Why do individuals cooperate?  This remains one of the most important outstanding evolutionary questions of this century, and a question that is currently being tackled by psychologists, evolutionary biologists, economists and sociologists alike. In this talk, I will describe my research program on the evolution of cooperation based on an unusually social species of fish, Neolamprologus pulcher from Lake Tanganyika in Africa. I will review our recent studies that reach across the behavioural, neurophysiological and molecular levels to more comprehensively understand the evolution of complex phenomenon such cooperation and conflict in social groups.

Sigal Balshine is a expert in behavioural ecology and animal behaiour specializing in understanding the evolution of reproductive behaviour and sociality.  She received  her B.Sc. from the University of Toronto (Zoology), her Ph.D.  Cambridge England (Zoology) and after several postdoctoral fellowships (held in Israel, Austria and England) she arrived at McMaster in 2000.

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