| Morphological divergence of breeders and helpers in wild Damaraland mole-rat societies. | |
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MedLine Citation:
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PMID: 20561049 Owner: NLM Status: MEDLINE |
Abstract/OtherAbstract:
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The specialization of body shape to an individual's role within society represents a pinnacle of social evolution. Although commonplace among social insects, divergence in the body shapes of breeders and helpers has to date been documented in just one social vertebrate, the naked mole-rat, Heterocephalus glaber; an extraordinary species in which large colony size and frequent inbreeding may have favored the evolution of such specialization. Here, we present new evidence of morphological divergence between breeders and helpers in the Damaraland mole-rat, Fukomys damarensis; a much less socially extreme species that reflects an independent evolutionary origin of sociality. Using longitudinal data from wild populations, we show that dominant female Damaraland mole-rats, like many social insect queens, have a significantly more elongate body shape than subordinates. This difference arises not from a pre-existing difference in the body shapes of subordinates that do, and those that do not, become dominant, but from a modification to the growth trajectory of subordinates on dominance acquisition. Our findings reveal a wider role for morphological divergence within vertebrate societies and, as Damaraland mole-rats neither live in unusually large groups nor inbreed, suggest that circumstances favoring the evolution of such specializations may be more widespread among vertebrates than previously supposed. |
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Authors:
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Andrew J Young; Nigel C Bennett |
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Publication Detail:
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Type: Journal Article; Research Support, Non-U.S. Gov't |
Journal Detail:
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Title: Evolution; international journal of organic evolution Volume: 64 ISSN: 1558-5646 ISO Abbreviation: Evolution Publication Date: 2010 Nov |
Date Detail:
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Created Date: 2010-10-22 Completed Date: 2011-02-02 Revised Date: - |
Medline Journal Info:
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Nlm Unique ID: 0373224 Medline TA: Evolution Country: United States |
Other Details:
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Languages: eng Pagination: 3190-7 Citation Subset: IM |
Copyright Information:
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© 2010 The Author(s). Evolution© 2010 The Society for the Study of Evolution. |
Affiliation:
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Centre for Ecology and Conservation, School of Biosciences, University of Exeter Cornwall Campus, Tremough, Cornwall TR10 9EZ, United Kingdom. a.j.young@exeter.ac.uk |
Export Citation:
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| MeSH Terms | |
Descriptor/Qualifier:
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Animals Biological Evolution Body Size Cooperative Behavior Dominance-Subordination Female Inbreeding Male Models, Statistical Mole Rats / genetics, physiology* Reproduction / genetics Sexual Behavior, Animal Social Behavior |
From MEDLINE®/PubMed®, a database of the U.S. National Library of Medicine
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