Kin selection and the ecology of kin biased behaviour

包容适应度理论，也称为亲属选择理论，为社会行为研究提供了一个总体框架，预测对亲属的差别待遇，即亲属偏见，可以增加行动者的包容适应度。然而，近亲之间的竞争等生态约束预计会强烈影响亲属选择利益，从而影响亲属偏见的强度和方向。此外，包容性健康益处可能出现在性选择等通常被忽视的环境中。这些理论预测对于全面理解亲缘选择的运作至关重要，但却很少受到实证的关注。目的是研究亲缘偏见行为及其在不同背景下的后果，从幼鱼群体中的合作、性内竞争和配偶选择，到社会一夫一妻制的鲷鱼Pelvicachromis taeniatus的双亲抚育，这种行为能够识别亲缘并表现出亲缘交配偏好。行为实验，分子标记和形态测量方法将结合起来。我将特别关注亲属竞争对亲属偏见行为的影响。此外，该物种不寻常的交配偏好提供了一个独特的机会来研究配偶选择中亲属偏好进化的生态要求，以及近亲繁殖如何影响合作的进化。

Inclusive fitness theory, also termed kin selection theory, provides a general framework for the study of social behaviour predicting that differential treatment of kin, i.e. kin bias, can increase the inclusive fitness of an actor. However, ecological constraints like competition between kin are predicted to strongly affect kin selected benefits and, thus, the strength and direction of kin bias. Furthermore, inclusive fitness benefits might emerge in contexts where they are usually ignored like sexual selection. These theoretical predictions which are crucial for a comprehensive understanding of the operation of kin selection have received little empirical attention.The aim is to examine kin biased behaviour and its consequences in different contexts ranging from cooperation during juvenile grouping over intra-sexual competition and mate choice to biparental brood care in the socially monogamous cichlid fish Pelvicachromis taeniatus, which is capable of kin recognition and shows kin mating preferences. Behavioural experiments, molecular markers and morphometric methods will be combined. Particularly, I will focus on the impact of kin competition on kin biased behaviour. Further, the unusual mating preferences in this species provide a unique opportunity to examine the ecological requirements for the evolution of kin bias in mate choice and how inbreeding influences the evolution of cooperation.