| Concept/Content |
kin selection / naked mole rats |
| Information caption |
Naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) live in colonies with just one, much larger reproductive female. Other females become sterile. As mammals, however, the mole rats do not share the honeybees' genomic structure. Yet they do live in family-based groups and are highly inbred. Individuals in the same burrow typically share at least 80% of their genes. Mole rat socialty itself seems an adaptation to patchy food resources in an arid environment (O'Riain and Faulkes 2008). Their striking breeding structure, however, with its costly helping, seems shaped by kin selection (Jarvis 1981; Sherman, Jarvis and Alexander 1991). |
| Inquiry caption |
Naked mole rats (Heterocephalus glaber) live in underground colonies, an adaptation to patchy food resources in an arid environment (O'Riain and Faulkes 2008). Some colonies are relatively isolated and, due to inbreeding, individuals in the same burrow typically share at least 80% of their genes. How might this affect the natural selection of reproduction and helping behavior?
[In naked mole rate colonies, only one female, much larger, is reproductive. Other females become sterile (Jarvis 1981; Sherman, Jarvis and Alexander 1991).]
Target Concept: Some cases of costly helping are explained by genetic relatedness.; |
| Photographer |
Chris Faulkes |
| Credit |
Courtesy of Chris Faulkes. |
| SIZE in pixels [file size] |
640x396; 640x421; 634x451 |
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