Animals of many species can distinguish between kin and unrelated individuals. Studies of kin recognition have enhanced our knowledge of how behavior develops and have provided important information about the evolution of sociality. Unfortunately, the ecological and evolutionary significance of kin recognition is still poorly understood, as is the significance of the behavior patterns that are used to assess such recognition. To better understand the evolutionary significance of kin recognition, Drs. Blaustein and Walls will test predictions about the functions of this behavior in a model animal system--that of salamanders, in which kin-recognition behavior can be quantified unambiguously by acts of aggression. They also will use laboratory experiments to compare the development of kin recognition in at least two species that differ in key ecological and behavioral traits. Because many species of amphibians, including many salamanders, shift from aquatic to terrestrial environments as they grow and develop, salamanders are an ideal system for examining the development of animal behavior. By observing behavioral interactions in the laboratory and by rearing salamanders in an artificial-pond experiment, Drs. Blaustein and Walls will examine whether or not kinship influences aggression and cannibalism, growth and survivorship, and aggregation behavior in larval forms. Rearing individuals to maturity will also permit tests of hypotheses about the possible function of kin recognition in terrestrial adults. By increasing our knowledge of the roles of genetic and learned components in the development of behavior, studies of kin recognition in general are greatly enhancing our understanding of the development of behavior in a wide variety of organisms, including humans. Furthermore, kin-recognition studies have become extremely important in captive-breeding programs for endangered species because many animals recognize their relatives and will avoid incestuous matings.
