Monogamy and high relatedness do not preferentially favor the evolution of cooperation.

ABSTRACT:

Background

Phylogenetic analyses strongly associate nonsocial ancestors of cooperatively-breeding or eusocial species with monogamy. Because monogamy creates high-relatedness family groups, kin selection has been concluded to drive the evolution of cooperative breeding (i.e., the monogamy hypothesis). Although kin selection is criticized as inappropriate for modeling and predicting the evolution of cooperation, there are no examples where specific inclusive fitness-based predictions are intrinsically wrong. The monogamy hypothesis may be the first case of such a flawed calculation.

Results

A simulation model mutated helping alleles into non-cooperative populations where females mated either once or multiply. Although multiple mating produces sibling broods of lower relatedne

SUBMITTER: Nonacs P 

PROVIDER: S-EPMC3058046 | biostudies-literature | 2011 Mar

REPOSITORIES: biostudies-literature