Kin selection and cooperative courtship in wild turkeys

Alan H. Krakauer ()
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Alan H. Krakauer: University of California

Nature, 2005, vol. 434, issue 7029, 69-72

Abstract: Turkey talk: he ain't heavy... Male wild turkeys form partnerships in order to attract females, yet only one male from each display team is thought to mate. Why should subordinate males help for no benefit? This seemingly altruistic system became a textbook example of kin selection: males were thought to be brothers, so the helpers could benefit indirectly by helping their kin. But a published test of kin selection in birds with cooperative male partnerships raised doubts when it showed that long-tailed manakins in similar teams were unrelated. A new study restores the turkey as an (apparent) altruist. Genetic measures of relatedness and reproductive success confirm that though helpers do not reproduce, their indirect gain more than offsets costs of helping. It seems clear, though, that cooperative courtship has evolved differently in different bird species.

Date: 2005
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DOI: 10.1038/nature03325

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