1
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Fisher DN. Direct and indirect phenotypic effects on sociability indicate potential to evolve. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:209-220. [PMID: 36263954 PMCID: PMC10092521 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The decision to leave or join a group is important as group size influences many aspects of organisms' lives and their fitness. This tendency to socialise with others, sociability, should be influenced by genes carried by focal individuals (direct genetic effects) and by genes in partner individuals (indirect genetic effects), indicating the trait's evolution could be slower or faster than expected. However, estimating these genetic parameters is difficult. Here, in a laboratory population of the cockroach Blaptica dubia, I estimate phenotypic parameters for sociability: repeatability (R) and repeatable influence (RI), that indicate whether direct and indirect genetic effects respectively are likely. I also estimate the interaction coefficient (Ψ), which quantifies how strongly a partner's trait influences the phenotype of the focal individual and is key in models for the evolution of interacting phenotypes. Focal individuals were somewhat repeatable for sociability across a 3-week period (R = 0.080), and partners also had marginally consistent effects on focal sociability (RI = 0.053). The interaction coefficient was non-zero, although in opposite sign for the sexes; males preferred to associate with larger individuals (Ψmale = -0.129), while females preferred to associate with smaller individuals (Ψfemale = 0.071). Individual sociability was consistent between dyadic trials and in social networks of groups. These results provide phenotypic evidence that direct and indirect genetic effects have limited influence on sociability, with perhaps most evolutionary potential stemming from heritable effects of the body mass of partners. Sex-specific interaction coefficients may produce sexual conflict and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in social behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- School of Biological Sciences, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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2
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Brain monoaminergic activity during predator inspection in female Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Behav Brain Res 2023; 436:114088. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2022.114088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/29/2021] [Revised: 08/29/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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3
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O’Hearn WJ, Ruiz-Lambides A, Platt ML, Brent LJN. No evidence that grooming is exchanged for coalitionary support in the short- or long-term via direct or generalized reciprocity in unrelated rhesus macaques. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03160-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Reciprocity is a prominent explanation for cooperation between non-kin. Studies designed to demonstrate reciprocity often focus on direct reciprocity in the timescale of minutes to hours, whereas alternative mechanisms like generalized reciprocity and the possibility of reciprocation over longer timescales of months and years are less often explored. Using a playback experiment, we tested for evidence of direct and generalized reciprocity across short and longer timescales. We examined the exchange of grooming for coalitionary support between unrelated female rhesus macaques in a population with a complete genetic pedigree. Females that received grooming were not more responsive to calls for coalitionary support from unrelated female group mates compared to control females that received agonism or no interaction — even when the call belonged to a females’ most recent grooming partner. Similarly, females were not more responsive to calls for support from their most frequent unrelated grooming partner of the last two years, nor if they received large amounts of grooming from all other females in their group. We interpret these results as an absence of evidence for direct or generalized reciprocity on any timescale in the exchange of grooming for coalitionary support in rhesus macaques. If grooming is exchanged for support in this population, it is with an intensity below our ability to detect it or over a longer timescale than we examined. We propose by-product explanations may also be at play and highlight the importance of investigating multiple mechanisms when testing apparently cooperative behaviors.
Significance statement
The receipt of help can make some animals more likely to provide help in return, whether it be a singular act, or many acts accumulated over months. Similarly, the receipt of help, be it one act of aid, or a group’s worth of help over time, can make some animals more likely to pay help forward to others. Studies on Old World monkeys suggest females may give grooming and in return receive aid in future physical conflicts. Using a playback experiment, we found female rhesus macaques were not more responsive to calls for intervention in a simulated conflict after being groomed by unrelated females, even if the calling combatant was her most recent, or a long-time grooming partner. Our results suggest females in our study population may be receiving benefits other than support in conflicts for the grooming they provide.
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4
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Bailey NW, Desjonquères C. The Indirect Genetic Effect Interaction Coefficient ψ: Theoretically Essential and Empirically Neglected. J Hered 2022; 113:79-90. [PMID: 34791332 PMCID: PMC8851666 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2021] [Accepted: 09/20/2021] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The interaction effect coefficient ψ has been a much-discussed, fundamental parameter of indirect genetic effect (IGE) models since its formal mathematical description in 1997. The coefficient simultaneously describes the form of changes in trait expression caused by genes in the social environment and predicts the evolutionary consequences of those IGEs. Here, we report a striking mismatch between theoretical emphasis on ψ and its usage in empirical studies. Surveying all IGE research, we find that the coefficient ψ has not been equivalently conceptualized across studies. Several issues related to its proper empirical measurement have recently been raised, and these may severely distort interpretations about the evolutionary consequences of IGEs. We provide practical advice on avoiding such pitfalls. The majority of empirical IGE studies use an alternative variance-partitioning approach rooted in well-established statistical quantitative genetics, but several hundred estimates of ψ (from 15 studies) have been published. A significant majority are positive. In addition, IGEs with feedback, that is, involving the same trait in both interacting partners, are far more likely to be positive and of greater magnitude. Although potentially challenging to measure without bias, ψ has critically-developed theoretical underpinnings that provide unique advantages for empirical work. We advocate for a shift in perspective for empirical work, from ψ as a description of IGEs, to ψ as a robust predictor of evolutionary change. Approaches that "run evolution forward" can take advantage of ψ to provide falsifiable predictions about specific trait interactions, providing much-needed insight into the evolutionary consequences of IGEs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Bailey
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
| | - Camille Desjonquères
- Centre for Biological Diversity, School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife KY16 9TH, UK
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5
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McGlothlin JW, Akçay E, Brodie ED, Moore AJ, Van Cleve J. A Synthesis of Game Theory and Quantitative Genetic Models of Social Evolution. J Hered 2022; 113:109-119. [PMID: 35174861 DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esab064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2021] [Accepted: 10/15/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Two popular approaches for modeling social evolution, evolutionary game theory and quantitative genetics, ask complementary questions but are rarely integrated. Game theory focuses on evolutionary outcomes, with models solving for evolutionarily stable equilibria, whereas quantitative genetics provides insight into evolutionary processes, with models predicting short-term responses to selection. Here we draw parallels between evolutionary game theory and interacting phenotypes theory, which is a quantitative genetic framework for understanding social evolution. First, we show how any evolutionary game may be translated into two quantitative genetic selection gradients, nonsocial and social selection, which may be used to predict evolutionary change from a single round of the game. We show that synergistic fitness effects may alter predicted selection gradients, causing changes in magnitude and sign as the population mean evolves. Second, we show how evolutionary games involving plastic behavioral responses to partners can be modeled using indirect genetic effects, which describe how trait expression changes in response to genes in the social environment. We demonstrate that repeated social interactions in models of reciprocity generate indirect effects and conversely, that estimates of parameters from indirect genetic effect models may be used to predict the evolution of reciprocity. We argue that a pluralistic view incorporating both theoretical approaches will benefit empiricists and theorists studying social evolution. We advocate the measurement of social selection and indirect genetic effects in natural populations to test the predictions from game theory and, in turn, the use of game theory models to aid in the interpretation of quantitative genetic estimates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel W McGlothlin
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Derring Hall Room 2125, 926 West Campus Drive (MC 0406), Blacksburg, VA 24061, USA
| | - Erol Akçay
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 102 Leidy Laboratories, 433 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, PA 19104, USA
| | - Edmund D Brodie
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, 485 McCormick Road, P.O. Box 400328, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Allen J Moore
- College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Georgia, 109 Conner Hall, 147 Cedar Street, Athens, GA 30602, USA
| | - Jeremy Van Cleve
- Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, 101 T. H. Morgan Building, Lexington, KY 40506, USA
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6
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Dimitriadou S, Santos EM, Croft DP, van Aerle R, Ramnarine IW, Filby AL, Darden SK. Social partner cooperativeness influences brain oxytocin transcription in Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). Behav Brain Res 2021; 423:113643. [PMID: 34757109 DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2021.113643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/08/2021] [Revised: 10/01/2021] [Accepted: 10/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
For non-kin cooperation to be maintained, individuals need to respond adaptively to the cooperative behaviour of their social partners. Currently, however, little is known about the biological responses of individuals to experiencing cooperation. Here, we quantify the neuroregulatory response of Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) experiencing cooperation or defection by examining the transcriptional response of the oxytocin gene (oxt; also known as isotocin), which has been implicated in cooperative decision-making. We exposed wild-caught females to social environments where partners either cooperated or defected during predator inspection, or to a control (non-predator inspection) context, and quantified the relative transcription of the oxt gene. We tested an experimental group, originating from a site where individuals are under high predation threat and have previous experience of large aquatic predators (HP), and a control group, where individuals are under low predation threat and naïve to large aquatic predators (LP). LP, but not HP, fish showed different behavioural responses to the behaviour of their social environment, cooperating with cooperative partners and defecting when paired with defecting ones. In HP, but not LP, fish brain mid-section oxt relative transcription varied depending on social partner behaviour. HP fish experiencing cooperation during predator inspection had lower oxt transcription than those experiencing defection. This effect was not present in the control population or in the control context, where the behaviour of social partners did not affect oxt transcription. Our findings provide insight into the neuromodulation underpinning behavioural responses to social experiences, and ultimately to the proximate mechanisms underlying social decision-making.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvia Dimitriadou
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - Eduarda M Santos
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; Sustainable Aquaculture Futures, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Darren P Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Ronny van Aerle
- Sustainable Aquaculture Futures, Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK; International Centre of Excellence for Aquatic Animal Health, Cefas Weymouth Laboratory, Weymouth, UK
| | - Indar W Ramnarine
- Department of Life Sciences, University of West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Amy L Filby
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Safi K Darden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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7
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald G. Carter
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University Columbus OH USA
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8
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Pimentel AFN, Lima-Maximino MG, Soares MC, Maximino C. Zebrafish cooperate while inspecting predators: experimental evidence for conditional approach. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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9
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Darden SK, James R, Cave JM, Brask JB, Croft DP. Trinidadian guppies use a social heuristic that can support cooperation among non-kin. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20200487. [PMID: 32900316 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.0487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Cooperation among non-kin is well documented in humans and widespread in non-human animals, but explaining the occurrence of cooperation in the absence of inclusive fitness benefits has proven a significant challenge. Current theoretical explanations converge on a single point: cooperators can prevail when they cluster in social space. However, we know very little about the real-world mechanisms that drive such clustering, particularly in systems where cognitive limitations make it unlikely that mechanisms such as score keeping and reputation are at play. Here, we show that Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata) use a 'walk away' strategy, a simple social heuristic by which assortment by cooperativeness can come about among mobile agents. Guppies cooperate during predator inspection and we found that when experiencing defection in this context, individuals prefer to move to a new social environment, despite having no prior information about this new social group. Our results provide evidence in non-human animals that individuals use a simple social partner updating strategy in response to defection, supporting theoretical work applying heuristics to understanding the proximate mechanisms underpinning the evolution of cooperation among non-kin.
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Affiliation(s)
- Safi K Darden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Department of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Richard James
- Department of Physics and Centre for Networks and Collective Behaviour, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - James M Cave
- Department of Physics and Centre for Networks and Collective Behaviour, University of Bath, Bath, UK
| | - Josefine Bohr Brask
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Department of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, UK
| | - Darren P Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Department of Psychology, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, UK
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10
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Conditional approach as cooperation in predator inspection: A role for serotonin? Behav Brain Res 2019; 365:164-169. [DOI: 10.1016/j.bbr.2019.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2018] [Revised: 03/01/2019] [Accepted: 03/01/2019] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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11
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Brask JB, Croft DP, Edenbrow M, James R, Bleakley BH, Ramnarine IW, Heathcote RJP, Tyler CR, Hamilton PB, Dabelsteen T, Darden SK. Evolution of non-kin cooperation: social assortment by cooperative phenotype in guppies. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2019; 6:181493. [PMID: 30800389 PMCID: PMC6366236 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.181493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/27/2018] [Indexed: 06/09/2023]
Abstract
Cooperation among non-kin constitutes a conundrum for evolutionary biology. Theory suggests that non-kin cooperation can evolve if individuals differ consistently in their cooperative phenotypes and assort socially by these, such that cooperative individuals interact predominantly with one another. However, our knowledge of the role of cooperative phenotypes in the social structuring of real-world animal populations is minimal. In this study, we investigated cooperative phenotypes and their link to social structure in wild Trinidadian guppies (Poecilia reticulata). We first investigated whether wild guppies are repeatable in their individual levels of cooperativeness (i.e. have cooperative phenotypes) and found evidence for this in seven out of eight populations, a result which was mostly driven by females. We then examined the social network structure of one of these populations where the expected fitness impact of cooperative contexts is relatively high, and found assortment by cooperativeness, but not by genetic relatedness. By contrast, and in accordance with our expectations, we did not find assortment by cooperativeness in a population where the expected fitness impact of cooperative contexts is lower. Our results provide empirical support for current theory and suggest that assortment by cooperativeness is important for the evolution and persistence of non-kin cooperation in real-world populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josefine Bohr Brask
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Darren P. Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Mathew Edenbrow
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Richard James
- Centre for Networks and Collective Behaviour and Department of Physics, University of Bath, Bath BA2 7AY, UK
| | | | - Indar W. Ramnarine
- Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago
| | - Robert J. P. Heathcote
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Charles R. Tyler
- Department of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Patrick B. Hamilton
- Department of Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QD, UK
| | - Torben Dabelsteen
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Biology, University of Copenhagen, 2100 Copenhagen Ø, Denmark
| | - Safi K. Darden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
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12
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Dakin R, Ryder TB. Dynamic network partnerships and social contagion drive cooperation. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181973. [PMID: 30963888 PMCID: PMC6304062 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1973] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/01/2018] [Accepted: 11/23/2018] [Indexed: 12/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Both reciprocity and positive assortment (like with like) are predicted to promote the evolution of cooperation, yet how partners influence each other's behaviour within dynamic networks is not well understood. One way to test this question is to partition phenotypic variation into differences among individuals in the expression of cooperative behaviour (the 'direct effect'), and plasticity within individuals in response to the social environment (the 'indirect effect'). A positive correlation between these two sources of variation, such that more cooperative individuals elicit others to cooperate, is predicted to facilitate social contagion and selection on cooperative behaviour. Testing this hypothesis is challenging, however, because it requires repeated measures of behaviour across a dynamic social landscape. Here, we use an automated data-logging system to quantify the behaviour of 179 wire-tailed manakins, birds that form cooperative male-male coalitions, and we use multiple-membership models to test the hypothesis that dynamic network partnerships shape within-individual variation in cooperative behaviour. Our results show strong positive correlations between a bird's own sociality and his estimated effect on his partners, consistent with the hypothesis that cooperation begets cooperation. These findings support the hypothesis that social contagion can facilitate selection for cooperative behaviour within social networks.
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13
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McCune K, Jablonski P, Lee SI, Ha R. Evidence for personality conformity, not social niche specialization in social jays. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary055] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kelsey McCune
- Psychology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Piotr Jablonski
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza, Warsaw, Poland
| | - Sang-im Lee
- Laboratory of Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, Seoul National University, Gwanak-gu, Seoul, Republic of Korea
- Daegu-Gyeongbuk Institute of Science and Technology School of Undergraduate Studies, Hyeonpung-myeon, Dalseong-gun, Daegu, Republic of Korea
| | - Renee Ha
- Psychology Department, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
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14
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Bailey NW, Marie-Orleach L, Moore AJ. Indirect genetic effects in behavioral ecology: does behavior play a special role in evolution? Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx127] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Nathan W Bailey
- School of Biology, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Fife, UK
| | | | - Allen J Moore
- Department of Genetics, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, GA USA
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15
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Kasper C, Vierbuchen M, Ernst U, Fischer S, Radersma R, Raulo A, Cunha-Saraiva F, Wu M, Mobley KB, Taborsky B. Genetics and developmental biology of cooperation. Mol Ecol 2017. [PMID: 28626971 DOI: 10.1111/mec.14208] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Despite essential progress towards understanding the evolution of cooperative behaviour, we still lack detailed knowledge about its underlying molecular mechanisms, genetic basis, evolutionary dynamics and ontogeny. An international workshop "Genetics and Development of Cooperation," organized by the University of Bern (Switzerland), aimed at discussing the current progress in this research field and suggesting avenues for future research. This review uses the major themes of the meeting as a springboard to synthesize the concepts of genetic and nongenetic inheritance of cooperation, and to review a quantitative genetic framework that allows for the inclusion of indirect genetic effects. Furthermore, we argue that including nongenetic inheritance, such as transgenerational epigenetic effects, parental effects, ecological and cultural inheritance, provides a more nuanced view of the evolution of cooperation. We summarize those genes and molecular pathways in a range of species that seem promising candidates for mechanisms underlying cooperative behaviours. Concerning the neurobiological substrate of cooperation, we suggest three cognitive skills necessary for the ability to cooperate: (i) event memory, (ii) synchrony with others and (iii) responsiveness to others. Taking a closer look at the developmental trajectories that lead to the expression of cooperative behaviours, we discuss the dichotomy between early morphological specialization in social insects and more flexible behavioural specialization in cooperatively breeding vertebrates. Finally, we provide recommendations for which biological systems and species may be particularly suitable, which specific traits and parameters should be measured, what type of approaches should be followed, and which methods should be employed in studies of cooperation to better understand how cooperation evolves and manifests in nature.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudia Kasper
- Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | | | - Ulrich Ernst
- Institute of Organic Chemistry and Biochemistry of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Stefan Fischer
- Institute of Integrative Biology, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | | | - Aura Raulo
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Filipa Cunha-Saraiva
- Department of Integrative Biology and Evolution, Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, Vetmeduni Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Min Wu
- Department of Environmental Sciences, Zoology and Evolution, University of Basel, Basel, Switzerland
| | - Kenyon B Mobley
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, Plön, Germany
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Institute for Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
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16
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Taborsky M, Frommen JG, Riehl C. Correlated pay-offs are key to cooperation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150084. [PMID: 26729924 PMCID: PMC4760186 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The general belief that cooperation and altruism in social groups result primarily from kin selection has recently been challenged, not least because results from cooperatively breeding insects and vertebrates have shown that groups may be composed mainly of non-relatives. This allows testing predictions of reciprocity theory without the confounding effect of relatedness. Here, we review complementary and alternative evolutionary mechanisms to kin selection theory and provide empirical examples of cooperative behaviour among unrelated individuals in a wide range of taxa. In particular, we focus on the different forms of reciprocity and on their underlying decision rules, asking about evolutionary stability, the conditions selecting for reciprocity and the factors constraining reciprocal cooperation. We find that neither the cognitive requirements of reciprocal cooperation nor the often sequential nature of interactions are insuperable stumbling blocks for the evolution of reciprocity. We argue that simple decision rules such as 'help anyone if helped by someone' should get more attention in future research, because empirical studies show that animals apply such rules, and theoretical models find that they can create stable levels of cooperation under a wide range of conditions. Owing to its simplicity, behaviour based on such a heuristic may in fact be ubiquitous. Finally, we argue that the evolution of exchange and trading of service and commodities among social partners needs greater scientific focus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Joachim G Frommen
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Christina Riehl
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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