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Dominance, not kinship, determines individual position within the communal roosts of a cooperatively breeding bird

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Published

Standard

Dominance, not kinship, determines individual position within the communal roosts of a cooperatively breeding bird. / Napper, Clare J.; Sharp, Stuart P.; McGowan, Andrew et al.
In: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Vol. 67, No. 12, 12.2013, p. 2029-2039.

Research output: Contribution to Journal/MagazineJournal articlepeer-review

Harvard

Napper, CJ, Sharp, SP, McGowan, A, Simeoni, M & Hatchwell, BJ 2013, 'Dominance, not kinship, determines individual position within the communal roosts of a cooperatively breeding bird', Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, vol. 67, no. 12, pp. 2029-2039. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1613-7

APA

Napper, C. J., Sharp, S. P., McGowan, A., Simeoni, M., & Hatchwell, B. J. (2013). Dominance, not kinship, determines individual position within the communal roosts of a cooperatively breeding bird. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 67(12), 2029-2039. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-013-1613-7

Vancouver

Napper CJ, Sharp SP, McGowan A, Simeoni M, Hatchwell BJ. Dominance, not kinship, determines individual position within the communal roosts of a cooperatively breeding bird. Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 2013 Dec;67(12):2029-2039. doi: 10.1007/s00265-013-1613-7

Author

Napper, Clare J. ; Sharp, Stuart P. ; McGowan, Andrew et al. / Dominance, not kinship, determines individual position within the communal roosts of a cooperatively breeding bird. In: Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology. 2013 ; Vol. 67, No. 12. pp. 2029-2039.

Bibtex

@article{f9006d08489b49c69ce375953852c13f,
title = "Dominance, not kinship, determines individual position within the communal roosts of a cooperatively breeding bird",
abstract = "Kin selection has played an important role in the evolution and maintenance of cooperative breeding behaviour in many bird species. However, although relatedness has been shown to affect the investment decisions of helpers in such systems, less is known about the role that kin discrimination plays in other contexts, such as communal roosting. Individuals that roost communally benefit from reduced overnight heat loss, but the exact benefit derived depends on an individual's position in the roost which in turn is likely to be influenced by its position in its flock's dominance hierarchy. We studied the effects of kinship and other factors (sex, age, body size and flock sex ratio) on an individual's roosting position and dominance status in captive flocks of cooperatively breeding long-tailed tits Aegithalos caudatus. We found that overall, kinship had little influence on either variable tested; kinship had no effect on a bird's position in its flock's dominance hierarchy and the effect of kinship on roosting position was dependent on the bird's size. Males were generally dominant over females and birds were more likely to occupy preferred roosting positions if they were male, old and of high status. In this context, the effect of kinship on social interactions appears to be less important than the effects of other factors, possibly due to the complex kin structure of winter flocks compared to breeding groups.",
keywords = "Aegithalos caudatus, Cooperative breeding , Long-tailed tit , Dominance , Roost , Kinship",
author = "Napper, {Clare J.} and Sharp, {Stuart P.} and Andrew McGowan and Michelle Simeoni and Hatchwell, {Ben J.}",
year = "2013",
month = dec,
doi = "10.1007/s00265-013-1613-7",
language = "English",
volume = "67",
pages = "2029--2039",
journal = "Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology",
issn = "0340-5443",
publisher = "Springer Verlag",
number = "12",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Dominance, not kinship, determines individual position within the communal roosts of a cooperatively breeding bird

AU - Napper, Clare J.

AU - Sharp, Stuart P.

AU - McGowan, Andrew

AU - Simeoni, Michelle

AU - Hatchwell, Ben J.

PY - 2013/12

Y1 - 2013/12

N2 - Kin selection has played an important role in the evolution and maintenance of cooperative breeding behaviour in many bird species. However, although relatedness has been shown to affect the investment decisions of helpers in such systems, less is known about the role that kin discrimination plays in other contexts, such as communal roosting. Individuals that roost communally benefit from reduced overnight heat loss, but the exact benefit derived depends on an individual's position in the roost which in turn is likely to be influenced by its position in its flock's dominance hierarchy. We studied the effects of kinship and other factors (sex, age, body size and flock sex ratio) on an individual's roosting position and dominance status in captive flocks of cooperatively breeding long-tailed tits Aegithalos caudatus. We found that overall, kinship had little influence on either variable tested; kinship had no effect on a bird's position in its flock's dominance hierarchy and the effect of kinship on roosting position was dependent on the bird's size. Males were generally dominant over females and birds were more likely to occupy preferred roosting positions if they were male, old and of high status. In this context, the effect of kinship on social interactions appears to be less important than the effects of other factors, possibly due to the complex kin structure of winter flocks compared to breeding groups.

AB - Kin selection has played an important role in the evolution and maintenance of cooperative breeding behaviour in many bird species. However, although relatedness has been shown to affect the investment decisions of helpers in such systems, less is known about the role that kin discrimination plays in other contexts, such as communal roosting. Individuals that roost communally benefit from reduced overnight heat loss, but the exact benefit derived depends on an individual's position in the roost which in turn is likely to be influenced by its position in its flock's dominance hierarchy. We studied the effects of kinship and other factors (sex, age, body size and flock sex ratio) on an individual's roosting position and dominance status in captive flocks of cooperatively breeding long-tailed tits Aegithalos caudatus. We found that overall, kinship had little influence on either variable tested; kinship had no effect on a bird's position in its flock's dominance hierarchy and the effect of kinship on roosting position was dependent on the bird's size. Males were generally dominant over females and birds were more likely to occupy preferred roosting positions if they were male, old and of high status. In this context, the effect of kinship on social interactions appears to be less important than the effects of other factors, possibly due to the complex kin structure of winter flocks compared to breeding groups.

KW - Aegithalos caudatus

KW - Cooperative breeding

KW - Long-tailed tit

KW - Dominance

KW - Roost

KW - Kinship

U2 - 10.1007/s00265-013-1613-7

DO - 10.1007/s00265-013-1613-7

M3 - Journal article

VL - 67

SP - 2029

EP - 2039

JO - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

JF - Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology

SN - 0340-5443

IS - 12

ER -