The Influence of Helper Relatedness in Acorn Woodpecker Group Success
Faculty Sponsor
Joseph Haydock, Gonzaga University
Research Project Abstract
The acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a cooperative breeding bird in which the helpers can increase reproductive success within the group. These helpers do not participate in breeding activities, but instead may assist in the provisioning and protecting young produced in a group. A breeding group can have between one to ten helpers, but reproductive success within a social group only increases with the presence of up to three helpers; after which additional helpers have a diminishing effect on the group’s reproductive success. While this pattern is well established for acorn woodpeckers, we have not tested whether helpers are able to adjust their reproductive effort based on their actual relatedness to the nestlings. Here we used detailed knowledge of parentage to determine whether or not helpers modulate their provisioning behavior based on their relatedness to the nestlings, and whether this is dependent on the number of helpers.
Session Number
PS1
Location
Graves Gym
Abstract Number
PS1-q
The Influence of Helper Relatedness in Acorn Woodpecker Group Success
Graves Gym
The acorn woodpecker (Melanerpes formicivorus) is a cooperative breeding bird in which the helpers can increase reproductive success within the group. These helpers do not participate in breeding activities, but instead may assist in the provisioning and protecting young produced in a group. A breeding group can have between one to ten helpers, but reproductive success within a social group only increases with the presence of up to three helpers; after which additional helpers have a diminishing effect on the group’s reproductive success. While this pattern is well established for acorn woodpeckers, we have not tested whether helpers are able to adjust their reproductive effort based on their actual relatedness to the nestlings. Here we used detailed knowledge of parentage to determine whether or not helpers modulate their provisioning behavior based on their relatedness to the nestlings, and whether this is dependent on the number of helpers.
