Role of kinship in the formation of southern flying squirrel winter aggregations

In winter southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) aggregate in large groups. They live on food items individually stored during the fall in their overlapping home ranges. The squirrels gain thermoregulatory benefits from living in aggregations but also face costs of group living, especially nes...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of mammalogy 2011-02, Vol.92 (1), p.179-189
Main Authors: Thorington, Katherine K., Weigl, Peter D.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Aerial locomotion
Aggregation
Animal behavior
Animal nesting
Animals
Biological and medical sciences
Dyadic relations
Familiarity
FEATURE ARTICLES
Fitness
Food
Food availability
Food security
Fundamental and applied biological sciences. Psychology
Glaucomys volans
group nesting
Infection
Kinship
Mammalia
Mammalogy
nest-mate choice
Nests
Offspring
Parasites
Predators
Progeny
Rodents
Siblings
southern flying squirrel
Squirrels
Temperature
Vertebrates: general zoology, morphology, phylogeny, systematics, cytogenetics, geographical distribution
Winter
winter aggregation
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Summary:In winter southern flying squirrels (Glaucomys volans) aggregate in large groups. They live on food items individually stored during the fall in their overlapping home ranges. The squirrels gain thermoregulatory benefits from living in aggregations but also face costs of group living, especially nest mates pilfering individually stored food. Other costs include increased predator attraction and a greater vulnerability to parasite infection. The presence of relatives in the group has the potential to increase inclusive fitness by increasing the availability of food, stored in the home area, to related individuals. Using 3 generations of known-relationship squirrels we conducted laboratory experiments to determine whether kin or familiar animals were preferred nest mates during aggregation formation. During 3 time periods, over 2 winters, squirrels were presented with kin and nonkin and familiar and unfamiliar animals and allowed to aggregate over the course of multiple 3-day trials. Kinship was persistently a major factor in the formation of aggregations. Squirrels aggregated with highly related animals (parents, offspring, and siblings) significantly more often than with unrelated animals. Familiarity became significant by the end of the study. Understanding how relatedness and familiarity interact in the formation of aggregations in seasonally gregarious animals sheds light on the processes and factors that lead to sociality.
ISSN:0022-2372
1545-1542
DOI:10.1644/10-MAMM-A-062.1