Lecture 17: Kin Recognition: A Case Study With Wasps

Front 1

What is the definition of kin recognition?

Back 1

any differential treatment of conspecifics (related things) with respect to relatedness

Front 2

What's an example of this in nature (an animal that does this)?

Back 2

Seasalamander puts food in mouth and if tastes like kin, spits out

Front 3

Describe the components of kin recognition:
1.

Back 3

PRODUCTION COMPONENT:
nature and development of the recognition cue

Front 4

2.

Back 4

PERCEPTION COMPONENT:
development of kin recognition template, sensory detection of the recognition cues AND then a series of steps used for assessing similarity b/w template and recognition cues

Front 5

3.

Back 5

ACTION COMPONENT:
nature and determinants of the action taken by the actor (determinator)that already assesed a given degree of similarity b/w its recognition template and the recognition cues.

Front 6

Name all 4 mechanisms of recognition. (in the following cards, explain the mechanism and problems associated with it)

Back 6

1. recognition ("green beard") alleles
2. spatial location
3. association
4. phenotype matching

Front 7

RECOGNITION ALLELES

Back 7

production, perception, and action components ALL encoded by a single gene or set of tightly linked genes-->the recognition template is not learned
PROBLEM: what are the chances? genes unlinked to green beard genes are going to try to snuff out the green beard gene b/c an individual could choose kin or non kin depending on if individual has g.b. gene or not...not good for other genes.
EVIDENCE: fire ants: queens who had PGA gene would not kill other queens w/ PGA gene EVEN if they arent kin.

Front 8

SPACIAL LOCATION

Back 8

template learned from cues associated with locations, NOT phenotype of individuals

Ex:bank swallow- parent/offspring recognition

test: switch baby birds to different nest-> parent feeds any nestling identically if in same location

Front 9

ASSOCIATIONAL

Back 9

recognition ONLY of familiar individuals--early rearing process (only individuals it encountered early)

Front 10

PHENOTYPE MATCHING

Back 10

actor learns generalized cues of some referent (itself, its nest, some subset of kin), then later matches template to a recipient's cues..permits recognition of unfamiliar kin (usually a general cue like smell)
EXAMPLE: Belding ground squirrels- "armpit effect" smell self then smell other to distinguish b/w full and 1/2 sisters
Good whenever possibility of running into kin you weren't reared to ex: large pops of insects

Front 11

What is the mechanism underlying nestmate recognition in eusocial paper wasps?

Back 11

Production Component: cues are cuticular hydrocarbons

Perception component: recognition odors learned from nest, not from nestmates

Front 12

What are 2 possible errors in kin recognition? What should an animal do about this?

Back 12

1) accept non-kin
2) reject kin
BUT if you try to decrease one error, you increase the other so the animal has to decide...it depends on:
1) benefits of accepting kin and rejecting non kin
2) fitness consequences of erroneously accepting non kin and rejecting kin
3) relative frequencies of interaction with kin and non-kin. so the kin acceptance threshold shifts.