Kin recognition by phenotype matching is family- rather than self-referential in juvenile cichlid fish

Hesse, Saskia; Bakker, Theo C. M.; Baldauf, Sebastian A.; Thünken, Timo

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.05.021

Cited by 40 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 47 publications

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“…This result indicates that there could be a mechanism for recognizing individuals from the same population, probably based on phenotypic matching at the population level (see (Hesse et al. ), for similar result). A phenotypic matching recognition mechanism predicts that individuals can recognize traits that are unique to their relatives and use them to assess similarities and differences between their own traits and those of individuals they have never seen (Tang‐Martinez ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

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Phenotype Matching and Early Social Conditions Affect Shoaling and Exploration Decisions

2016

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Early social conditions are vital for the establishment of future social interactions. Less, however, is known about how differences in early social conditions contribute to the process of individual recognition and subsequently in the decision of associating and exploring behaviours. In this study, we address this gap in the Trinidadian guppy Poecilia reticulata and test the prediction that fish would show a higher tendency to recognize and associate with individuals of similar phenotype. This prediction was tested by comparing the likelihood of association and latency to explore a novel area in males and females when in the presence of individuals that were familiar (reared together but from different populations), from the same population of origin (from the same population but deprived of interaction with each other), or were unfamiliar (different population and have never interacted). Both early social conditions and population of origin (phenotype matching) affected the tendency to shoal and explore. Females, but not males, exhibited identical preference to associate either with unfamiliar females as with familiar females from a different population. Importantly, female preference did not occur with unfamiliar individuals from a different population. In contrast with our prediction, tendency to shoal did not predict exploration propensity. Males always start exploration before the group whenever unfamiliar males composed the group. Females on the other hand only moved to the novel area after seeing the group doing so, revealing sexual dimorphism in exploratory behaviour. Our results provide evidence for a familiarity and phenotypic matching recognition mechanism at the population level and also highlight the importance of accounting for differences between sexes when investigating the effects of early social conditions.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 58%

“…; Hesse et al. ). For example, zebrafish discriminate relatedness based on a genetic predisposition to odours, linked to genetic similarity within the major histocompatibility complex (Gerlach et al.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 97%

Phenotype Matching and Early Social Conditions Affect Shoaling and Exploration Decisions

2016

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“…; Hesse et al. ; Thuenken et al. ; rodents: Mateo ), such experiments have rarely been conducted with primates because the confounding effects of learning direct familiarity are often difficult to disentangle from those due to the learning of common phenotypic templates.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Visual Discrimination of Kin in Mandrills

Charpentier

Harté²,

Ngoubangoye

et al. 2017

Ethology

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Phenotype matching, a learning mechanism that evolved based on phenotypic cues shared among relatives, may provide animals with the ability to recognize unfamiliar kin. The generalization of this mechanism across animal species is debated, however, because appropriate tests are difficult to design due to possible confounding effects of familiarity. Hence, only a few studies have examined evidence for the existence of such a mechanism in natural populations. Here, we tested the phenotype matching hypothesis based on visual cues in a semi‐free‐ranging population of mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx) that contains individuals related to different degrees and where familiarity is controlled for. Using an experimental design based on the presentation of photographs, we show that mandrills discriminate unfamiliar relatives using facial cues alone. Our results build on earlier studies, showing that primates use phenotype matching to recognize and subsequently discriminate unfamiliar kin. We suggest that facial features along with other visual and non‐visual cues provide a proximate mechanism for kin selection to operate.

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“…; Hesse et al. ). Shoaling with kin may provide indirect benefits by increasing the individual's inclusive fitness (Hamilton ) through increasing the reproductive success of its relatives.…”

Section: Living In Shoalsmentioning

confidence: 97%

Investigating the Effect of Familiarity on Kin Recognition of Three‐Spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

et al. 2013

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The ability to discriminate between related and unrelated individuals has been demonstrated in many species. The mechanisms behind this ability might be manifold and depend on the ecological context in which the species lives. In brood‐caring species, both familiarity and phenotype matching are known to be used in kin recognition. However, results of studies disentangling these two phenomena have proved contradictory. We aimed to broaden our knowledge about the mechanisms of kin recognition using shoaling preferences of three‐spined stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus) as a model behavior. In our first experiment, focal fish had the choice to shoal either with kin or unfamiliar non‐kin. In half of the trials, kin groups were composed of familiar individuals, while they were unfamiliar in the other half. Focal fish significantly preferred kin as shoaling partner, a result which was not reinforced by familiarity. In our second experiment, focal fish were given the choice between a shoal of familiar kin and a shoal of unfamiliar kin. Here, focal fish did not show any significant preference. These results indicate that familiarity does not impact stickleback's ability to recognize kin. Furthermore, they show that familiarity does not overrule recognition based on phenotype matching or innate recognition, underlining the importance of these mechanisms. Finally, our results lead to the assumption that individual recognition might play a minor role also in non‐kin‐based preferences for familiars.

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Kin recognition by phenotype matching is family- rather than self-referential in juvenile cichlid fish

Cited by 40 publications

References 47 publications

Phenotype Matching and Early Social Conditions Affect Shoaling and Exploration Decisions

Phenotype Matching and Early Social Conditions Affect Shoaling and Exploration Decisions

Visual Discrimination of Kin in Mandrills

Investigating the Effect of Familiarity on Kin Recognition of Three‐Spined Stickleback (Gasterosteus aculeatus)

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