Kin selection theory predicts that individual progeny members, in species where offspring share depreciable parental care, should increasingly attempt to monopolize resources provided by the parents as their relatedness to brood competitors declines. Although the level of relatedness among broodmates is often variable in vertebrates, whether it affects within-brood competition dynamics has seldom been studied. We tested this prediction in nestlings of the lesser kestrel, Falco naumanni, a cavity-nesting colonial raptor that can breed in high-density colonies, where nestlings often move between nearby nests, generating mixed parentage among broodmates. Pairs of nestlings composed of either unrelated, unfamiliar individuals or siblings were experimentally forced to compete for food. Nestlings stole prey more frequently when competing with an unrelated, unfamiliar competitor than when competing with a sibling. This finding adds to the limited evidence that rivalry among broodmates is affected by their relatedness, suggesting that kin recognition and kin selection may play an important role in determining individual competitive strategies and care allocation in multiparous species.

Sibling competition for food and kin selection in nestlings of a colonial raptor / A. Romano, M. Morganti, G. Assandri, G. Bazzi, A. Corregidor-Castro, J. Morinay, J.G. Cecere, A. Pilastro, D. Rubolini. - In: ANIMAL BEHAVIOUR. - ISSN 1095-8282. - 194:(2022 Dec), pp. 233-238. [10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.10.002]

Sibling competition for food and kin selection in nestlings of a colonial raptor

A. Romano
Primo
;
M. Morganti
Secondo
;
G. Bazzi
Penultimo
;
D. Rubolini
Ultimo
2022

Abstract

Kin selection theory predicts that individual progeny members, in species where offspring share depreciable parental care, should increasingly attempt to monopolize resources provided by the parents as their relatedness to brood competitors declines. Although the level of relatedness among broodmates is often variable in vertebrates, whether it affects within-brood competition dynamics has seldom been studied. We tested this prediction in nestlings of the lesser kestrel, Falco naumanni, a cavity-nesting colonial raptor that can breed in high-density colonies, where nestlings often move between nearby nests, generating mixed parentage among broodmates. Pairs of nestlings composed of either unrelated, unfamiliar individuals or siblings were experimentally forced to compete for food. Nestlings stole prey more frequently when competing with an unrelated, unfamiliar competitor than when competing with a sibling. This finding adds to the limited evidence that rivalry among broodmates is affected by their relatedness, suggesting that kin recognition and kin selection may play an important role in determining individual competitive strategies and care allocation in multiparous species.
coloniality; food theft; kin selection; relatedness; resource monopolization; sibling competition; sibling interaction;;
Settore BIO/07 - Ecologia
Settore BIO/05 - Zoologia
dic-2022
https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0003347222002755
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Utilizza questo identificativo per citare o creare un link a questo documento: https://hdl.handle.net/2434/945451
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