PRF/J: The Adaptive Significance of Kin Association Behavior in Anuran Tadpoles

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Organisms as diverse as plants and primates respond differentially toward conspecifics according to their genetic relatedness. Differential treatment of kin is critical to current theories of the evolution of altruism and mate choice. Yet, in surprisingly few systems have investigators identified the selective factors responsible for the evolutionary maintenance of kin-biased behavior. For anuran tadpoles, the predominant view is that associating with relatives is kin- selected because these relatives thereby accrue benefits through increased growth or predation avoidance. Recent work, however, suggests that kin associations may reflect selection to associate with the natal site (philopatry), and perhaps not with kin per se. A series of field and laboratory experiments will be proposed, aimed at elucidating the adaptive significance of aggregation behavior in tadpoles. Specifically, this study proposes to determine whether 1) DNA fingerprinting reveals evidence of philopatry, 2) aggregation formation is advantageous, and 3) aggregation formation is context-dependent. The latter two issues will be addressed by conducting field experiments in natural ponds. This study will clarify the selective factors favoring kin association behavior in tadpoles and, by implication, in certain other gregarious organisms. Examination of context-dependent behavior provides opportunity to evaluate the role of assessment in evolutionary biology.