TY - JOUR
T1 - Who was helping? The scope for female cooperative breeding in early Homo
AU - Bell, Adrian Viliami
AU - Hinde, Katie
AU - Newson, Lesley
N1 - Copyright:
Copyright 2014 Elsevier B.V., All rights reserved.
PY - 2013/12/18
Y1 - 2013/12/18
N2 - Derived aspects of our human life history, such as short interbirth intervals and altricial newborns, have been attributed to male provisioning of nutrient-rich meat within monogamous relationships. However, many primatologists and anthropologists have questioned the relative importance of pair-bonding and biparental care, pointing to evidence that cooperative breeding better characterizes human reproductive and child-care relationships. We present a mathematical model with empirically-informed parameter ranges showing that natural selection favors cooperation among mothers over a wide range of conditions. In contrast, our analysis provides a far more narrow range of support for selection favoring male coalition-based monogamy over more promiscuous independent males, suggesting that provisioning within monogamous relationships may fall short of explaining the evolution of Homo life history. Rather, broader cooperative networks within and between the sexes provide the primary basis for our unique life history.
AB - Derived aspects of our human life history, such as short interbirth intervals and altricial newborns, have been attributed to male provisioning of nutrient-rich meat within monogamous relationships. However, many primatologists and anthropologists have questioned the relative importance of pair-bonding and biparental care, pointing to evidence that cooperative breeding better characterizes human reproductive and child-care relationships. We present a mathematical model with empirically-informed parameter ranges showing that natural selection favors cooperation among mothers over a wide range of conditions. In contrast, our analysis provides a far more narrow range of support for selection favoring male coalition-based monogamy over more promiscuous independent males, suggesting that provisioning within monogamous relationships may fall short of explaining the evolution of Homo life history. Rather, broader cooperative networks within and between the sexes provide the primary basis for our unique life history.
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U2 - 10.1371/journal.pone.0083667
DO - 10.1371/journal.pone.0083667
M3 - Article
C2 - 24367605
AN - SCOPUS:84893191226
VL - 8
JO - PLoS One
JF - PLoS One
SN - 1932-6203
IS - 12
M1 - e83667
ER -