Doctoral Students

Margaux Rat MSc (France) John Day building 2.20 Tel:  +27 (0)21 650 3110 Fax: +27 (0)21 650 3295 Email: margaux.rat@uct.ac.za

About Margaux

In the course of my higher education I have focused mainly on the fields of evolutionary biology and behavioural ecology. I am particularly interested in investigating the processes and patterns of social and sexual selection and the emphasis of my masters thesis was on the latter. Under the supervision of Adeline Loyau (CR Biological station CNRS of Moulis, France), and in collaboration with Jeremie Cornuau (PhD student, Biological station CNRS of Moulis, France), I designed experiments to test whether female newts (Lissotriton helveticus) use multiple signals (behavioural and morphological) to choose their mates. In my PhD project on sociable weavers I get the opportunity to intertwine sexual and social selection theories.

Thesis title

The role of dominance in cooperative behaviour and sexual selection in the Sociable Weaver (Philetairus socius) (Supervisor: Rita Covas)