Family-related differences in social foraging tactic use in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) |
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Authors: | Kimberley J Mathot Luc-Alain Giraldeau |
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Institution: | 1. Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Case postale 8888, Succursale Centre-Ville, Montréal, QC, H3C 3P8, Canada 2. Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Stra?e, Haus Nr. 5, 82319, Seewiesen, Germany
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Abstract: | When animals forage in groups, they can search for food themselves (producer tactic), or they can search for opportunities
to exploit the food discoveries of others (scrounger tactic). Both theoretical and empirical work have shown that group-level
use of these alternative tactics is influenced by environmental conditions including group size and food distribution, and
individual tactic use can be influenced by several measures of individual state, including body condition. Because body condition
has been shown to be heritable for various species, social foraging tactics may also be heritable. We looked for evidence
of heritability in social foraging tactic use in the zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) by testing whether: (1) natural variation in body condition correlates with tactic use, (2) there are family-related differences
in body condition, and (3) there are family-related differences in observed tactic use. Tactic use in the zebra finch was
significantly related to body condition; individuals with lower body condition scores had a significantly higher use of the
scrounger tactic as predicted from variance-sensitive producer–scrounger models. Body-condition scores differed significantly
between families, suggesting that this aspect of individual state may have a heritable component. Finally, we recorded significant
family-related differences in the use of producer and scrounger alternatives. These results are consistent with heritability
in observed tactic use resulting from an inheritance of individual state, in this case body condition, which itself influences
tactic use. Understanding how and why individuals differ in their use of alternative tactics is fundamental as it may provide
important insights into inter-individual variation in fitness. |
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