Promiscuity and the evolutionary transition to complex societies

作者：Cornwallis Charlie K; West Stuart A; Davis Katie E; Griffin Ashleigh S^*

来源：Nature, 2010, 466(7309): 969-U91.

DOI：10.1038/nature09335

Theory predicts that the evolution of cooperative behaviour is favoured by low levels of promiscuity leading to high within-group relatedness(1-5). However, in vertebrates, cooperation often occurs between non-relatives and promiscuity rates are among the highest recorded. Here we resolve this apparent inconsistency with a phylogenetic analysis of 267 bird species, demonstrating that cooperative breeding is associated with low promiscuity; that in cooperative species, helping is more common when promiscuity is low; and that intermediate levels of promiscuity favour kin discrimination. Overall, these results suggest that promiscuity is a unifying feature across taxa in explaining transitions to and from cooperative societies.

• 出版日期2010-8-19