongly males defend their territory. In this project, we hope to uncover some of the causes of this individual variation, and to determine what consequences this might have on the reproductive success of individual males.
	Recent Publications: Hyman, J., Hughes, M. Territory owners discriminate between aggressive and non-aggressive neighbours. Animal Behaviour. In press. Hyman, J. 2005. Seasonal variation in response to neighbours and strangers by a territorial songbird. Ethology, 111: 951-961. Hyman, J., Hughes, M., Searcy, W.A., Nowicki, S. 2004. Individual variation in the strength of territorial defense in male song sparrows: Correlates of age, territory tenure, and neighbor aggressiveness. Behaviour. 141:15-27. Ballentine, B., Hyman, J., Nowicki, S. 2004. Vocal performance influences female response to male bird song: an experimental test. Behavioral Ecology . 15:163-168. Hyman, J. 2003. Countersinging as a signal of aggression in a territorial songbird. Animal Behaviour . 65:1179-1185. Click here for PDF Hyman, J. 2002. Conditional strategies in territory defense: Do Carolina wrens play tit-for-tat? Behavioral Ecology . 13: 664-669. Click here for PDF Hyman, J. & Pruett-Jones, S. 1995. Natural History of the Monk Parakeet in Hyde Park, Chicago. Wilson Bulletin of Ornithology. 107: 510-517. Link to Jeremy's CV
Nowicki lab home	Website last modified January 2005 email: nowicki@duke.edu