title: Evolution of kin recognition mechanisms in a fish.
abstract: Both selection and phylogenetic history can influence the evolution of phenotypic traits. Here we used recently characterized variation in kin recognition mechanisms among six guppy populations to explore the phylogenetic history of this trait. Guppies can use two different kin recognition mechanisms: either phenotype matching, in which individuals are identified based on comparison with a recognition template, or familiarity, in which individuals are remembered based on previous interactions. Across the six populations, we identified four transitions in recognition mechanism: phenotype matching evolved once and was subsequently lost in a single population, whereas familiarity evolved twice. Based on a molecular clock, these transitions occurred among populations that had diverged on a timescale of hundreds of thousands of years, which is two orders of magnitude faster than previously documented transitions in recognition mechanisms. A randomization test provided no evidence that recognition mechanisms were constrained by phylogeny, suggesting that recognition mechanisms have the capacity to evolve rapidly, although the specific selection pressures that may be contributing to variation in recognition mechanisms across populations remain unknown.
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada.
authors.forename: Timothy J A
authors.identifier: http://orcid.org/0000-0003-0178-8138
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Hain
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada.
authors.forename: Shawn R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Garner
authors.affiliation: Department of Life Sciences, The University of the West Indies, St. Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago.
authors.forename: Indar W
authors.initials: IW
authors.lastname: Ramnarine
authors.affiliation: Department of Biology, University of Western Ontario, London, ON, N6A 5B7, Canada. bneff@uwo.ca.
authors.forename: Bryan D
authors.initials: BD
authors.lastname: Neff
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D010641:Phenotype; D010802:Phylogeny; D011036:Poecilia; D021641:Recognition, Psychology
keywords: Evolution; Guppies; Kin recognition; Molecular clock; Phylogeny; Social behaviour