10-kin recognition

Question 1

at what level of biological organisation do recognition systems play a role in?

Answer 1

all levels

Question 2

what can vary widely?

Answer 2

strength of selection on active kin discrimination

Question 3

what depends on discrimination ability and recognition system?

Answer 3

adaptive decisions about mate choice, coop investment + social affiliation

Question 4

what is kin recognition?

Answer 4

differential treatment of conspecifics differing in genetic relatedness

Question 5

how can indirect fitness benefits of kin selected behaviour be maximised?

Answer 5

by effective discrimination of kin from non kin

Question 6

what do benefits and costs of discrimination vary according to?

Answer 6

ecological and evolutionary context

Question 7

according to Reeve 1989 what are the 3 components to the system involving the actor and recipient?

Answer 7

1. production component: cues in recipients allowing actors to recognise them
2. perception component: sensory detection of cues by actors and phenotype matching of cue to template of fitness enhancing or reducing recipients
3. action component: action performed that depends on similarity between actors template and recipients cue

Question 8

in terms of the acceptance threshold model what is a generous strategy?

Answer 8

• many acceptance errors
• few rejection errors
• low cost:benefit ratio

Question 9

in terms of the acceptance threshold model what is a conservative strategy?

Answer 9

• few acceptance errors
• many rejection errors
• high cost:benefit ratio

Question 10

in terms of the acceptance threshold model what is likely to overlap?

Answer 10

cues of desirable and undesirable recipient

Question 11

what is rejection error?

Answer 11

relatives to the right of the threshold are being rejected and aren’t helped

Question 12

even though it confers no direct fitness benefit what do some helpers do?

Answer 12

assist non kin

Question 13

what % of long tailed tits help non kin?

Answer 13

22.7%

Question 14

what is the honeybee evidence for acceptance threshold model studied by Downs and Ratneiks 2000? (3)

Answer 14

• colony guards adjust rejection/acceptance of bees entering the colony according to risk of nectar robbery
• those trying to steal are often killed by guards
• if fewer guards, fewer fights + more generous acceptance threshold as food availability increases

Question 15

how is perception and action component of recognition determined?

Answer 15

genetically or environmentally

Question 16

according to dawkins 1976 what are green beard genes?

Answer 16

recognition alleles that signal themselves, recognise themselves in other individuals and have direct cooperation to other bearers of the gene

Question 17

what is Keller + Ross 1998 fire ant example of green beard genes? (3)

Answer 17

• egg laying F at Bb locus
• bb F die prematurely
• BB queens who initiate reproduction are killed by Bb workers

Question 18

according to Wang et al 2013 what is a green beard gene?

Answer 18

a social chromosome that encompasses 616 genes in a non recombining region where recombination is suppressed due to chromosomal inversion

Question 19

what is the armpit effect by Darwin 1976?

Answer 19

‘markers indicating gene sharing’

- comparison by actor self inspection of genetically determined cues vs template to assess relatedness

Question 20

what are MHCs?

Answer 20

highly polymorphic and detected by scent

Question 21

what can indicate preference for the same MHC type and for what 2 species?
- how do juveniles discriminate?

Answer 21

tests of discrimination among siblings

• arctic char
• xenopus laevis
• juveniles discriminate among siblings preferring odor of those with same MHC genotype suggesting genetic cue to kinship causing discrimination

Question 22

what is Green et al 2015 house mice example for genetic cues for kinship? (5)

Answer 22

• genes encoding mouse urinary proteins (MUP) inherited at tight linkage units
• F move between cages with sister, unrelated F, neutral cage
• F prefer to nest with F that share MUP genotype
• results indicate self referent phenotype matching
• related to similar smell

Question 23

what is MUP?

Answer 23

species specific kinship marker

Question 24

what is self referent phenotype matching?

Answer 24

discriminating in favour of conspecifics with a phenotype that matches your own

Question 25

what is a more widespread mechanism than genetic cue to kinship?

Answer 25

environmental cue to kinship

Question 26

what are spatial environmental cues to kinship?

Answer 26

‘feed anything in my own nest territory’

• rule exploited by intra or interspecific brood parasites
• likely those in your nest related

Question 27

how may spatial cues not be sufficient in Beecher et al 1981 colonial bank swallow example? (5)

Answer 27

• shortly before leave nest offspring develop signature calls recognised by parents
• cues used by parents change through time
• signature call develops at 15-17 days
• parental recognition based on signature calls
• switch from spatial cue to vocal cue

Question 28

what are learned environmental cues to kinship?

Answer 28

‘treat as kin if sound, smell + appearance familiar’

• honeybees use environmentally acquired + learned colony odours for discrimination
• humans avoid close childhood associates as future sexual partners

Question 29

what can experimental tests of learning for kin recognition use?

Answer 29

cross fostering of nestlings

Question 30

Sharp et al 2005 using cross fostering of long tailed tits for learning kin recognition what do the calls allow?

Answer 30

discrimination of kin from non kin

Question 31

why do long tailed tit siblings have similar calls?

Answer 31

nestlings learn calls from parents

Question 32

what are long tailed tits calls like

Answer 32

calls are:

• individually distinctive
• repeatable across years
• family resemblance

Question 33

what were the calls like for fostered nestling in the cross fostering experiment?

Answer 33

fostered nestling learn calls from carers so foster siblings have similar calls and sound like foster parents more than true parents

Question 34

what did Leedale et al find for why helpers may help non kin?

Answer 34

they sound like kin

Question 35

what did Jouventin et al 1999 discover for recognition in king penguins?

Answer 35

• playback experiments to chicks with modified parental calls
• showed chicks use frequency modulation especially shape of syllables for recognition

Question 36

what did Griffin + West 2003 do for kin discrimination?

Answer 36

meta analysis within species finding significant kin discrimination across studies but is variable

Question 37

according to cornwallis 2009 what is expected in species such as long tailed tits that are surrounded by lots of non kin?

Answer 37

high levels of kin discrimination

Question 38

when does active kin discrimination + recognition only evolve?

Answer 38

when adaptive

Question 39

for variation among coop breeder what is discrimination correlated with?

Answer 39

probability of making errors

Question 40

under what circumstances can any young be fed on natal territory?

Answer 40

if helpers philopatric in stable groups on stable territories and any young present can be close kin so no need for active kin discrimination

Question 41

how does the strength of selection for kin recognition + mechanism vary and what does it relate to?

Answer 41

across taxa

related to ecological + social contexts experienced