Ecological and demographic drivers of kin‐directed cooperation in a social bird: Insights from a long‐term study
Journal of Animal Ecology,
Journal Year:
2025,
Volume and Issue:
unknown
Published: Jan. 28, 2025
Abstract
The
evolution
of
sociality
is
one
the
major
evolutionary
transitions
in
history
life
and
a
key
step
this
transition
occurrence
kin
associations.
Yet,
question
what
demographic
processes
environmental
factors
generate
kin‐structured
populations
drive
kin‐directed
cooperation
remains
open.
In
review,
we
synthesise
30
years
studies
long‐tailed
tit
Aegithalos
caudatus
,
which
has
kin‐selected
cooperative
breeding
system
with
redirected
help:
failed
breeders
may
help
to
raise
offspring
conspecifics,
typically
relatives,
nearby.
We
describe
use
ecological,
demographic,
genetic
behavioural
approaches
reveal:
(a)
how
(here
‘kin
neighbourhoods’)
arise;
(b)
why
prevalence
varies
among
individuals;
(c)
variation
dispersal
opportunities
for
influence
individual
fitness.
neighbourhoods
tits
arise
from
three
processes.
First,
natal
limited
sex‐biased
so
many
individuals,
especially
males,
recruit
as
close
their
site.
Second,
neither
nor
migration
necessarily
disrupts
associations
because
often
move
relatives.
Third,
small
effective
population
size
driven
by
high
nest
predation
rates
enhances
within‐population
relatedness.
Together,
these
set
scene
helping
behaviour
causing
spatial
clustering
within
depends
on
several
factors,
both
at
population‐level
(annual
rate
length
season)
individual‐level
(relatedness,
familiarity,
sex
condition).
However,
information
prior
social
association
reliability
discrimination
cues
hampers
our
current
understanding
decisions.
Finally,
between
sexes
affects
probability
interacting
kin,
likelihood
cooperation,
accrual
direct
indirect
components
inclusive
comprehensive
driving
highlight
gaps
knowledge
suggest
future
avenues
research
system,
make
general
inferences
about
role
dispersal,
demography
kinship
evolution.
Language: Английский
Digest: Cooperative breeding strategies in birds are shaped by avian predator richness
Evolution,
Journal Year:
2024,
Volume and Issue:
78(10), P. 1746 - 1747
Published: July 31, 2024
Abstract
Despite
their
prevalence,
family-living
and
cooperative
breeding
in
birds
have
received
little
examination
as
to
how
why
they
vary
across
species.
Investigating
the
evolution
of
these
social
systems,
Bliard
et
al.
(2024)
found
that
presence
avian
predators
is
associated
with
birds’
increases
predator
corresponding
multiple
shifts
from
non-family-living
breeding.
Phylogenetic
comparative
analyses
indicate
factors
outside
season
can
be
selected
for
Language: Английский