Prof Tamas Szekely
Profile
Research Interests
Mating systems and parental behaviour
Family life is rife with conflicts. Not only the interests of parents and their offspring may be different, but the male and the female parents may also disagree how much care each should provide for their offspring.
My group investigates bird species to understand how conflict and cooperation influences family lives. We study birds in their natural populations, and build mathematical models to understand their behaviour. In plovers the sexual conflict is expressed when the chicks hatch: in some families the female, whereas in others the male, abandons the brood. We have discovered that the parents carefully evaluate the costs and benefits of this tug-of-war, and now we are investigating whether their behaviour has any genetic basis.
Penduline tits have one of the most exciting mating systems: both parents start looking for a new mate before they actually complete their clutch. What determines whether the male or the female cares for the chicks? How do parents solve their conflict? In this project we are aiming to understand some of the basic components of sexual conflict over mating & care.
Breeding systems in shorebirds
Shorebirds have exceptionally diverse breeding systems. Some shorebirds are polygamous, whether others are monogamous, or polyandrous. Why do shorebirds exhibit this unusual diversity? How did this diversity evolve? To answer these questions my group is using phylogenetic analyses.
Conservation of wetland birds
Many waterbird populations are declining. We carry out fieldwork in some of the most exciting places on the planet, and use phylogenetic methods to identify what makes a species decline. If you live in a country where endangered waterbirds live, we like to hear from you.
Collaborations
I have ongoing collaborations with several research institutions that include University of Groningen, Bristol University and Debrecen University.
Publications
Moghadam, H. K., Harrison, P. W., Zachar, G., Székely, T. and Mank, J. E., 2013. The plover neurotranscriptome assembly : transcriptomic analysis in an ecological model species without a reference genome. Molecular Ecology Resources, 13 (4), pp. 696-705.
Williamson, L., Hudson, M., O'Connell, M., Davidson, N., Young, R., Amano, T. and Székely, T., 2013. Areas of high diversity for the world's inland-breeding waterbirds. Biodiversity and Conservation, 22 (6-7), pp. 1501-1512.
Burns, F., McCulloch, N., Székely, T. and Bolton, M., 2013. The impact of introduced predators on an island endemic, the St Helena Plover, Charadrius sanctaehelenae. Bird Conservation International, 23 (2), pp. 125-135.
Ramm, S.A., Jonker, R.M., Reinhold, K., Székely, T., Trillmich, F., Schmoll, T., Schielzeth, H. and Freckleton, R.P., 2013. Comment on "Bateman in nature: Predation on offspring reduces the potential for sexual selection". Science, 340 (6132), p. 549.
Vincze, O., Székely, T., Küpper, C., AlRashidi, M., Amat, J.A., Argüelles Ticó, A., Burgas, D., Burke, T., Cavitt, J., Figuerola, J., Shobrak, M., Montalvo, T. and Kosztolányi, A., 2013. Local environment but not genetic differentiation influences biparental care in ten plover populations. PLoS ONE, 8 (4), e60998.
Burns, F., McCulloch, N., Szekely, T. and Bolton, M., 2013. No overall benefit of predator exclosure cages for the endangered St. Helena Plover Charadrius sanctaehelenae. Ibis, 155 (2), pp. 397-401.
García-Peña, G.E., Sol, D., Iwaniuk, A.N. and Székely, T., 2013. Sexual selection on brain size in shorebirds (Charadriiformes). Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 26 (4), pp. 878-888.
Liker, A., Freckleton, R. P. and Székely, T., 2013. The evolution of sex roles in birds is related to adult sex ratio. Nature Communications, 4, 1587.
Pogány, A., van Dijk, R.E., Menyhárt, O., Miklósi, A., DeVoogd, T.J. and Székely, T., 2013. Acoustic signalling in eurasian penduline tits remiz pendulinus : Repertoire size signals male nest defence. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 59 (1), pp. 81-96.
Burnside, R. J., Végvári, Z. S., James, R., Konyhás, S., Kovács, G. and Szekely, T., 2013. Forthcoming. Human disturbance and conspecifics influence display site selection by Great Bustards Otis tarda. Bird Conservation International
Burnside, R. J., Dawes, A., Ashbrook, K., Waters, D., Carter, I., Lock, L. and Szekely, T., 2013. Forthcoming. Refining reintroduction release methods: modelling post-release survival of captive-reared Great Bustards. Ibis
Ashbrook, K., Burnside, R. J., Waters, D., Carter, I., Evans, A., Green, R. and Szekely, T., 2013. Forthcoming. Sex-specific habitat use by Great Bustards in the UK. Animal Conservation
Székely, T., Remeš, V., Freckleton, R.P. and Liker, A., 2013. Forthcoming. Why care? : Inferring the evolution of complex social behaviour. Journal of Evolutionary Biology
Kupper, C., Augustin, J., Edwards, S., Szekely, T., Kosztolanyi, A., Burke, T. and Janes, D. E., 2012. Triploid plover female provides support for a role of the W chromosome in avian sex determination. Biology Letters, 8 (5), pp. 787-789.
Székely, Á. and Székely, T., 2012. Human behaviour: Sex ratio and the city. Current Biology, 22 (17), R684-R685.
AlRashidi, M., Shobrak, M., Al-Eissa, M. S. and Szekely, T., 2012. Integrating spatial data and shorebird nesting locations to predict the potential future impact of global warming on coastal habitats: A case study on Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia. Saudi Journal of Biological Sciences, 19 (3), pp. 311-315.
Burnside, R. J., Carter, I., Dawes, A., Waters, D., Lock, L., Goriup, P. and Szekely, T., 2012. The UK great bustard Otis tarda reintroduction trial: a 5-year progress report. Oryx, 46 (1), pp. 112-121.
Sutherland, W.J., Amano, T., Alves, J.A., Gill, J.A., Chang, C.H., Davidson, N.C., Max Finlayson, C., Gill, R.E., González, P.M., Gunnarsson, T.G., Kleijn, D., Spray, C.J., Székely, T. and Thompson, D.B.A., 2012. A horizon scanning assessment of current and potential future threats to migratory shorebirds. Ibis, 154 (4), pp. 663-679.
Breitling, R., Coleing, A., Peixoto, T., Nagle, H., Hancock, E. G., Kelsh, R. N. and Szekely, T., 2012. An overview of the spider fauna of Maio (Cape Verde Islands), with some additional recent records (Arachnida, Araneae). Zoologia Caboverdiana, 2 (2), pp. 43-52.
Van Dijk, R. E., Szekely, T., Komdeur, J., Pogány, A., Fawcett, T. W. and Weissing, F. J., 2012. Individual variation and the resolution of conflict over parental care in penduline tits. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279 (1735), pp. 1927-1936.
van Dijk, R.E., Komdeur, J. and Székely, T., 2012. Nest attendance does not predict offspring desertion by eurasian penduline tit parents. Ethology, 118 (8), pp. 703-710.
Kosztolányi, A., Küpper, C., Chastel, O., Parenteau, C., Yilmaz, K. T., Miklósi, A., Szekely, T. and Lendvai, A. Z., 2012. Prolactin stress response does not predict brood desertion in a polyandrous shorebird. Hormones and Behavior, 61 (5), pp. 734-740.
AlRashidi, M., Long, P. R., O'Connell, M., Shobrak, M. and Szekely, T., 2012. Use of remote sensing to identify suitable breeding habitat for the Kentish Plover and estimate population size along the western coast of Saudi Arabia. Wader Study Group Bulletin, 118 (1), pp. 32-39.
Vegvari, Z., Barta, Z., Mustakallio, P. and Szekely, T., 2011. Consistent avoidance of human disturbance over large geographical distances by a migratory bird. Biology Letters, 7 (6), pp. 814-817.
Moore, J. M., Szekely, T., Buki, J. and DeVoogd, T. J., 2011. Motor pathway convergence predicts syllable repertoire size in oscine birds. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 108 (39), pp. 16440-16445.
AlRashidi, M., Kosztolanyi, A., Shobrak, M., Kupper, C. and Szekely, T., 2011. Parental cooperation in an extreme hot environment: natural behaviour and experimental evidence. Animal Behaviour, 82 (2), pp. 235-243.
Kosztolanyi, A., Barta, Z., Kupper, C. and Szekely, T., 2011. Persistence of an extreme male-biased adult sex ratio in a natural population of polyandrous bird. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 24 (8), pp. 1842-1846.
Kelsh, R. N., Szekely, T. and Stuart, S., 2011. Why should biomedical scientists care about biodiversity? Current Biology, 21 (6), R210-R211.
St Clair, J. J. H., Poncet, S., Sheehan, D. K., Szekely, T. and Hilton, G. M., 2011. Responses of an island endemic invertebrate to rodent invasion and eradication. Animal Conservation, 14 (1), pp. 66-73.
AlRashidi, M., Kosztolanyi, A., Shobrak, M. and Szekely, T., 2011. Breeding ecology of the Kentish Plover, Charadrius alexandrinus, in the Farasan Islands, Saudi Arabia (Aves: Charadriiformes). Zoology in the Middle East, 53, pp. 15-24.
Rheindt, F. E., Szekely, T., Edwards, S. V., Lee, P. L. M., Burke, T., Kennerley, P. R., Bakewell, D. N., Alrashidi, M., Kosztolanyi, A., Weston, M. A., Liu, W. T., Lei, W. P., Shigeta, Y., Javed, S., Zefania, S. and Kupper, C., 2011. Conflict between genetic and phenotypic differentiation: The evolutionary history of a 'lost and rediscovered' shorebird. PLoS ONE, 6 (11), e26995.
Remes, V. and Szekely, T., 2010. Domestic chickens defy Rensch's rule: sexual size dimorphism in chicken breeds. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 23 (12), pp. 2754-2759.
Kupper, C., Kosztolanyi, A., Augustin, J., Dawson, D. A., Burke, T. and Szekely, T., 2010. Heterozygosity-fitness correlations of conserved microsatellite markers in Kentish plovers Charadrius alexandrinus. Molecular Ecology, 19 (23), pp. 5172-5185.
Zefania, S., Emilienne, R., Faria, P. J., Bruford, M. W., Long, P. R. and Szekely, T., 2010. Cryptic sexual size dimorphism in Malagasy plovers Charadrius spp. Ostrich, 81 (3), pp. 173-178.
Van Dijk, R., Brinkhuizen, D., Szekely, T. and Komdeur, J., 2010. Parental care strategies in Eurasian penduline tit are not related to breeding densities and mating opportunities. Behaviour, 147 (12), pp. 1551-1565.
St Clair, J. J. H., Garcia-Pena, G. E., Woods, R. W. and Szekely, T., 2010. Presence of mammalian predators decreases tolerance to human disturbance in a breeding shorebird. Behavioral Ecology, 21 (6), pp. 1285-1292.
St Clair, J. J. H., Herrmann, P., Woods, R. W. and Szekely, T., 2010. Female-biased incubation and strong diel sex-roles in the Two-banded Plover Charadrius falklandicus. Journal of Ornithology, 151 (4), pp. 811-816.
Amano, T., Szekely, T., Koyama, K., Amano, H. and Sutherland, W. J., 2010. A framework for monitoring the status of populations: An example from wader populations in the East Asian-Australasian flyway. Biological Conservation, 143 (9), pp. 2238-2247.
Van Dijk, R. E., Mészáros, L. A., Velde, M., Székely, T., Pogány, A., Szabad, J. and Komdeur, J., 2010. Nest desertion is not predicted by cuckoldry in the Eurasian penduline tit. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 64 (9), pp. 1425-1435.
Brede, E. G., Long, P., Zefania, S., Rabenandrasana, M., Szekely, T. and Bruford, M., 2010. PCR primers for microsatellite loci in a Madagascan waterbird, the Sakalava Rail (Amaurornis olivieri). Conservation Genetics Resources, 2, pp. 273-277.
Webb, T. J., Olson, V. A., Szekely, T. and Freckleton, R. P., 2010. Who cares? Quantifying the evolution of division of parental effort. Methods in Ecology and Evolution, 1 (3), pp. 221-230.
Van Dijk, R. E., Pogany, A., Komdeur, J., Lloyd, P. and Szekely, T., 2010. Sexual conflict predicts morphology and behavior in two species of penduline tits. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 10, 107.
St Clair, J. J. H., Kuepper, C., Herrmann, P., Woods, R. W. and Szekely, T., 2010. Unusual incubation sex-roles in the Rufous-chested Dotterel Charadrius modestus. Ibis, 152 (2), pp. 402-404.
Sol, D., Garcia, N., Iwaniuk, A., Davis, K., Meade, A., Boyle, W. A. and Szekely, T., 2010. Evolutionary divergence in brain size between migratory and resident birds. PLoS ONE, 5 (3), e9617.
AlRashidi, M., Kosztolanyi, A., Kupper, C., Cuthill, I. C., Javed, S. and Szekely, T., 2010. The influence of a hot environment on parental cooperation of a ground-nesting shorebird, the Kentish plover Charadrius alexandrinus. Frontiers in Zoology, 7 (1).
Moskat, C., Ban, M., Szekely, T., Komdeur, J., Lucassen, R. W. G., van Boheemen, L. A. and Hauber, M. E., 2010. Discordancy or template-based recognition? Dissecting the cognitive basis of the rejection of foreign eggs in hosts of avian brood parasites. The Journal of Experimental Biology, 213 (11), pp. 1976-1983.
Kosztolanyi, A., Javed, S., Kupper, C., Cuthill, I., Al Shamsi, A. and Szekely, T., 2009. Breeding ecology of Kentish Plover Charadrius alexandrinus in an extremely hot environment. Bird Study, 56 (2), pp. 244-252.
Olson, V. A., Webb, T. J., Freckleton, R. P. and Szekely, T., 2009. Are parental care trade-offs in shorebirds driven by parental investment or sexual selection? Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 22 (4), pp. 672-682.
Garcia-Pena, G. E., Thomas, G. H., Reynolds, J. D. and Szekely, T., 2009. Breeding systems, climate, and the evolution of migration in shorebirds. Behavioral Ecology, 20 (5), pp. 1026-1033.
Tjorve, K. M. C., Garcia Pena, G. E. and Szekely, T., 2009. Chick growth rates in Charadriiformes: comparative analyses of breeding climate, development mode and parental care. Journal of Avian Biology, 40 (5), pp. 553-558.
Rabenandrasana, M., Zefania, S., Long, P., Seing, S. T., Virginie, M. C., Randrianarisoa, M., Safford, R. and Szekely, T., 2009. Distribution, habitat and status of 'Endangered' Sakalava Rail of Madagascar. Bird Conservation International, 19 (1), pp. 23-32.
Lislevand, T., Figuerola, J. and Szekely, T., 2009. Evolution of sexual size dimorphism in grouse and allies (Aves: Phasianidae) in relation to mating competition, fecundity demands and resource division. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 22 (9), pp. 1895-1905.
Harrison, F., Barta, Z., Cuthill, I. and Szekely, T., 2009. How is sexual conflict over parental care resolved? A meta-analysis. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 22 (9), pp. 1800-1812.
Kupper, C., Augustin, J., Kosztolanyi, A., Burke, T., Figuerola, J. and Szekely, T., 2009. Kentish versus Snowy Plover: Phenotypic and genetic analyses of Charadrius alexandrinus reveal divergence of Eurasian and American subspecies. Auk, 126 (4), pp. 839-852.
Kosztolanyi, A., Cuthill, I. C. and Szekely, T., 2009. Negotiation between parents over care: reversible compensation during incubation. Behavioral Ecology, 20 (2), pp. 446-452.
Yu, M., Ming, M., Bao-wen, H., Brinkhuizen, D. and Szekely, T., 2009. Nests and nest-site selection of White-crowned Penduline Tit Remiz coronatus in the Northern Xinjiang. Zoological Research, 30 (5), pp. 565-570.
Gergely, Z., Meszaros, L. A., Szabad, J. and Szekely, T., 2009. Old nests are cues for suitable breeding sites in the Eurasian penduline tit Remiz pendulinus. Journal of Avian Biology, 40 (1), pp. 2-6.
Kupper, C., Burke, T., Szekely, T. and Dawson, D. A., 2008. Enhanced cross-species utility of conserved microsatellite markers in shorebirds. BMC Genomics, 9, p. 20.
Pogány, Á., Szentirmai, I., Komdeur, J. and Székely, T., 2008. Sexual conflict and consistency of offspring desertion in Eurasian penduline tit Remiz pendulinus. BMC Evolutionary Biology, 8 (1), p. 242.
Serroan-Meneses, M. A., Cordoba-Aguilar, A., Azpilicueta-Amorin, M., Gonzalez-Soriano, E. and Szekely, T., 2008. Sexual selection, sexual size dimorphism and Rensch’s rule in Odonata. Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 21 (5), pp. 1259-1273.
Dawes, A. and Szekely, T., 2008. The UK Great Bustard reintroduction. Avian Biology Research, 1 (1), p. 42.
Olson, V. A., Liker, A., Freckleton, R. P. and Szekely, T., 2008. Parental conflict in birds: comparative analyses of offspring development, ecology and mating opportunities. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 275 (1632), pp. 301-307.
Zefania, S., Ffrench-Constant, R., Long, P. R. and Szekely, T., 2008. Breeding distribution and ecology of the threatened Madagascar Plover Charadrius thoracicus. Ostrich, 79 (1), pp. 43-51.
Long, P. R., Zefania, S., Ffrench-Constant, R. H. and Szekely, T., 2008. Estimating the population size of an endangered shorebird, the Madagascar plover, using a habitat suitability model. Animal Conservation, 11 (2), pp. 118-127.
Moskat, C., Szekely, T., Cuthill, I. C. and Kisbenedek, T., 2008. Hosts' responses to parasitic eggs: Which cues elicit hosts' egg discrimination? Ethology, 114 (2), pp. 186-194.
Pogany, A., Altbacker, V. and Szekely, T., 2008. Male signalling and dominance in the Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus. Acta Zoologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae, 54 (2), pp. 191-199.
Van Dijk, R. E., Komdeur, J., Velde, M., Szentirmai, I., Yang, X., Ffrench-Constant, R. and Székely, T., 2008. Offspring sex ratio in the sequentially polygamous Penduline Tit Remiz pendulinus. Journal of Ornithology, 149 (4), pp. 521-527.
Van Dijk, R. E. and Székely, T., 2008. Post-fertilization reproductive strategies. Encyclopedia of Life Sciences
Kingma, S. A., Szentirmai, I., Szekely, T., Bokony, V., Bleeker, M., Liker, A. and Komdeur, J., 2008. Sexual selection and the function of a melanin-based plumage ornament in polygamous penduline tits Remiz pendulinus. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 62 (8), pp. 1277-1288.
Van Dijk, R. E., Pilon, A. E., Szentirmai, I., Szekely, T. and Komdeur, J., 2008. The influence of habitat structure on sexual conflict over care in Penduline Tits Remiz pendulinus. Ardea, 96 Spr (1), pp. 3-11.
Szentirmai, I. and Szekely, T., 2008. The mating system of the penduline tit (Remiz pendulinus): an evolutionary race of males and females. Aquila, 114-115, pp. 103-116.
