Close Kin Research Articles

A genetic history of the pre-contact Caribbean.

Humans settled the Caribbean ~6,000 years ago, with ceramic use and intensified agriculture marking a shift from the Archaic to the Ceramic Age ~2,500 years ago1–3. We report genome-wide data from 174 individuals from The Bahamas, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, Curaçao, and Venezuela co-analyzed with published data. Archaic Age Caribbean people derive from a deeply divergent population closest to Central and northern South Americans; contrary to previous work4, we find no support for ancestry contributed by a population related to North Americans. Archaic lineages were >98% replaced by a genetically homogeneous ceramic-using population related to Arawak-speakers from northeast South America who moved through the Lesser Antilles and into the Greater Antilles at least 1,700 years ago, introducing ancestry that is still present. Ancient Caribbean people avoided close kin unions despite limited mate pools reflecting small effective population sizes which we estimate to be a minimum of Ne=500–1500 and a maximum of Ne=1530–8150 on the combined islands of Puerto Rico and Hispaniola in the dozens of generations before the analyzed individuals lived. Census sizes are unlikely to be more than ten-fold larger than effective population sizes, so previous estimates of hundreds of thousands of people are too large5–6. Confirming a small, interconnected Ceramic Age population7, we detect 19 pairs of cross-island cousins, close relatives ~75 kilometers apart in Hispaniola, and low genetic differentiation across islands. Genetic continuity across transitions in pottery styles reveals that cultural changes during the Ceramic Age were not driven by migration of genetically-differentiated groups from the mainland but instead reflected interactions within an interconnected Caribbean world1,8.

Programmed cell death as a black queen in microbial communities.

Programmed cell death (PCD) in unicellular organisms is in some instances an altruistic trait. When the beneficiaries are clones or close kin, kin selection theory may be used to explain the evolution of the trait, and when the trait evolves in groups of distantly related individuals, group or multilevel selection theory is invoked. In mixed microbial communities, the benefits are also available to unrelated taxa. But the evolutionary ecology of PCD in communities is poorly understood. Few hypotheses have been offered concerning the community role of PCD despite its far-reaching effects. The hypothesis we consider here is that PCD is a black queen. The Black Queen Hypothesis (BQH) outlines how public goods arising from a leaky function are exploited by other taxa in the community. Black Queen (BQ) traits are essential for community survival, but only some members bear the cost of possessing them, while others lose the trait In addition, BQ traits have been defined in terms of adaptive gene loss, and it is unknown whether this has occurred for PCD. Our conclusion is that PCD fulfils the two most important criteria of a BQ (leakiness and costliness), but that more empirical data are needed for assessing the remaining two criteria. In addition, we hold that for viewing PCD as a BQ, the original BQH needs to include social traits. Thus, despite some empirical and conceptual shortcomings, the BQH provides a helpful avenue for investigating PCD in microbial communities.

The Mortuary Stela of Tetiankh: Family Piety and Social Networkلوحة تيتي-عنخ الجنائزية (العساسيف 2018-1068-1)

Edition of a mortuary stela from the XVIIIth Dynasty discovered in 2018 inside the surrounding walls of Theban Tomb 33. The offering scenes on this monument of outstanding quality depict relatives of the deceased, both close kin and prominent Theban administrative officials, such as the famous Ineni, overseer of the two granaries of Amun. In addition, the commentary aims to show in what way this monument fits into a series of mortuary stelae that showcase intergenerational family piety and social network in a kind of iconogenealogical staging. From this perspective, the study of a dozen monuments from the New Kingdom highlights the patterning of mortuary rituals according to the networks of family and social solidarity.

Old-Age Trajectories of Life Satisfaction. Do Singlehood and Childlessness Hurt More When People Get Older?

Abstract This paper analyses trajectories of life satisfaction among elderly people in various family situations and tests whether the disadvantage related to being single or childless increases (as predicted by cumulative (dis)advantage hypothesis) or reduces (consistently with age-as-leveler hypothesis) when people get older. The results show that the disadvantage of never married mothers grows with age, whereas the disadvantage of divorced people reduces with age. The study suggests that, in general, the increasing probability of ageing without close kin does not put at risk life satisfaction of elderly people.

Vegetal Being in Samuel Butler’sErewhon: The Narrative Challenge of Nineteenth-Century Plant Science

In a 2013 article in The New Yorker, Michael Pollan recounts recent plant science research that seems to blur the distinctions between plant and animal life: plants and animals share many of the same neurotransmitters, such as serotonin and dopamine; like animals, sagebrush plants recognize and favor close kin; and Mimosa pudica plants are capable of modifying their responses to a consistent stimulus, suggesting a capacity for learning and memory. Pollan describes how these findings have sparked questions about “how to interpret and name them,” with scientists debating whether plant actions that seemingly denote intelligence “deserve to be called by those terms,” or whether the term “intelligent” should be reserved for beings with a centralized cognitive organ, such as humans and animals (“The Intelligent” n.p.). Although the experiments Pollan describes are recent, the rhetorical, philosophical, and ultimately environmental concerns he raises are not. In fact, his work fits into...

Political making of more-than-fishers through their involvement in ecological monitoring of protected areas

One strategy for ecological monitoring of protected areas involves data collection by local resource users instead of external scientists. Growing support for such programs comes from their potential to both reduce costs and influence how resource users perceive and support protected areas, but their effects on participants are only beginning to be understood. We contribute to this growing research area through an in-depth study of how participants, their close kin, and their peers perceived the individual and community-wide effects of an ecological monitoring program. We examined the case of fishers’ involvement in ecological monitoring of a marine protected area network in Baja California Sur, Mexico, organized since 2012 by the Mexican non-governmental organization Niparaja. Based on in-depth interviews and participant observation in 2016 and 2017, we found that the most salient effect of the program was personal growth. Participants described becoming “more than a fisher” through newly gained civic and environmental awareness, ecological knowledge, and self-confidence in public speaking skills. Respondents also identified health risks from diving and emotional burdens on participants’ families. Overall, other resource users in their communities seem to be supportive through reputational benefits of participants. These effects overlap with but seem more extensive than those documented in other citizen science programs. Environmentality provides a suitable explanation of the processes at play, where the act of monitoring is far more than data collection, intertwining participants’ fortunes (for better or worse) with the political fate of the protected area network itself.

Social relationships among adult male chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii): variation in the strength and quality of social bonds

Socioecological environments that promote frequent interaction and social tolerance have favored the evolution of strong and equitable social bonds, which facilitate cooperation and confer fitness benefits. In most species, kinship is the primary predictor of bond strength and quality, but it does not adequately explain partner choice among adult male chimpanzees. Instead, most bonds and cooperative interactions occur among unrelated individuals, likely because of a lack of brothers among available partners. To identify what factors drive partner choice when kinship does not, we investigated the strength and quality of social bonds among adult male chimpanzees (N = 26) at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Maternal brothers, when present, formed stronger bonds than other dyads, and maternal brothers who were close in age or rank formed the strongest bonds. Among dyads that were not maternal brothers, however, the strength of social bonds was not associated with either age difference or rank difference. Additionally, dyads with stronger bonds groomed more equitably than other dyads, as did maternal brothers and dyads close in rank. Bonds were stable, community-wide, for 2 years on average, while lasting up to 13 years. Overall, there remains no clear-cut explanation for partner choice among male chimpanzees. Demographic constraints limit the impact of kinship, and the effects of age and rank difference are small or nonexistent, suggesting that bond strength results from a more complex process than a simple accounting of basic characteristics. Instead, dyads may possess some distinct quality that engenders strength and stability, such as compatible personalities. Strong social ties are associated with increased fitness in several species, including humans, baboons, feral horses, and dolphins. Although close kin typically form the strongest bonds, kinship explains only a limited number of bonds (and associated cooperation) among adult male chimpanzees. To identify what factors influence partner choice when kinship does not, we examined social bonds among adult male chimpanzees at Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Males formed strong, stable bonds and groomed more equitably with strong bond partners. Nevertheless, kinship, age difference, and rank difference did not fully explain male partner choice. These results contrast with findings in other species, where stronger and more equitable bonds are typically formed by kin as well as those that are close in age and rank. Instead, male chimpanzee dyads may possess some distinct quality that promotes strength and stability, such as compatible personalities.

Using spatial genetics to quantify mosquito dispersal for control programs

BackgroundHundreds of millions of people get a mosquito-borne disease every year and nearly one million die. Transmission of these infections is primarily tackled through the control of mosquito vectors. The accurate quantification of mosquito dispersal is critical for the design and optimization of vector control programs, yet the measurement of dispersal using traditional mark-release-recapture (MRR) methods is logistically challenging and often unrepresentative of an insect’s true behavior. Using Aedes aegypti (a major arboviral vector) as a model and two study sites in Singapore, we show how mosquito dispersal can be characterized by the spatial analyses of genetic relatedness among individuals sampled over a short time span without interruption of their natural behaviors.ResultsUsing simple oviposition traps, we captured adult female Ae. aegypti across high-rise apartment blocks and genotyped them using genome-wide SNP markers. We developed a methodology that produces a dispersal kernel for distance which results from one generation of successful breeding (effective dispersal), using the distance separating full siblings and 2nd- and 3rd-degree relatives (close kin). The estimated dispersal distance kernel was exponential (Laplacian), with a mean dispersal distance (and dispersal kernel spread σ) of 45.2 m (95% CI 39.7–51.3 m), and 10% probability of a dispersal > 100 m (95% CI 92–117 m). Our genetically derived estimates matched the parametrized dispersal kernels from previous MRR experiments. If few close kin are captured, a conventional genetic isolation-by-distance analysis can be used, as it can produce σ estimates congruent with the close-kin method if effective population density is accurately estimated. Genetic patch size, estimated by spatial autocorrelation analysis, reflects the spatial extent of the dispersal kernel “tail” that influences, for example, the critical radii of release zones and the speed of Wolbachia spread in mosquito replacement programs.ConclusionsWe demonstrate that spatial genetics can provide a robust characterization of mosquito dispersal. With the decreasing cost of next-generation sequencing, the production of spatial genetic data is increasingly accessible. Given the challenges of conventional MRR methods, and the importance of quantified dispersal in operational vector control decisions, we recommend genetic-based dispersal characterization as the more desirable means of parameterization.

Abstract 2036: The Bull's Eye: A research tool to characterize family, friends and social networks within a Li-Fraumeni Syndrome family

Abstract Background:Li-Fraumeni Syndrome (LFS) is a rare autosomal dominant cancer predisposition syndrome associated with early age of onset and high lifetime risk of multiple malignancies. Pathogenic germline variants (PV) in TP53 cause ~70% of LFS. Our prior work using the Colored Eco-Genetic Relationship Map found that non-bloodline relationships (i.e., spouses or friends) provide significant support to individuals with LFS. The Bull's Eye (BE) is a simplified tool to capture the types and degree of support obtained from family members (FMs) and social networks. We report on pilot BE data from a large family with LFS. Methods: Guided by investigators, patients in NCI's longitudinal LFS cohort (ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01443468) independently completed a BE during annual screening visits. This tool is comprised of four concentric circles, with the innermost signifying the patient and outer circles indicating increasingly limited support. Individuals identified on the BE were coded 0-8 to indicate proximity to the patient. Independent sample T-tests and a linear regression were used in analyses. Results: Fifteen FMs from 1 family participated, including 10 TP53 PV carriers, 4 spouses of carriers, and 1 untested FM. The 7 males and 8 females ranged from 14-56 years of age (Median = 29). No significant association was detected between gender and number of FMs reported. Women cited significantly more non-family members (NFMs) than did men (Mean [M] = 7.6 ± 4.1 and M = 3.1 ± 2.4, respectively; p = 0.02.). There was no significant association between participant PV status and number of FMs reported. Spouses cited significantly more NFMs than did TP53 PV carriers (M = 8.8 ± 2.5 and M = 4.0 ± 3.9, respectively; p = 0.04). We assessed the relationship between gender, PV status and number of NFMs identified. The overall model explained a significant amount of variance in number of NFMs reported (r2 = 0.46; p = 0.02), driven by female gender and spouses of PV carriers. Gender independently contributed significantly to the model (B = 3.88, p = 0.04) while PV status did not (B = 0.03, p = 0.13). Conclusion: The BE is a practical and efficient tool to evaluate support in this LFS kindred. Women in this family had larger social networks than men, particularly through NFM relationships. In contrast, men primarily received support from close kin (i.e., siblings). Notably, spouses reported larger NFM networks than did TP53 PV carriers, seeking emotional support from friends, coworkers, and church groups. It is possible that PV carriers may be more comfortable sharing their LFS-related life experiences with FMs. Additional research with larger samples will clarify relative impacts of gender and PV status. Future analyses will evaluate other NCI LFS families to determine if: 1) patterns hold, 2) differences exist based on cancer history, 3) generational differences exist, and 4) bi-directional responses differ between FMs. Citation Format: Radhika Srivastava, Renee Bremer, Jessica Bayer, Allison Werner-Lin, Megan Frone, Sharon Savage, Payal P. Khincha, Jennifer Loud. The Bull's Eye: A research tool to characterize family, friends and social networks within a Li-Fraumeni Syndrome family [abstract]. In: Proceedings of the Annual Meeting of the American Association for Cancer Research 2020; 2020 Apr 27-28 and Jun 22-24. Philadelphia (PA): AACR; Cancer Res 2020;80(16 Suppl):Abstract nr 2036.

Bonds of bros and brothers: Kinship and social bonding in postdispersal male macaques.

Group-living animals often maintain a few very close affiliative relationships-social bonds-that can buffer them against many of the inevitable costs of gregariousness. Kinship plays a central role in the development of such social bonds. The bulk of research on kin biases in sociality has focused on philopatric females, who typically live in deeply kin-structured systems, with matrilineal dominance rank inheritance and life-long familiarity between kin. Closely related males, in contrast, are usually not close in rank or familiar, which offers the opportunity to test the importance of kinship per se in the formation of social bonds. So far, however, kin biases in male social bonding have only been tested in philopatric males, where familiarity remains a confounding factor. Here, we studied bonds between male Assamese macaques, a species in which males disperse from their natal groups and in which male bonds are known to affect fitness. Combining extensive behavioural data on 43 adult males over a 10-year period with DNA microsatellite relatedness analyses, we find that postdispersal males form stronger relationships with the few close kin available in the group than with the average nonkin. However, males form the majority of their bonds with nonkin and may choose nonkin over available close kin to bond with. Our results show that kinship facilitates bond formation, but is not a prerequisite for it, which suggests that strong bonds are not restricted to kin in male mammals and that animals cooperate for both direct and indirect fitness benefits.

Genetic evidence suggests a sense of family, parity and conquest in the Xiongnu Iron Age nomads of Mongolia.

In an effort to characterize the people who composed the groups known as the Xiongnu, nuclear and whole mitochondrial DNA data were generated from the skeletal remains of 52 individuals excavated from the Tamir Ulaan Khoshuu (TUK) cemetery in Central Mongolia. This burial site, attributed to the Xiongnu period, was used from the first century BC to the first century AD. Kinship analyses were conducted using autosomal and Y-chromosomal DNA markers along with complete sequences of the mitochondrial genome. These analyses suggested close kin relationships between many individuals. Nineteen such individuals composed a large family spanning five generations. Within this family, we determined that a woman was of especially high status; this is a novel insight into the structure and hierarchy of societies from the Xiongnu period. Moreover, our findings confirmed that the Xiongnu had a strongly admixed mitochondrial and Y-chromosome gene pools and revealed a significant western component in the Xiongnu group studied. Using a fine-scale approach (haplotype instead of haplogroup-level information), we propose Scytho-Siberians as ancestors of the Xiongnu and Huns as their descendants.

Group structure and kinship in beluga whale societies

Evolutionary explanations for mammalian sociality typically center on inclusive-fitness benefits of associating and cooperating with close kin, or close maternal kin as in some whale societies, including killer and sperm whales. Their matrilineal structure has strongly influenced the thinking about social structure in less well-studied cetaceans, including beluga whales. In a cross-sectional study of group structure and kinship we found that belugas formed a limited number of distinct group types, consistently observed across populations and habitats. Certain behaviours were associated with group type, but group membership was often dynamic. MtDNA-microsatellite profiling combined with relatedness and network analysis revealed, contrary to predictions, that most social groupings were not predominantly organized around close maternal relatives. They comprised both kin and non-kin, many group members were paternal rather than maternal relatives, and unrelated adult males often traveled together. The evolutionary mechanisms that shape beluga societies are likely complex; fitness benefits may be achieved through reciprocity, mutualism and kin selection. At the largest scales these societies are communities comprising all ages and both sexes where multiple social learning pathways involving kin and non-kin can foster the emergence of cultures. We explore the implications of these findings for species management and the evolution of menopause.

Family Sense-Making After a Down Syndrome Diagnosis.

The script of parenting shifts when parents learn of their child's Down syndrome diagnosis. To build a theory of the diagnostic experience and early family sense-making process, we interviewed 33 parents and nine grandparents living in the United States who learned prenatally or neonatally of their child's diagnosis. The core category of rescuing hope for the future encompassed the social process of sense-making over time as parents managed their sorrow, shock, and grief and amassed meaningful messages that anchored them as they looked toward the future. Application of the theory to practice underscores the import of early professional support offered to parents at key points in the sense-making process: Early as they disclose the news of the diagnosis to family and friends, and later close friends and kin assimilate meaningful messages about what the diagnosis means as they recalibrate expectations for a hopeful future.

Cost, risk, and avoidance of inbreeding in a cooperatively breeding bird

Inbreeding is often avoided in natural populations by passive processes such as sex-biased dispersal. But, in many social animals, opposite-sexed adult relatives are spatially clustered, generating a risk of incest and hence selection for active inbreeding avoidance. Here we show that, in long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus), a cooperative breeder that risks inbreeding by living alongside opposite-sex relatives, inbreeding carries fitness costs and is avoided by active kin discrimination during mate choice. First, we identified a positive association between heterozygosity and fitness, indicating that inbreeding is costly. We then compared relatedness within breeding pairs to that expected under multiple mate-choice models, finding that pair relatedness is consistent with avoidance of first-order kin as partners. Finally, we show that the similarity of vocal cues offers a plausible mechanism for discrimination against first-order kin during mate choice. Long-tailed tits are known to discriminate between the calls of close kin and nonkin, and they favor first-order kin in cooperative contexts, so we conclude that long-tailed tits use the same kin discrimination rule to avoid inbreeding as they do to direct help toward kin.

Co-foundress confinement elicits kinship effects in a naturally sub-social parasitoid.

Kinship among interacting individuals is often associated with sociality and also with sex ratio effects. Parasitoids in the bethylid genus Goniozus are sub-social, with single foundress females exhibiting post-ovipositional maternal care via short-term aggressive host and brood defence against conspecific females. Due to local mate competition (LMC) and broods normally being produced by a single foundress, sex ratios are female-biased. Contests between adult females are, however, not normally fatal, and aggression is reduced when competing females are kin, raising the possibility of multi-foundress reproduction on some hosts. Here, we screen for further life-history effects of kinship by varying the numbers and relatedness of foundresses confined together with a host resource and also by varying the size of host. We confined groups of 1-8 Goniozus nephantidis females together with a host for 5+days. Multi-foundress groups were either all siblings or all nonsiblings. Our chief expectations included that competition for resources would be more intense among larger foundress groups but diminished by both larger host size and closer foundress relatedness, affecting both foundress mortality and reproductive output. From classical LMC theory, we expected that offspring group sex ratios would be less female-biased when there were more foundresses, and from extended LMC theory, we expected that sex ratios would be more female-biased when foundresses were close kin. We found that confinement led to the death of some females (11% overall) but only when host resources were most limiting. Mortality of foundresses was less common when foundresses were siblings. Developmental mortality among offspring was considerably higher in multi-foundress clutches but was unaffected by foundress relatedness. Groups of sibling foundresses collectively produced similar numbers of offspring to nonsibling groups. There was little advantage for individual females to reproduce in multi-foundress groups: single foundresses suppressed even the largest hosts presented and had the highest per capita production of adult offspring. Despite single foundress reproduction being the norm, G.nephantidis females in multi-foundress groups appear to attune sex allocation according to both foundress number and foundress relatedness: broods produced by sibling foundresses had sex ratios similar to broods produced by single foundresses (ca. 11% males), whereas the sex ratios of broods produced by nonsibling females were approximately 20% higher and broadly increased with foundress number. We conclude that relatedness and host size may combine to reduce selection against communal reproduction on hosts and that, unlike other studied parasitoids, G.nephantidis sex ratios conform to predictions of both classical and extended LMC theories.

Plastic female choice to optimally balance (k)in- and out-breeding in a predatory mite

Both close inbreeding and extreme outbreeding may negatively affect direct fitness. Optimal outbreeding theory suggests that females should preferentially mate with distantly related males. (K)in breeding theory suggests that, at similar direct fitness costs of close inbreeding and extreme outbreeding, females should prefer close kin to non-kin. Empirical evidence of plastic female choice for an optimal balance between close inbreeding and extreme outbreeding remains elusive. We tested the combined predictions of optimal outbreeding and (k)in breeding theories in predatory mites Phytoseiulus persimilis from two origins, Sicily and Greece, which suffer from both close inbreeding and extreme outbreeding depression. In three separate experiments, virgin females were presented binary choices between familiar and unfamiliar brothers, and between familiar/unfamiliar brothers and distant kin or non-kin. Females of Greece but not Sicily preferred unfamiliar to familiar brothers. Females of both origins preferred distant kin to unfamiliar and familiar brothers but preferred unfamiliar brothers to non-kin. Females of Sicily but not Greece preferred familiar brothers to non-kin. The suggested kin recognition mechanisms are phenotype matching and direct familiarity, with finer-tuned recognition abilities of Greece females. Overall, our experiments suggest that flexible mate choice by P. persimilis females allows optimally balancing inclusive fitness trade-offs.

Interactions among individuals of Setaria Italica at different levels of genetic relatedness under different nutrient and planting density conditions

Plants frequently interrelate with their neighbors at different levels of genetic relatedness in close contiguity due to sessile in nature and limited seed dispersal. Niche differentiation may diminish competition among the neighboring plants, and the interactions among neighbors may also be influenced according to their identity or genetic relatedness. However, it is still unclear how interactions among individuals at different levels of genetic relatedness can be affected by different nutrient and planting density conditions. To answer this question, we conducted a greenhouse experiment. The materials were three genotypes of Setaria italica, i.e., Special early no.1 (focal plant), GT 35-1 (neighbor) and Golden valley 808 (neighbor), and Triticum aestivum (neighbor). According to the affinity level, plants were grown with different combinations, such as close kin (A1A1), far kin (A1A2), non-kin (A1A3), and stranger group (A1B). Planting density in the pots set either short distance or long distance with low and high of two levels of nutrient supply. Results showed spike diameter, spike length and aboveground biomass significantly higher in the close-kin treatment, but simultaneously root competition was more intense at short planting distance, under the condition of low and high nutrient levels in close kin treatment as compared to other interactions. We concluded that interactions among individuals of Setaria italica at different nutrient conditions influenced by both neighbor's identity and planting density.

Social stress in female Columbian ground squirrels: density-independent effects of kin contribute to variation in fecal glucocorticoid metabolites

Social interactions among conspecifics can have marked effects on individual physiology, especially through their modulation of the stress axis by affecting the production of adrenal glucocorticoids (GCs). Previous research has focused on how individual GC levels may be influenced by social status, but few studies have considered how the balance between positive (e.g. cooperation) and negative (e.g. competition) social interactions shape individual GC levels. A lack of association between individual GC levels and social factors may be confounded by opposite effects of social competition on the one hand and social cooperation on the other. We tested for these effects in the Columbian ground squirrel (Urocitellus columbianus), a colonial rodent. During the breeding season, females are exposed to territorial unrelated neighbors and to territorial, but more tolerant, close kin. On one hand, territoriality and competition for resources led us to predict a positive association between local colony density and female GC levels. On the other, higher tolerance of philopatric kin females and known fitness benefits led us to predict a negative association between kin numbers and female GC levels. We compared levels of fecal cortisol metabolites (FCMs) in females at two different spatial scales during lactation: local (a female’s core territory during lactation, 30-m radius about her nest burrow) and colony-wide. At the local scale, female FCM levels were neither related to colony density nor to the number of co-breeding female kin, but FCM levels increased with age. At the colony scale, female FCM levels varied in a quadratic fashion with female kin numbers. FCM levels decreased by 15% from 0 to 1 co-breeding kin present and increased with > 1 kin present. Among females that had only one co-breeding kin present, daughters (and littermate sisters and mothers, but not significantly) led to a 14% reduction in FCM levels compared with females that had no kin. Our results reject the idea that local colony density is associated with increased GC levels this species, but indicate subtle (positive and negative) effects of kin on individual GC secretion. They further call into question the importance of the nature of social relationships in modulating the stress experienced by individuals. Few studies have tested how the balance between positive (e.g. cooperation) and negative (e.g. competition) social interactions shapes individual stress and glucocorticoid (GC) levels in group-living animals. In colonial Columbian ground squirrels, breeding females are exposed to territorial neighbors and to more tolerant close kin. We show that kin numbers have subtle (positive and negative) effects on female GC levels. Compared with breeding females with no kin, female GC levels decrease by 15% with the presence of a single co-breeding close relative, but increase with the presence of more than one co-breeding related female. Among females that have only one co-breeding kin, the presence of daughters (and littermate sisters and mothers, but not significantly) leads to a 14% reduction in female GC levels. Our results highlight how GC levels may be influenced by the specific nature of social relationships in group-living animals.

Zorabots: A suitable robot-mediated telerehabilitation interface

Research on NAO robot-mediated Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) therapy intervention via telerehabilitation network has been gaining popularity in recent years. It eliminates the distance barrier between a therapist and a child with autism by allowing remote physical interactions between them thus enabling the therapy to be conducted even in a long-distance. In general, the system requires a robot, a child with autism, and a helper which normally is a close kin to be present at one place and a specialized therapist at another. Connected via remote communication technology such as the Internet of Robotics Things (IoRT), a remote therapist is able to monitor the therapy session through robot vision or its sensors and if necessary, provide physical feedbacks through robotic features such as voice or body movements. One of the system’s important aspects is the therapist’s interface controlling the robot. The interface must be user-friendly to non-programmer user yet having enough technical features to control a sophisticated NAO robot. Choregraphe, an official NAO robot platform and interface to program and control the NAO robot, has many advanced programming functions. Thus, it is considered quite intimidating to the non-programmer user, in this case, a specialized therapist. As an alternative to this interface, this paper reviews the suitability of commercially available software, Zorabots, as the therapist’s interface to monitor and control NAO Robot in telerehabilitation environments.

Sickness effects on social interactions depend on the type of behaviour and relationship.

Infections can change social behaviour in multiple ways, with profound impacts on pathogen transmission. However, these impacts might depend on the type of behaviour, how sociality as a biological trait is defined (e.g. network degree vs. mean edge strength) and the type of social relationship between the interacting individuals. We used the highly social common vampire bat Desmodus rotundus to test how an immune challenge by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) injections affects two different social behaviours and three alternate measures of sociality, and whether the LPS effect differs by kinship relationship. Effects of sickness should be lower for social behaviours that bestow greater benefits to inclusive fitness, such as food sharing. As predicted, immune-challenged bats experienced a greater reduction in allogrooming received than food sharing received. Sickness effects might also depend on how a social interaction is defined (e.g. the number of grooming partners vs. the duration of grooming events). We predicted that sickness would impact both the number and duration of social encounters, but we only detected a decrease in the number of grooming partners. Finally, sickness effects might vary with social relationship type. We predicted that sickness effects should be smaller for interactions among close kin. As expected, the immune challenge had smaller effects on mother-offspring interactions. In conclusion, our results highlight the need to explicitly consider how the effects of sickness on social network structure can differ depending on the 'who, what, and how' of social interactions, because these factors are likely to influence how sickness behaviour alters pathogen transmission.