Evolutionary significance of maternal kinship in a long-lived mammal

Abstract

Preferential treatment of kin is widespread across social species and is considered a central prerequisite to the evolution of cooperation through kin selection. Though it is well known that, among most social mammals, females will remain within their natal group and often bias social behaviour towards female maternal kin, less is known about the fitness consequences of these relationships. We test the fitness benefits of living with maternal sisters, measured by age-specific female reproduction, using an unusually large database of a semi-captive Asian elephant ( Elephas maximus) population. This study system is particularly valuable to an exploration of reproductive trends in a long-lived mammal, because it includes life-history data that span multiple generations, enabling a study of the effects of kinship across a female's lifespan. We find that living near a sister significantly increased the likelihood of annual reproduction among young female elephants, and this effect was strongest when living near a sister 0-5 years younger. Our results show that fitness benefits gained from relationships with kin are age-specific, establish the basis necessary for the formation and maintenance of close social relationships with female kin, and highlight the adaptive importance of matriliny in a long-lived mammal. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolution of female-biased kinship in humans and other mammals'.

Keywords: Asian elephant; fertility; kinship; matriliny.

Figure 1.

Presence of maternal sister and mean annual probability of female reproduction in Asian elephants. Sister presence improves female reproduction with an age-specific effect whereby younger females benefit from the presence of such relatives. Each line grouping represents predictions made by the three final models (tables 1–3), broken down by agegroup (ages 12–21: N = 475; ages 22–43: N = 391; ages 44–50: N = 89). Each point represents the mean of the annual probability of reproduction from the raw data. Error bars represent 95% standard error. (Online version in colour.)

Figure 2.

Presence of maternal sister (0–5 years younger) and mean annual probability of young female reproduction in Asian elephants. Young females (N = 151) living near a sister 0–5 years their junior are more likely to reproduce, compared with young females without a sibling in this age range present. This effect is age-specific and diminishes over time as females age. Lines represent final model predictions (table 4) and points represent the mean of the annual probability of reproduction from the raw data. Error bars represent 95% standard error. (Online version in colour.)