Explaining negative kin discrimination in a cooperative mammal society

Faye J. Thompson; Michael A. Cant; Harry H Marshall; Emma I. K. Vitikainen; Jennifer L. Sanderson; Hazel J. Nichols; Jason S. Gilchrist; Matthew B. V. Bell; Andrew M. J. Young; Sarah J. Hodge; Rufus A Johnstone

doi:10.1073/pnas.1612235114

Explaining negative kin discrimination in a cooperative mammal society

Faye J. Thompson, Michael A. Cant, Harry H Marshall, Emma I. K. Vitikainen, Jennifer L. Sanderson, Hazel J. Nichols, Jason S. Gilchrist, Matthew B. V. Bell, Andrew M. J. Young, Sarah J. Hodge, Rufus A Johnstone

School of Life and Health Sciences

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Abstract

Kin selection theory predicts that, where kin discrimination is possible, animals should typically act more favorably toward closer genetic relatives and direct aggression toward less closely related individuals. Contrary to this prediction, we present data from an 18-y study of wild banded mongooses, Mungos mungo, showing that females that are more closely related to dominant individuals are specifically targeted for forcible eviction from the group, often suffering severe injury, and sometimes death, as a result. This pattern cannot be explained by inbreeding avoidance or as a response to more intense local competition among kin. Instead, we use game theory to show that such negative kin discrimination can be explained by selection for unrelated targets to invest more effort in resisting eviction. Consistent with our model, negative kin discrimination is restricted to eviction attempts of older females capable of resistance; dominants exhibit no kin discrimination when attempting to evict younger females, nor do they discriminate between more closely or less closely related young when carrying out infanticidal attacks on vulnerable infants who cannot defend themselves. We suggest that in contexts where recipients of selfish acts are capable of resistance, the usual prediction of positive kin discrimination can be reversed. Kin selection theory, as an explanation for social behavior, can benefit from much greater exploration of sequential social interactions.

© 2017, The Author(s). This is the final publishedversion of the article (version of record) uploaded in accordance with thepublisher’s self- archiving policy. It first appeared online via PNAS at http://www.pnas.org/content/114/20/5207.

Original language	English
Pages (from-to)	5207-5212
Journal	PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences
Volume	114
Issue number	20
Early online date	24 Apr 2017
DOIs	https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1612235114
Publication status	Published - 16 May 2017

Keywords

Journal Article

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10.1073/pnas.1612235114

Thompson et al. - 2017 - Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences(2)Final published version, 797 KBLicence: CC BY-NC

Cite this

Thompson, F. J., Cant, M. A., Marshall, H. H., Vitikainen, E. I. K., Sanderson, J. L., Nichols, H. J., Gilchrist, J. S., Bell, M. B. V., Young, A. M. J., Hodge, S. J., & Johnstone, R. A. (2017). Explaining negative kin discrimination in a cooperative mammal society. PNAS: Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, 114(20), 5207-5212. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.1612235114

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AU - Nichols, Hazel J.

AU - Gilchrist, Jason S.

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AU - Johnstone, Rufus A

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