Abstract
Inclusive fitness theory predicts that cost of tolerant behaviour during competitive interactions is lower for relatives than for nonrelatives. Many studies have examined the effect of relatedness on behaviour within social groups. In contrast, kin selection acting among groups has received less attention. The genetic structure of African lion (Panthera leo) populations creates a strong possibility that kin selection among groups modifies behaviour during group conflicts. We used playback experiments and genetic data to investigate the importance of relatedness during simulated territorial disputes in lions. However, we found no effect of relatedness on territorial behaviour. Degree of relatedness did not affect the decision to approach simulated intrusions, nor did it affect the behaviour during approaches. The decision to approach was instead affected by position within the territory and consecutive playback number (a measure of habituation). For playbacks that did elicit an approach, the speed of response was not detectably affected by relatedness, but was affected by odds (the ratio of residents to intruders), number of intruders, number of bouts, presence of cubs, position within the territory, temperature and playback number. Although responses were unaffected by relatedness, it remains possible that other aspects of behaviour during natural encounters among prides are affected by kin selection.
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Acknowledgements
We are grateful to the Government of Tanzania for permission to conduct research in Selous Game Reserve. For help during fieldwork we thank Sara Liljeholm and Nancy Creel. For helpful comments on previous versions of this paper, we thank Karen McComb, Craig Packer, Carl-Gustaf Thulin and Staffan Ulfstrand. This research was funded by Helge Ax:son Johnson’s foundation, the Swedish International Developmental Agency (SIDA), the Royal Swedish Academy for Sciences, the Swedish Foundation for International Cooperation in Research and Higher Education (STINT), the Lennander foundation, the National Science Foundation (IBN 9805571 and IBN 0043732) and the Frankfurt Zoological Society (project 1112/90).
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Spong, G., Creel, S. Effects of kinship on territorial conflicts among groups of lions, Panthera leo . Behav Ecol Sociobiol 55, 325–331 (2004). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-003-0723-z
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-003-0723-z