Saami reindeer herders cooperate with social group members and genetic kin
Cooperative behaviors evolve by ultimately increasing the inclusive fitness of performers as well as recipients of those behaviors. Such increases can occur via direct or indirect fitness benefits, theoretically explained by reciprocal altruism and kin selection respectively. However, humans are kno...
Published in: | Behavioral Ecology |
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Format: | Article in Journal/Newspaper |
Language: | English |
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2015
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Online Access: | http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2501930 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv106 |
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ftniku:oai:niku.brage.unit.no:11250/2501930 2024-10-06T13:52:27+00:00 Saami reindeer herders cooperate with social group members and genetic kin Thomas, Matthew G. Næss, Marius Warg Bårdsen, Bård-Jørgen Mace, Ruth 2015 application/pdf http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2501930 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv106 eng eng Oxford University Press Norges forskningsråd: 240280 Behavioral Ecology. 2015, 26 (6), 1495-1501. urn:issn:1045-2249 http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2501930 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv106 cristin:1292019 1495-1501 26 Behavioral Ecology 6 humans cooperation economic games kin selection reciprocal alturism social groups VDP::Sosialantropologi: 250 VDP::Social anthropology: 250 Journal article Peer reviewed 2015 ftniku https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv106 2024-09-10T00:00:53Z Cooperative behaviors evolve by ultimately increasing the inclusive fitness of performers as well as recipients of those behaviors. Such increases can occur via direct or indirect fitness benefits, theoretically explained by reciprocal altruism and kin selection respectively. However, humans are known for cooperating with individuals who are not necessarily genetic relatives, which seemingly precludes kin selection as an explanation. Here, we aim to quantify the relative importance of kinship and social group membership as mediators of cooperative behavior. Using an experimental gift game, we test whether indigenous Saami reindeer herders in Norway give gifts to genetic relatives or to members of their cooperative herding group (the ‘siida’), or both. Membership of the same siida strongly increased the odds of gift-giving. Kinship had a smaller, albeit positive, effect. Gifts were not preferentially given to younger family members, contrary to predictions relating to inter-generational resource transfers as a form of parental investment. These patterns suggest that social grouping can be at least as important as genetic factors in mediating cooperative behavior in this population. This is likely to reflect the importance of herding groups in day-to-day subsistence. Key words: humans, cooperation, economic games, kin selection, reciprocal altruism, social groups acceptedVersion Article in Journal/Newspaper saami Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU): Brage Norway Behavioral Ecology 26 6 1495 1501 |
institution |
Open Polar |
collection |
Norwegian Institute for Cultural Heritage Research (NIKU): Brage |
op_collection_id |
ftniku |
language |
English |
topic |
humans cooperation economic games kin selection reciprocal alturism social groups VDP::Sosialantropologi: 250 VDP::Social anthropology: 250 |
spellingShingle |
humans cooperation economic games kin selection reciprocal alturism social groups VDP::Sosialantropologi: 250 VDP::Social anthropology: 250 Thomas, Matthew G. Næss, Marius Warg Bårdsen, Bård-Jørgen Mace, Ruth Saami reindeer herders cooperate with social group members and genetic kin |
topic_facet |
humans cooperation economic games kin selection reciprocal alturism social groups VDP::Sosialantropologi: 250 VDP::Social anthropology: 250 |
description |
Cooperative behaviors evolve by ultimately increasing the inclusive fitness of performers as well as recipients of those behaviors. Such increases can occur via direct or indirect fitness benefits, theoretically explained by reciprocal altruism and kin selection respectively. However, humans are known for cooperating with individuals who are not necessarily genetic relatives, which seemingly precludes kin selection as an explanation. Here, we aim to quantify the relative importance of kinship and social group membership as mediators of cooperative behavior. Using an experimental gift game, we test whether indigenous Saami reindeer herders in Norway give gifts to genetic relatives or to members of their cooperative herding group (the ‘siida’), or both. Membership of the same siida strongly increased the odds of gift-giving. Kinship had a smaller, albeit positive, effect. Gifts were not preferentially given to younger family members, contrary to predictions relating to inter-generational resource transfers as a form of parental investment. These patterns suggest that social grouping can be at least as important as genetic factors in mediating cooperative behavior in this population. This is likely to reflect the importance of herding groups in day-to-day subsistence. Key words: humans, cooperation, economic games, kin selection, reciprocal altruism, social groups acceptedVersion |
format |
Article in Journal/Newspaper |
author |
Thomas, Matthew G. Næss, Marius Warg Bårdsen, Bård-Jørgen Mace, Ruth |
author_facet |
Thomas, Matthew G. Næss, Marius Warg Bårdsen, Bård-Jørgen Mace, Ruth |
author_sort |
Thomas, Matthew G. |
title |
Saami reindeer herders cooperate with social group members and genetic kin |
title_short |
Saami reindeer herders cooperate with social group members and genetic kin |
title_full |
Saami reindeer herders cooperate with social group members and genetic kin |
title_fullStr |
Saami reindeer herders cooperate with social group members and genetic kin |
title_full_unstemmed |
Saami reindeer herders cooperate with social group members and genetic kin |
title_sort |
saami reindeer herders cooperate with social group members and genetic kin |
publisher |
Oxford University Press |
publishDate |
2015 |
url |
http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2501930 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv106 |
geographic |
Norway |
geographic_facet |
Norway |
genre |
saami |
genre_facet |
saami |
op_source |
1495-1501 26 Behavioral Ecology 6 |
op_relation |
Norges forskningsråd: 240280 Behavioral Ecology. 2015, 26 (6), 1495-1501. urn:issn:1045-2249 http://hdl.handle.net/11250/2501930 https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv106 cristin:1292019 |
op_doi |
https://doi.org/10.1093/beheco/arv106 |
container_title |
Behavioral Ecology |
container_volume |
26 |
container_issue |
6 |
container_start_page |
1495 |
op_container_end_page |
1501 |
_version_ |
1812180829312385024 |