2015/07/03 by Florence Levréro, G. Carrete-Vega, A. Herbert +5 · 1 citation
Biochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology · Psychology · Agricultural and Biological Sciences · Neuroscience · #Animal Vocal Communication and Behavior #Primate Behavior and Ecology #Animal Behavior and Reproduction #Kin recognition #Kin selection #Kinship #Inclusive fitness #Altruism (biology) #Primate #Biology #Perception #Matching (statistics) #Evolutionary biology #Genetic Fitness #Identification (biology) #Alarm signal #Psychology #Genetics #Neuroscience #Sociology #Biological evolution
paper · pdf · doi:10.1038/ncomms8609
openalex publication_date 2015/07/03 · openalex created_date 2025/10/10 · openalex updated_date 2026/08/05
Kin selection theory provides a strong theoretical framework to explain the evolution of altruism and cooperative behaviour among genetically related individuals. However, the proximate mechanisms underlying kin discrimination, a necessary process to express kin-related behaviour, remain poorly known. In particular, no study has yet unambiguously disentangled mechanisms based on learned familiarity from true phenotype matching in kin discrimination based on vocal signals. Here we show that in addition to genetic background, social accommodation also shapes individual voices in an Old World monkey (Mandrillus sphinx), even though primate vocalizations were thought to be innate and little flexible. Nonetheless, social shaping of voice parameters does not impair kin discrimination through phenotype-matching of unknown relatives, revealing unexpected discriminatory versatility despite signal complexity. Accurate signal production and perception, therefore, provide a basis for kin identification and kin-biased behaviour in an Old World primate. How animals distinguish family members from unrelated conspecifics is not fully understood. Here Levréro et al.show that although the structure of mandrill vocalisations can be modulated by their social environment, it still contains information that may be used to recognise unfamiliar relatives.