Kin and social network structure in two populations of Octodon degus

A growing body of evidence showing that individuals of some species live in non-kin groups suggests kin selection is not required in all species for sociality to evolve. Here I investigate two populations of Octodon degus, a South American rodent which has been shown to form kin and non-kin groups. I quantified genetic relatedness within social groups in two populations as well as social network parameters (association, strength, and clustering coefficient) in order to determine if these aspects of sociality were driven by kinship. I analyzed social network parameters relative to ecological conditions at burrow systems used by individuals to determine if ecological characteristics could explain variation in sociality. In both populations, genetic relatedness among individuals within social groups was not significantly higher than randomly selected individuals from the background population, suggesting non-kin structure is common in degus. In both populations, I found significant relationships between habitat characteristics of burrow systems and social network characteristics of individuals.

Grantor dc:publisher

University of Tennessee at Chattanooga

Author dc:creator

• Davis, Garrett

Contributors dc:contributor

• Hayes, Loren
• Kovach, Margaret; Klug, Hope
• College of Arts and Sciences

• Octodontidae
• Degus
• Animal societies
• Social behavior in animals

Licence

• https://rightsstatements.org/page/InC/1.0/?language=en

Language dc:language

English, eng

Repository record dc:identifier

https://scholar.utc.edu/theses/148

OAI identifier oai:identifier

oai:scholar.utc.edu:theses-1289