Kin-recognition abilities and nepotism as a function of sociality

Proceedings. Biological Sciences
Jill M Mateo

Abstract

Despite widespread interest in kin selection and nepotism, relatively little is known about the perceptual abilities of animals to recognize their relatives. Here I show that a highly nepotistic species, Belding's ground squirrels (Spermophilus beldingi), produces odours from at least two sources that correlate with relatedness ('kin labels'), and that ground squirrels can use these odours to make accurate discriminations among never before encountered ('unfamiliar') kin. Recognition odours appear to vary linearly with relatedness, rather than in an all-or-none fashion, allowing precise estimates of kinship even among distant relatives. Thus S. beldingi are able to recognize their distant kin and male kin, even though they do not treat them preferentially. I also show that a closely related species (S. lateralis) similarly produces kin labels and discriminates among kin, although it shows no evidence of kin-directed behaviour. Thus, contrary to a commonly held assumption, kin favouritism and recognition abilities can evolve independently, depending on variation in the costs and benefits of nepotism for a given species.

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Citations

Mar 27, 2003·Animal Cognition·Jill M Mateo, Robert E Johnston
Jun 18, 2005·Physiology & Behavior·Michael H Ferkin, Hong Z Li
May 17, 2006·Trends in Ecology & Evolution·Marc Bekoff, Paul W Sherman
Aug 14, 2003·Behavioural Processes·Malgorzata Kruczek, Aniela Golas
Oct 28, 2010·Chemical Senses·Yao-Hua Zhang, Jian-Xu Zhang
Dec 14, 2012·Biology Letters·Sarah LeclaireTim H Clutton-Brock
Jul 26, 2002·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Bryan D Neff, Paul W Sherman
Sep 30, 2005·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·Josephine TodrankGiora Heth
Apr 18, 2007·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Anja Widdig
Sep 18, 2012·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·R H Wiley
Apr 2, 2014·Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society of London. Series B, Biological Sciences·Helen C LeggettSarah E Reece
Jun 21, 2011·Annual Review of Microbiology·Joan E StrassmannDavid C Queller
May 14, 2014·Integrative and Comparative Biology·Jill M Mateo
Nov 21, 2012·Behavioural Processes·Maria Sol Fanjul, Roxana Rita Zenuto
Jan 31, 2007·Physiology & Behavior·Erin M AblesJill M Mateo
Mar 10, 2004·Biological Reviews of the Cambridge Philosophical Society·Shinichi Nakagawa, Joseph R Waas
Oct 4, 2006·Developmental Psychobiology·Jill M Mateo
Nov 15, 2011·Molecular Ecology·Eli GeffenRobert K Wayne
Sep 18, 2015·Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology·Dana PfefferleAnja Widdig
Aug 19, 2015·Behavioural Processes·Jennifer Hamilton, Jennifer Vonk
Sep 19, 2006·Current Biology : CB·Mark E Hauber, Rebecca J Safran
Aug 24, 2007·Current Biology : CB·Stuart A WestAndy Gardner
Aug 2, 2016·Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology·Daphne KerhoasAnja Widdig
May 1, 2016·Journal of Chemical Ecology·Virginia J Emery, Neil D Tsutsui
Jan 18, 2017·Journal of Theoretical Biology·Tamas David-Barrett, Robin I M Dunbar
Sep 3, 2010·Journal of Cheminformatics·Barry HardySylvia Escher
Oct 24, 2019·PloS One·Martina LattoreJulia Schroeder
Jul 21, 2020·Molecular Ecology·Delphine De MoorOliver Schülke
Aug 1, 2016·Current Zoology·Oranit GiladXiaoping Zhou
Nov 25, 2016·Proceedings. Biological Sciences·A Bradley DuthieJane M Reid
Aug 16, 2018·Current Zoology·Yi RenBaoguo Li
Sep 1, 2008·Ethology : Formerly Zeitschrift Für Tierpsychologie·Michael H FerkinStan Franklin
Mar 1, 2017·Physiology & Behavior·Jill M Mateo
Apr 20, 2010·The Journal of Experimental Biology·Aurélie CélérierFrancesco Bonadonna

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