Kin selection may influence fostering behaviour in Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella).
Fostering confers obvious advantages to the offspring but is seemingly costly to the caregiver. Such behaviour is particularly paradoxical in seals where the energetic investment in milk is very high and has led to the suggestion that this behaviour may have evolved through either kin selection or reciprocity. We used a combination of genetic and behavioural data to investigate whether kin selection plays a role in the fostering behaviour observed in a well-studied population of Antarctic fur seals (Arctocephalus gazella) from Bird Island, South Georgia. Genotypic data from eight highly polymorphic microsatellite markers were used to estimate relatedness among mother-pup pairs, foster mother-pup pairs and the total population. Mean relatedness was found to be significantly higher for foster mother-pup pairs than that observed for the total population, suggesting that kin selection could have a role in the maintenance of fostering behaviour in this species.
Gemmell
Neil J
NJ
Department of Zoology, University of Canterbury, Private Bag 4800, Christchurch, New Zealand. neil.gemmell@canterbury.ac.uz
D000818:Animals; D000833:Animals, Suckling / Q000235:genetics*; D000864:Antarctic Regions; D001266:Atlantic Islands; D005260:Female; D046069:Fur Seals / Q000235:genetics* / Q000502:physiology*; D007774:Lactation / Q000502:physiology; D008425:Maternal Behavior / Q000502:physiology*; D018895:Microsatellite Repeats; D012641:Selection, Genetic