October 23, 2017
Birds will sometimes care for the
offspring of other birds of their own species if they anticipate future
benefits. Being tolerated in another bird's territory and the chance to inherit
that territory later are considered rewards for which some birds are willing to
postpone their own chance of reproduction. On 23 October 2017 veni researcher
Sjouke Kingma from the University of Groningen has published an article on this
subject in Nature Communications.
In almost 10 percent of bird
species around the world, certain individuals postpone their own chance of
reproduction to help birds of the same species to care for their offspring.
This behaviour has also been observed in certain mammals, fish and insects.
Since the days of Charles Darwin, biologists have assumed that all creatures
are selfish, and do everything they can to maximize the chance of passing their
genes to their offspring. So why do some birds sacrifice themselves for the
sake of others? What do they gain by not producing their own brood and wasting
energy to help others?
One hypothesis is that they only
help their relations, i.e. younger brothers and sisters with whom they share
their genes. This is thought to be a way for the helpers to pass on their
genes, without reproducing themselves. In a recent study, evolutionary
biologist Sjouke Kingma refutes this widely accepted vision by showing that
these individuals are also trying to improve their own future prospects. Kingma
compared 44 species of birds, some of which help other birds while denying
themselves their own brood. Although some birds only help family members, his
research showed that a lot of birds are even more keen to help non-family
members if they stand to inherit their territory in the future.
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