Fine-scale genetic structure and helping decisions in a cooperatively breeding bird

Leedale, Amy E. and Sharp, Stuart Peter and Simeoni, Michelle and Robinson, Elva J. H. and Hatchwell, Ben J. (2018) Fine-scale genetic structure and helping decisions in a cooperatively breeding bird. Molecular Ecology, 27 (7). pp. 1714-1726. ISSN 0962-1083

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Abstract

In animal societies, characteristic demographic and dispersal patterns may lead to genetic structuring of populations, generating the potential for kin selection to operate. However, even in genetically structured populations, social interactions may still require kin discrimination for cooperative behaviour to be directed towards relatives. Here, we use molecular genetics and long‐term field data to investigate genetic structure in an adult population of long‐tailed tits Aegithalos caudatus, a cooperative breeder in which helping occurs within extended kin networks, and relate this to patterns of helping with respect to kinship. Spatial autocorrelation analyses reveal fine‐scale genetic structure within our population, such that related adults of either sex are spatially clustered following natal dispersal, with relatedness among nearby males higher than that among nearby females, as predicted by observations of male‐biased philopatry. This kin structure creates opportunities for failed breeders to gain indirect fitness benefits via redirected helping, but crucially, most close neighbours of failed breeders are unrelated and help is directed towards relatives more often than expected by indiscriminate helping. These findings are consistent with the effective kin discrimination mechanism known to exist in long‐tailed tits, and support models identifying kin selection as the driver of cooperation.

Item Type:
Journal Article
Journal or Publication Title:
Molecular Ecology
Additional Information:
This is the peer reviewed version of the following article: Leedale AE, Sharp SP, Simeoni M, Robinson EJH, Hatchwell BJ. Fine‐scale genetic structure and helping decisions in a cooperatively breeding bird. Mol Ecol. 2018;27:1714–1726. https://doi.org/10.1111/mec.14553 which has been published in final form at https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/mec.14553 This article may be used for non-commercial purposes in accordance With Wiley Terms and Conditions for self-archiving.
Uncontrolled Keywords:
/dk/atira/pure/subjectarea/asjc/1300/1311
Subjects:
?? COOPERATIONKIN DISCRIMINATIONKIN SELECTIONPOPULATION GENETIC STRUCTUREECOLOGY, EVOLUTION, BEHAVIOR AND SYSTEMATICSGENETICS ??
ID Code:
124329
Deposited By:
Deposited On:
03 Apr 2018 08:30
Refereed?:
Yes
Published?:
Published
Last Modified:
20 Sep 2023 01:10