Self-Recognition, Color Signals, and Cycles of Greenbeard Mutualism and Altruism

Authors

Barry Sinervo, University of California at Santa CruzFollow
Alexis Chaine, CNRS
Jean Clobert, University of California at Los Angeles
Ryan Calsbeek, Michigan State University
Lisa Hazard, Montclair State UniversityFollow
Lesley Lancaster, Universite de Montpellier
Andrew G. McAdam, Santa Fe Institute
Suzanne Alonzo, Yale University
Gwynne Corrigan, University of California at Santa Cruz
Michael E. Hochberg, Université de Montpellier

Document Type

Article

Publication Date

5-9-2006

Journal / Book Title

Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences

Abstract

Altruism presents a challenge to evolutionary theory because selection should favor selfish over caring strategies. Green beard altruism resolves this paradox by allowing cooperators to identify individuals carrying similar alleles producing a form of genic selection. In side-blotched lizards, genetically similar but unrelated blue male morphs settle on adjacent territories and cooperate. Here we show that payoffs of cooperation depend on asymmetric costs of orange neighbors. One blue male experiences low fitness and buffers his unrelated partner from aggressive orange males despite the potential benefits of defection. We show that recognition behavior is highly heritable in nature, and we map genetic factors underlying color and self-recognition behavior of genetic similarity in both sexes. Recognition and cooperation arise from genome-wide factors based on our mapping study of the location of genes responsible for self-recognition behavior, recognition of blue color, and the color locus. Our results provide an example of greenbeard interactions in a vertebrate that are typified by cycles of greenbeard mutualism interspersed with phases of transient true altruism. Such cycles provide a mechanism encouraging the origin and stability of true altruism.

DOI

10.1073/pnas.0510260103

Montclair State University Digital Commons Citation

Sinervo, Barry; Chaine, Alexis; Clobert, Jean; Calsbeek, Ryan; Hazard, Lisa; Lancaster, Lesley; McAdam, Andrew G.; Alonzo, Suzanne; Corrigan, Gwynne; and Hochberg, Michael E., "Self-Recognition, Color Signals, and Cycles of Greenbeard Mutualism and Altruism" (2006). Department of Biology Faculty Scholarship and Creative Works. 45.
https://digitalcommons.montclair.edu/biology-facpubs/45

Published Citation

Sinervo, B., Chaine, A., Clobert, J., Calsbeek, R., Hazard, L., Lancaster, L., McAdam, A. G., Alonzo, S., Corrigan, G., & Hochberg, M. E. (2006). Self-recognition, color signals, and cycles of greenbeard mutualism and altruism. Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences of the United States of America, 103(19), 7372–7377. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.0510260103