The structure of complex animal societies: roles of constraints, philopatry, punishment, and kinship

Animal sociality, i.e., the tendency for animals to form groups, has long fascinated scientists, but our understanding of how it evolves is still limited. Our understanding rests on several concepts, including ecological constraints and benefits of philopatry. Ecological constraints are environmental variables that limit animal movement and dispersal.

Philopatry is when animals remain in their birth areas.

Social living also provides unique opportunities for cooperation to evolve, which can then in turn promote group living. Several processes can influence cooperation within groups, including kin selection and punishment.

Kin selection is the process by which individuals benefit by helping relatives reproduce, and punishment can be a way for dominants to coerce others into cooperation.

Yet our ability to tease these mechanisms apart in nature remains hampered, because an adequate comparative system has remained elusive. In this project, I will use an ideal comparative system to do this: the shell-dwelling Lamprologine cichlids.

Across my study species, I will test whether ecological constraints and philopatric benefits are associated with group size, and whether cooperation is associated with genetic relatedness or punishment by dominants.

This 4-year field project will involve experimental manipulations and will combine analysis of behaviour with population genetics. Ultimately, this project will inform some of the most fundamental processes that support complex social life.