Open AccessNaive Juvenile Diamondback Terrapins: Kin Recognition in Controlled Encounter Experiments
Author(s) -
Brad Macdonald,
Alexis Rife
Publication year - 2007
Publication title -
elements
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2380-6087
pISSN - 2378-0185
DOI - 10.6017/eurj.v3i1.8984
Subject(s) - kin recognition , kin selection , kinship , psychology , juvenile , zoology , biology , ecology , sociology , anthropology
Northern diamondback terrapin ( malaclemys terrapin ) turtle hatchlings raised as part of a laboratory headstarting program are the focus of kin recognition studies taking place at Boston College. Experiments examining basking behaviors in 13 trials of familiar kin and 11 trials of unfamiliar non-kin. Familiar kin averaged more aggressive engagements per trial (2.44 vs. 0.36), more displacements per trial (13.36 vs. 3.91), and more instances of climbing on one another (13.36 vs. 2.36). Familiar kin basked in congregations more frequently per trial than unfamiliar non-kin. These data suggest that diamondback terrapins treat each other differently based on either kinship or familiarity-or both. Further research will be conducted on familiar and unfamiliar kin and non-kin groupings to help elucidate the existing data by determining which variable has greater consequence and if Hamilton's kin selection theory can be applied to terrapin juvenile social behavior.