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Peter Korsten
Visiting Researcher (funded by Flanders Science Foundation)
Location: Room 134, Ashworth Laboratory
Telephone: 0131 650
5440
Email: peter.korsten@ed.ac.uk
Biography
| 2008 – present | Marie Curie Postdoctoral Fellow, Institute of Evolutionary Biology, The University of Edinburgh, UK |
| 2008 | Alexander von Humboldt Postdoctoral Fellow, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany |
| 2006 | Visiting Research Fellow (Oct-Nov). Australian National University, Canberra, Australia |
| 2000-2006 | PhD: ‘Avian sex allocation and ornamental coloration – A study on blue tits’, University of Groningen, The Netherlands |
Research Interests
I am an evolutionary ecologist with strong interests in behavioural ecology and quantitative and molecular genetics, using wild bird and mammal populations as model systems. More specifically, my research centres on sexual selection, sexual conflict and sex allocation. In my research, I make use of a variety of different methods, such as quantitative genetic modelling, molecular sexing and parentage analysis, SNP genotyping, and spectroscopy for measuring plumage coloration.
Research projects
Current project
1) Sexual conflict in a wild population of Soay sheep
Genes that lead to high fitness in males may be disadvantageous for females and vice versa. This is because males and females generally need very different attributes to be successful in the battle for survival and reproduction. Such sexually antagonistic genetic effects may contribute to the maintenance of genetic variation in natural populations despite expected erosion under selection. If sexually antagonistic genetic variation is common in nature this will also have implications for ‘good genes’ theories of sexual selection, because ‘good genes’ in one sex may actually be ‘bad genes’ in the other. In this EU funded project (Marie Curie Fellowship), I apply quantitative genetic models using detailed life-history and pedigree data from a wild island population of Soay sheep (Ovis aries) living on St Kilda to test for the presence of sexually antagonistic genetic effects.
Previous projects
2) DRD4 polymorphism and personality variation in wild great tits
The genomics revolution has led to the exciting opportunity to study the genetic basis of traits influencing fitness in wild populations. In this study, we tested for an association between a SNP polymorphism of a dopamine receptor gene (DRD4; SNP830 C/T) and variation in a personality trait – exploratory behaviour – across four wild great tit (Parus major) populations. We showed that there is a significant association between DRD4 SNP830 genotype and exploratory behaviour in one population, but not in three others. An important challenge is to understand these population differences. The identification of genetic polymorphisms underlying fitness traits offers the potential to study current selection on specific gene variants in wild populations (i.e. micro-evolution). Main collaborators: Bart Kempenaers and Jakob Mueller, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany.
3) Sexual selection and sex allocation in wild blue tits
Sexual organisms face two major dilemmas in their reproduction: (1) first, which mate(s) to choose, and thereafter, (2) how much to invest in the production of male versus female offspring? Sex allocation theory predicts that selection should favour females that produce more sons when mated with more attractive males. However, we show that empirical evidence from a wild population of blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) only partly supports this theory. In this study, we made spectrometric measurements of the plumage of wild blue tits and manipulated the coloration of males to investigate the influence of male plumage colour on female sex allocation. We used molecular sex identification methods to be able to measure offspring sex ratios just after hatching and parentage analysis to study male reproductive success. Main collaborator: Jan Komdeur, University of Groningen, The Netherlands.
Publications
2010
Korsten P, Mueller JC, Hermannstädter C, Bouwman KM, Dingemanse NJ, Drent PJ, Liedvogel M, Matthysen E, van Oers K, van Overveld T, Patrick SC, Quinn JL, Sheldon BC, Tinbergen JM, Kempenaers B (2010) Association between DRD4 gene polymorphism and personality variation in great tits: a test across four wild populations. Molecular Ecology 19: 829-840.
2009
Kingma SA, Komdeur J, Vedder O, von Engelhardt N, Korsten P, Groothuis TGG. (2009) Manipulation of male attractiveness induces rapid changes in avian maternal yolk androgen deposition. Behavioral Ecology 20: 172-179.
Korsten P, Clutton-Brock T, Pilkington JG, Pemberton JM, Kruuk LEB (2009) Sexual conflict in twins: male co-twins reduce fitness of female Soay sheep. Biology Letters 5: 663-666.
2008
Vedder O, Korsten P, Magrath MJL, Komdeur J (2008) Ultraviolet plumage does not signal social status in free-living blue tits; an experimental test. Behavioral Ecology 19: 410-416.
2007
Brommer JE, Korsten P, Bouwman KM, Berg ML, Komdeur J (2007) Is extrapair mating random? On the probability distribution of extrapair young in avian broods. Behavioral Ecology 18: 895-904.
Johnsen A, Fidler AE, Kuhn S, Carter KL, Hoffmann A, Barr IR, Biard C, Charmantier A, Eens M, Korsten P, Siitari H, Tomiuk J, Kempenaers B (2007) Avian Clock gene polymorphism: evidence for a latitudinal cline in allele frequencies. Molecular Ecology 16: 4867-4880.
Korsten P, Vedder O, Szentirmai I, Komdeur J (2007) Absence of status signalling by structurally based ultraviolet plumage in wintering blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus). Behavioral Ecology Sociobiology 61: 1933-1943.
Korsten P, Dijkstra TH, Komdeur J (2007) Is UV signalling involved in male-male territorial conflict in the blue tit (Cyanistes caeruleus)? A new experimental approach. Behaviour 144: 447-470.
Korsten P, Limbourg T, Lessells CM, Komdeur J (2007) Effectiveness of a commonly-used technique for experimentally reducing plumage UV reflectance. Journal of Avian Biology 38: 399-403.
Müller W, Lessells CM, Korsten P, von Engelhardt, N (2007) Manipulative signals in family conflict? On the function of maternal yolk hormones in birds. American Naturalist 169: E84-96.
Vedder O, Kingma SA, von Engelhardt N, Korsten P, Groothuis TGG, Komdeur J (2007) First report of conspecific brood parasitism in blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus): does it occur as a rare but adaptive strategy? Journal of Avian Biology 38: 625-629.
2006
Korsten P, Lessells CM, Mateman AC, van der Velde M, Komdeur J (2006) Primary sex ratio adjustment to experimentally reduced male UV attractiveness in blue tits. Behavioral Ecology 17: 539-546.
2004
Reneerkens J, Korsten P (2004) Plumage reflectance is not affected by preen wax composition in red knots Calidris canutus. Journal of Avian Biology 35: 405-409.
PhD thesis
Korsten P (2006) Avian sex allocation and ornamental coloration: a study on blue tits, University of Groningen, The Netherlands. http://irs.ub.rug.nl/ppn/298509423