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Predation and kin-structured populations: an empirical perspective on the evolution of cooperation

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Predation and kin-structured populations: an empirical perspective on the evolution of cooperation. / Beckerman, Andrew P.; Sharp, Stuart P.; Hatchwell, Ben J.
In: Behavioral Ecology, Vol. 22, No. 6, 2011, p. 1294-1303.

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Beckerman AP, Sharp SP, Hatchwell BJ. Predation and kin-structured populations: an empirical perspective on the evolution of cooperation. Behavioral Ecology. 2011;22(6):1294-1303. doi: 10.1093/beheco/arr131

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Beckerman, Andrew P. ; Sharp, Stuart P. ; Hatchwell, Ben J. / Predation and kin-structured populations: an empirical perspective on the evolution of cooperation. In: Behavioral Ecology. 2011 ; Vol. 22, No. 6. pp. 1294-1303.

Bibtex

@article{899b783f51fe46e1aed9e344e96f2283,
title = "Predation and kin-structured populations: an empirical perspective on the evolution of cooperation",
abstract = "In animal societies, kin selection is a critical evolutionary process, with cooperation evolving principally among relatives living in kin-structured populations. Theoretical and empirical studies have largely focused on population viscosity-the timing or distance of dispersal-as the key factor generating kin structure. This is despite extensive theoretical broadening of the factors and processes influencing effective population size, variance in reproduction, and relatedness. Here, we explore predation mortality as a specific driver of population-level reproductive skew and variance in fecundity to show how a common and perhaps underappreciated event in organism life history can give rise to patterns of relatedness. We develop our case study around an empirically derived model where elevated relatedness arises from predation that alters the timing and nature of offspring mortality, essentially driving variance in fecundity. This leads to dramatic changes in the emergent kin structure of the surviving breeding population. Our in-silico experiments recover the theoretical predictions that when predation acts on clusters of individuals and effectively removes whole family groups (i.e., broods), rather than individuals, from the pool of potential recruits, there is a greater kin structure in the emergent adult population. We conclude that empirical attempts to understand the factors promoting kin-structured populations and the evolution of sociality should now match theoretical efforts to be more inclusive of ecological process generating life history and demographic variability.",
keywords = "Aegithalos caudatus, demography, long-tailed tit, ACORN WOODPECKER, INCLUSIVE FITNESS, DISPERSAL, kin selection, predation, LONG-TAILED TITS, ECOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS, REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS, cooperative breeding, genetic structure, LIFE-HISTORY, kin structure, social evolution, cooperation, AEGITHALOS-CAUDATUS, HABITAT-SATURATION, SELECTION",
author = "Beckerman, {Andrew P.} and Sharp, {Stuart P.} and Hatchwell, {Ben J.}",
year = "2011",
doi = "10.1093/beheco/arr131",
language = "English",
volume = "22",
pages = "1294--1303",
journal = "Behavioral Ecology",
issn = "1045-2249",
publisher = "Oxford University Press",
number = "6",

}

RIS

TY - JOUR

T1 - Predation and kin-structured populations: an empirical perspective on the evolution of cooperation

AU - Beckerman, Andrew P.

AU - Sharp, Stuart P.

AU - Hatchwell, Ben J.

PY - 2011

Y1 - 2011

N2 - In animal societies, kin selection is a critical evolutionary process, with cooperation evolving principally among relatives living in kin-structured populations. Theoretical and empirical studies have largely focused on population viscosity-the timing or distance of dispersal-as the key factor generating kin structure. This is despite extensive theoretical broadening of the factors and processes influencing effective population size, variance in reproduction, and relatedness. Here, we explore predation mortality as a specific driver of population-level reproductive skew and variance in fecundity to show how a common and perhaps underappreciated event in organism life history can give rise to patterns of relatedness. We develop our case study around an empirically derived model where elevated relatedness arises from predation that alters the timing and nature of offspring mortality, essentially driving variance in fecundity. This leads to dramatic changes in the emergent kin structure of the surviving breeding population. Our in-silico experiments recover the theoretical predictions that when predation acts on clusters of individuals and effectively removes whole family groups (i.e., broods), rather than individuals, from the pool of potential recruits, there is a greater kin structure in the emergent adult population. We conclude that empirical attempts to understand the factors promoting kin-structured populations and the evolution of sociality should now match theoretical efforts to be more inclusive of ecological process generating life history and demographic variability.

AB - In animal societies, kin selection is a critical evolutionary process, with cooperation evolving principally among relatives living in kin-structured populations. Theoretical and empirical studies have largely focused on population viscosity-the timing or distance of dispersal-as the key factor generating kin structure. This is despite extensive theoretical broadening of the factors and processes influencing effective population size, variance in reproduction, and relatedness. Here, we explore predation mortality as a specific driver of population-level reproductive skew and variance in fecundity to show how a common and perhaps underappreciated event in organism life history can give rise to patterns of relatedness. We develop our case study around an empirically derived model where elevated relatedness arises from predation that alters the timing and nature of offspring mortality, essentially driving variance in fecundity. This leads to dramatic changes in the emergent kin structure of the surviving breeding population. Our in-silico experiments recover the theoretical predictions that when predation acts on clusters of individuals and effectively removes whole family groups (i.e., broods), rather than individuals, from the pool of potential recruits, there is a greater kin structure in the emergent adult population. We conclude that empirical attempts to understand the factors promoting kin-structured populations and the evolution of sociality should now match theoretical efforts to be more inclusive of ecological process generating life history and demographic variability.

KW - Aegithalos caudatus

KW - demography

KW - long-tailed tit

KW - ACORN WOODPECKER

KW - INCLUSIVE FITNESS

KW - DISPERSAL

KW - kin selection

KW - predation

KW - LONG-TAILED TITS

KW - ECOLOGICAL CONSTRAINTS

KW - REPRODUCTIVE SUCCESS

KW - cooperative breeding

KW - genetic structure

KW - LIFE-HISTORY

KW - kin structure

KW - social evolution

KW - cooperation

KW - AEGITHALOS-CAUDATUS

KW - HABITAT-SATURATION

KW - SELECTION

U2 - 10.1093/beheco/arr131

DO - 10.1093/beheco/arr131

M3 - Journal article

VL - 22

SP - 1294

EP - 1303

JO - Behavioral Ecology

JF - Behavioral Ecology

SN - 1045-2249

IS - 6

ER -