Supplementary material from "Temporal dynamics of mother–offspring relationships in Bigg's killer whales: opportunities for kin-directed help by post-reproductive females" ...

Age-related changes in the patterns of local relatedness (kinship dynamics) can be a significant selective force shaping the evolution of life history and social behaviour. In humans and some species of toothed whales, average female relatedness increases with age, which can select for a prolonged p...

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Bibliographic Details
Main Authors: Nielsen, Mia Lybkær Kronborg, Ellis, Samuel, Weiss, Michael N., Towers, Jared R., Doniol-Valcroze, Thomas, Franks, Daniel W., Cant, Michael A., Ellis, Graeme M., Ford, John K. B., Malleson, Mark, Sutton, Gary J., Shaw, Tasli J. H., Balcomb, Kenneth C., Ellifrit, David K., Croft, Darren P.
Format: Article in Journal/Newspaper
Language:unknown
Published: The Royal Society 2023
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Online Access:https://dx.doi.org/10.6084/m9.figshare.c.6659091
https://rs.figshare.com/collections/Supplementary_material_from_Temporal_dynamics_of_mother_offspring_relationships_in_Bigg_s_killer_whales_opportunities_for_kin-directed_help_by_post-reproductive_females_/6659091
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Summary:Age-related changes in the patterns of local relatedness (kinship dynamics) can be a significant selective force shaping the evolution of life history and social behaviour. In humans and some species of toothed whales, average female relatedness increases with age, which can select for a prolonged post-reproductive lifespan in older females due to both costs of reproductive conflict and benefits of late-life helping of kin. Killer whales ( Orcinus orca ) provide a valuable system for exploring social dynamics related to such costs and benefits in a mammal with an extended post-reproductive female lifespan. We use greater than 40 years of demographic and association data on the mammal-eating Bigg's killer whale to quantify how mother–offspring social relationships change with offspring age and identify opportunities for late-life helping and the potential for an intergenerational reproductive conflict. Our results suggest a high degree of male philopatry and female-biased budding dispersal in Bigg's killer ...