Ontogeny in the Family

Kölliker, Mathias

doi:10.1007/s10519-004-0852-9

Cited by 45 publications

(38 citation statements)

References 72 publications

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“…Carotenoids could therefore also mediate the covariation between parental and offspring behaviour. Our experiments suggest that variation among families in offspring solicitation intensity, and covariation within families between parent and offspring behaviour, is not solely the result of genetic variation (see Kö lliker 2005;Dor & Lotem 2009). Our feeding experiment suggests that it partly results from the wider environmental conditions experienced by mothers (and fathers) during nesting and egg laying (see also Kölliker et al 2000;Moreno et al 2008).…”

Section: Results (A) Phenotypic Correlation Between Nestling Begging mentioning

confidence: 72%

“…Animal families have become model systems for understanding how the social environment influences the course of evolution (see Trivers 1974;Godfray 1995a;Mock & Parker 1997;Moore et al 1997;Kö lliker 2005;Uller 2008;Zeh & Zeh 2008). Traits of particular interest are the solicitation behaviours performed by dependent young as they demand resources and the provisioning behaviour shown by parents in response.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Prenatal environmental effects match offspring begging to parental provisioning

2009

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The solicitation behaviours performed by dependent young are under selection from the environment created by their parents, as well as wider ecological conditions. Here we show how mechanisms acting before hatching enable canary offspring to adapt their begging behaviour to a variable post-hatching world. Cross-fostering experiments revealed that canary nestling begging intensity is positively correlated with the provisioning level of their own parents (to foster chicks). When we experimentally increased food quality before and during egg laying, mothers showed higher faecal androgen levels and so did their nestlings, even when they were cross-fostered before hatching to be reared by foster mothers that had been exposed to a standard regime of food quality. Higher parental androgen levels were correlated with greater levels of post-hatching parental provisioning and (we have previously shown) increased faecal androgens in chicks were associated with greater begging intensity. We conclude that androgens mediate environmentally induced plasticity in the expression of both parental and offspring traits, which remain correlated as a result of prenatal effects, probably acting within the egg. Offspring can thus adapt their begging intensity to variable family and ecological environments.

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Section: Results (A) Phenotypic Correlation Between Nestling Begging mentioning

confidence: 72%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Prenatal environmental effects match offspring begging to parental provisioning

2009

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“…That interest has come from a number of perspectives. Some of us (e.g., Alleva et al, 1989;Ko¨lliker, 2005;Mandillo and D'Amato, 1997) are like Crowcroft, interested in the ethology and ecology of such interactions. Some (e.g., Ryan and Vandenbergh, 2002) are interested in the effects of early hormone exposure on pups and the effects of those exposures on subsequent physiology and behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A Review of the Methods of Studies on Infant Ultrasound Production and Maternal Retrieval in Small Rodents

2005

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Ultrasonic vocalizations or calls produced by young rodents have been associated with aspects of maternal behavior, in particular retrieving. We reviewed the methods of study used by investigators on each topic, focusing on intrinsic or subject variables and extrinsic or experimental variables. Intrinsic variables included the species studied, genotypes employed, number and sex composition of the litters, and the ages of mothers and pups. Extrinsic variables for studies on ultrasonic calling included: eliciting stimuli, test surroundings, and the length of observation. Extrinsic variables in studies of maternal retrieval included the testing procedure and the length of observation. The methods used in studies within each topic vary greatly. In an effort to facilitate progress in the areas, especially with respect to isolating individual genes with a contribution to ultrasonic call production or studying the effects of pharmaceutical agents on either behavior, we propose some standardization of nomenclature and/or procedure in four areas: (1) the stimuli or situations used to elicit ultrasonic calls, (2) the length of observation in ultrasonic call studies, (3) the number of pups per litter and the sex composition of litters in both ultrasonic call and maternal retrieval studies and finally, (4) the apparatus or testing situation used in studies of pup retrieval.

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“…Selection acting at the level of the individual primarily favours large, well-nourished offspring, as might be expected, whereas selection acting at the level of the family depends upon how gregarious offspring are (SNS) in relation to the size of the network (brood) involved. Variation in social network attributes [35] or traits correlated with SNS, such as begging intensity or parental feeding behaviour, can be heritable [19,23,36,37]. If, as seems probable, SNS has a heritable basis, then family structure can evolve.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…SNS can affect average group performance so it can shape the structure of social interactions within groups, and, therefore, social evolution [1,2,10,14,41], including the evolution of family life [19]. Further work is needed to determine causality in the relationship between parent-offspring interactions and brood SNS, and the mechanistic basis of the effect of nestling SNS on recruitment probability.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Offspring social network structure predicts fitness in families

et al. 2012

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Social structures such as families emerge as outcomes of behavioural interactions among individuals, and can evolve over time if families with particular types of social structures tend to leave more individuals in subsequent generations. The social behaviour of interacting individuals is typically analysed as a series of multiple dyadic (pair-wise) interactions, rather than a network of interactions among multiple individuals. However, in species where parents feed dependant young, interactions within families nearly always involve more than two individuals simultaneously. Such social networks of interactions at least partly reflect conflicts of interest over the provision of costly parental investment. Consequently, variation in family network structure reflects variation in how conflicts of interest are resolved among family members. Despite its importance in understanding the evolution of emergent properties of social organization such as family life and cooperation, nothing is currently known about how selection acts on the structure of social networks. Here, we show that the social network structure of broods of begging nestling great tits Parus major predicts fitness in families. Although selection at the level of the individual favours large nestlings, selection at the level of the kin-group primarily favours families that resolve conflicts most effectively.Keywords: social networks; sexual conflict; parent-offspring conflict; begging; social evolution 1. INTRODUCTION Social networks analyses have advanced our understanding of the evolution of animal societies [1,2], cooperation [3][4][5], the transmission of disease [6] and human social [7] and socio-economic [8] systems. Taking a networks approach to the study of social behaviour shifts emphasis away from variation in behaviour among individuals per se to how interactions among individuals shape variation [9]. This more realistically reflects the behaviour of individuals as being both the cause and the effect of their social environment [10,11]. However, all previous research has focused on the importance of social position within a network on the fitness prospects of interacting individuals [12,13] rather than the structure of the network of interactions themselves. As a result, very little is known about the relationship between the structure of social networks and fitness in natural populations, despite the importance of such information in understanding the evolutionary and ecological significance of social networks [9,14].

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Ontogeny in the Family

Cited by 45 publications

References 72 publications

Prenatal environmental effects match offspring begging to parental provisioning

Prenatal environmental effects match offspring begging to parental provisioning

A Review of the Methods of Studies on Infant Ultrasound Production and Maternal Retrieval in Small Rodents

Offspring social network structure predicts fitness in families

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