Relatedness and social behaviour
Informations
- Funding country
Hungary- Acronym
- -
- URL
- -
- Start date
- 4/1/2004
- End date
- 12/31/2007
- Budget
- 22,351 EUR
Fundings
| Name | Role | Start | End | Amount |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thematic Programme | Grant | 4/1/2004 | 12/31/2007 | 22,351 EUR |
Abstract
Molecular genetic methods have been increasingly used to study the effects of genetic relatedness on the social behaviour of animals. In birds, most studies investigate how genetic relatedness between individuals affects breeding behaviour, such as extra-pair matings and parental care. Much less is known about the effects of relatedness on non-reproductive behaviour, such as social interactions among members of bird flocks. In this study we investigate the following questions: (1) Are the individuals genetically related to each other in wintering house sparrow (Passer domesticus) flocks? (2) How do genetic relationships between sparrows affect their aggression against flock mates and their ranks in the dominance hierarchies of the flocks? (3) How do genetic relationships between sparrows affect the exploitation of flock mates during social foraging? Flock feeding sparrows often use alternative tactics (producing and scrounging) to find food, and this system provides an excellent opportunity to investigate the exploitation of relatives vs. non-relatives. We use field observations, lab experiments and molecular genetic methods to answer these questions.