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Andy Young

@andyyoung.bsky.social

Evolutionary Biologist - Social Evolution & Ageing (animalsocieties.org) Study sparrow-weavers, badgers & microbes @ #ExeterCEC in Cornwall UK Director MSc Evolutionary & Behavioural Ecology #ExeterGSES Rock climber, sea kayaker, father of twins

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Andy Young @andyyoung.bsky.social · 29/11/2024

* NEW #PhD * #Evolution #Ecology of Immune #Senesence in Wild Badgers - exciting project with me, @btschirren.bsky.social & our awesome collaborators @ APHA. Based at @exetercec.bsky.social in Cornwall, UK. !PLEASE SHARE! See www.animalsocieties.org and apply: www.exeter.ac.uk/study/fundin... 🌏 🧪 🦑

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Andy Young @andyyoung.bsky.social · 17/11/2023

2/3 We show helpers reduce mum's post-natal workload (see pic) – may allow mums to invest > in egg (which only mums can do). And/or: We know helpers increase overall nestling feeding rate (tinyurl.com/38kv8jp2) - may increase mum's benefit from investing in the egg. Or: not adaptive (modest effect!)

Maternal reaction norms to female helper numbers. With increasing female helper numbers, mothers increase their egg size but decrease their chick feeding rates.

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Andy Young @andyyoung.bsky.social · 17/11/2023

*New #evolution paper* Sparrow-weaver mothers lay larger eggs when they will have more help feeding the resulting chicks. Maternal reaction norms to help are *opposite* for egg size & nestling feeding rate. Cool. But why do this? 1 of 3... Fine work @p_capi on X. tinyurl.com/2djsp6zd #ExeterCEC 🌍🧪🦉

Sparrow-weavers! A dominant breeding pair on the left (male has dark bill, female pale bill, in this subspecies). They can have up to 10 non-breeding adult helpers in their cooperatively breeding family. And a brood of three chicks on the right. Photos my own.

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Andy Young @andyyoung.bsky.social · 15/11/2023

#HiSky! My lab study Social #Evolution & Senescence in families via.. - Fieldwork on birds (Kalahari weavers) & mammals (badgers) - Single-cell res studies of #microbes We dig unicellular #ageing, parental age effects, #inflammaging, #cooperation in variable enviros, social plasticity 🌍🧪🦠 #ExeterCEC

Our main fluffy study organisms - white-browed sparrow weaver & European badger. Photos my own.

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