Mechanisms of Kin recognition

Question 1

Kin recognition definition:

Answer 1

SHERMAN ET AL 1997

differential treatment of conspecifics in genetic relatedness

Question 2

Theory: Recognition acceptance model: Reeve 1989

Answer 2

• Actor perceives cues from potential recipient and compares these cues against a template, actor then decides.
• BUT often not this simple, cues rarely this discrete (combination of both)
• line representing desirable recipients, line representing desirable recipients, overlap present
• create ACCEPTANCE THRESHOLD, but due to overlap, some relatives will be rejected, some non-kin will be excepted
• acceptance threshold can vary in position tho (generous=except a lot, costs low, ben high this would be worthwhile, & vice versa)

Question 3

why do some helpers in long tailed tits help non-kin

Answer 3

generous acceptance threshold,

• help is cheap
• kin-selected benefits large

Question 4

evidence for acceptance threshold model:

Answer 4

DOWNS & RATNIEKS 2000

• honeybees, steal honey from other colonies
• so they have guards for the colony
• fewer guards, fewer fights and more generous acceptance threshold as food availability increases
• early in season = less food so stricter acceptance threshold
• later in season a lot of food = more generous

Question 5

components and mechanisms: Genetic cues: Greenbeards

Answer 5

Greenbeards Dawkins 1976

• recognition allele would signal itself, recognise itself and direct cooperation towards bearers
• e.g. KELLER & ROSS 1998, Fire ants. All egg-laying females are Bb
• -bb = die young
• • BB are killed by Bb –>odour recognition
• -few, can be exploited by falsebeards, greybeards actually social chromosome inversion of 616 genes

Question 6

components and mechanisms: Genetic cues: Armpit effect

Answer 6

DAWKINS

• individuals carry markers that indicate gene sharing
• preferring odour of those with same MHC genotype
• Arctic char Olsen et al 2002

Question 7

Armpit effect in house mouse

Answer 7

GREEN ET AL 2015

• Mouse urinary proteins (MUPS)
• inherited as a collection of tightly linked genes
• choice chamber sister/unrelated
• chose sister (also true if sisters had never met)
• prefer sharing MUP, not sharing MHC,
• ‘self referent phenotype matching’ in MUP

Question 8

components and mechanisms: environmental cues: a ‘rule of thumb’ may be sufficiently reliable cue of kinship

Answer 8

• spatial cues:
• -feed anything in nest or territory –> exploitation by inter/intra brood parasites (Reed warbler and cuckoo)
• • may not be sufficient: Bank Swallow if they leave nest at day 18, how do you tell which is which. Day 15 signature calls develop and recognition occurs
• Learned cues
• • treat anyone reared alongside the same, treat anyone who sounds/smells like me as kin
• -colony cue in social insects, learned cues in humans
• • honey bees colony guards
• • long tailed tits

Question 9

learned kin recognition in long tailed tits

Answer 9

SHARP ET AL 2005
call allow discrimination of kin from non-kin
- family resemblance
- adults discriminate kin /non kin
- distinct
- repeatable
—> 2 broods and switch 50% of chicks, nestlings learn calls from parents so ‘siblings’ have similar calls

Question 10

recognition in king penguins

Answer 10

• chicks use frequency modulation to determine their parents calls
• likely vice versa as well

Question 11

active discrimination of kin evolves only when

Answer 11

adaptive (when necessary)

- if territory is very stable and chance all kin are related you don’t need it, i.e kookaburra

Question 12

recognition errors are inevitable and their frequency is dependent on

Answer 12

costs and benefits

Question 13

kin recognition does not require __ cues, they are usually

Answer 13

genetic cues they’re usually environmental