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BotterillJames et al_SciReports_2017.pdf (1.08 MB)

Family aggression in a social lizard

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posted on 2023-05-19, 06:00 authored by Thomas Botterill-JamesThomas Botterill-James, Benjamin HalliwellBenjamin Halliwell, McKeown, S, Sillince, J, Uller, T, Erik WapstraErik Wapstra, Geoffrey WhileGeoffrey While
The evolution of family living is underpinned by conflict and cooperation between family members. While family groups can be maintained by reducing conflict between parents and offspring, interactions between siblings may play an equally important role. Here, we compared the level of aggressive interactions between siblings to that between parents and their offspring in the family living skink Liopholis whitii. Aggressive interactions occurred much more frequently between siblings and between fathers and offspring than between mothers and their offspring. These results suggest that ecological and social conditions that reduce conflict between siblings and between males and offspring will be fundamental in the evolutionary maintenance and diversification of family living in these lizards.

Funding

Australian Research Council

History

Publication title

Scientific Reports

Volume

7

Article number

3502

Number

3502

Pagination

1-5

ISSN

2045-2322

Department/School

International School

Publisher

Nature Publishing Group

Place of publication

4 Crinan St, London, N1 9XW United Kingdom

Rights statement

Copyright 2017 The Authors. Licensed under Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International (CC BY 4.0) https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/

Repository Status

  • Open

Socio-economic Objectives

Expanding knowledge in the biological sciences

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