Imprinting and kin recognition Imprinting
Konrad Lorenz Filial imprinting
Critical period Experimental approaches Sensitive period
Hours after hatching
precocial altricial Filial imprinting Multiple cues strengthen imprinting response Filial imprinting Timing of critical period
Locomotion-fear dichotomy
Tolerance of novel objects
Locomotor performance
Hours after hatching Sexual imprinting Process of learning characteristics of future mates
Preferred humans ring dove
Reared by hand
Reared with conspecifics
Preferred doves Sexual imprinting
Recognition of appropriate mates
acquisition stage consolidation stage
hatching sexual maturity time Sexual imprinting
Sexual imprinting as way to strike balance between species recognition and inbreeding
Male Japanese quail raised with females preferred…
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…slightly similar over identical over dissimilar females. Sexual imprinting as evolutionary force
Mate assortatively when placed together Assortative mating due to sexual imprinting Sexual imprinting as evolutionary force
Pairs of benthic (top) and limnetic (bottom) of sticklebacks
Divergent selection
Parental care exclusively by male Sexual imprinting as evolutionary force
Heterospecific Conspecific father father
Heterospecific No odor father
Tested female mate preferences as adults Sexual imprinting as evolutionary force
Prefer benthics conspecific limnetics male
Prefer heterospecific male Sexual imprinting as evolutionary force
benthics limnetics
heterospecific conspecific biological
Strength of imprinting correlated with father’s parental care Imprinting and conservation
sandhill crane whooping crane Imprinting and conservation
Captive breeding, reintroduction of whooping cranes Imprinting and conservation
Used to teach migratory routes to juveniles Imprinting and conservation
Used to teach migratory routes to juveniles Habitat imprinting Ecologically relevant stimuli
anadromous salmon
monarch butterfly
Typically occurs in species with no overlap of generations Salmon life cycle
sockeye salmon Habitat imprinting in salmon
How do salmon find their way to natal stream?
Is it important that they do? Habitat imprinting
How do they find them?
Cuckoos must find mates
raised by same host species common cuckoo
Cuckoos raised looking Time in 6 habitat types Measured time spent looking at habitats Familiar Natal Others Kin recognition Modes of kin recognition
Vocal recognition in terns
Olfactory recognition Visual recognition in ungulates in primates Kin recognition
• Production component • Perception component • Action component
Environmental labels
Olfactory recognition in social insects
hydrocarbon “signature” Environmental labels
Can be age, sex, caste, or species specific Environmental labels Paper wasp Polistes fuscatus Environmental labels
N U
U N1 N N1 N U U N2 U N2
Control Treatment
Nestmates more tolerant of each Nestmates and non-nestmates other than non-nestmates similarly tolerant
Production component not affected Learned perception of nest odor is affected Environmental labels “Home field advantage”
U N
U N
U N1 N1 N U N2 U N2 Environmental labels
Cross-fostering studies: nonsibs raised together are less aggressive than sibs raised apart…
Belding’s ground squirrel Genetic labels …but genetic relatedness does affect some interactions
pairs reared apart
Belding’s ground squirrel
Paul Sherman Jill Mateo Role of major histocompatibility complex? Genetic labels
Role of MHC in Arctic charr
MHC class II B gene sequenced Individuals genotyped Preferences tested in fluviarium Role of MHC in Arctic charr
A1=water A1=S++ or S-- A1=S++ or S-- A1=S++ A1=S-- A1=S-- A2=water A2=water A2=S++ or S-- A2=S-- A2=N-- A2=N+- Genetic labels
Cross-fostering design Mother 1 Mother 2 Mother 3
Tested female responses to: Familiar nonkin vs.
Unfamiliar kin vs. Unfamiliar nonkin vs. Genetic labels
Cross-fostering design Mother 1 Mother 2 Mother 3
Scent marking by females Nonsibs raised together Sibs raised apart Nonsibs raised apart
How do we interpret these data? Genetic labels
Can we conclude that females cannot Nonsibs raised together Sibs raised apart discriminate female odors? Nonsibs raised apart
Genetic labels
Kin recognition in tadpole morphs of spadefoot toad
Genetic labels
Proportion of time with siblings
Omnivores Carnivores 24-hrs food 48-hrs food Proportion of prey Proportion of prey that were siblings deprivation deprivation
Carnivorous morphs minimize contact with siblings, but sometimes they can’t help themselves… Genetic labels
Can nepotistic species discriminate among degrees of relatedness?
Habituation:
Control Referent
Dishabituation:
Control ? Belding’s ground squirrel
Genetic labels
Belding’s ground squirrel Time spent investigatingodor Time Ref trial 1 Ref trial 2 Ref trial 3 Mother Grandmother Half-aunt Non-kin
What did authors conclude about S. lateralis and why is it important?