Population turnover facilitates cultural selection for efficiency in birds

• DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.057
• Publication Date: 2021-04-06T14:35:26Z
• Authors: Michael Chimento; Gustavo Alarcón-N...; Lucy M. Aplin
• Keywords: info:eu-repo/classification/ddc/570; 0301 basic medicine; 03 medical and health sciences; Heredity; Cultural Evolution; Animals; cultural evolution, cultural selection, efficiency, population turnover, Parus major, social learning, animal culture, innovation, great tit; Passeriformes; Biological Evolution

Culture, defined as socially transmitted information and behaviors that are shared in groups persist over time, is increasingly accepted to occur across a wide range of taxa behavioral domains.1Schuppli C. van Schaik C.P. Animal cultures: how we've only seen the tip iceberg.Evolutionary Human Sciences. 2019; 1: e2Crossref Scopus (27) Google Scholar While persistent, cultural traits not necessarily static, their distribution can change frequency type response selective pressures, analogous genetic alleles. This has led treatment culture an evolutionary process, with theory arguing exhibits three fundamental components Darwinian evolution: variation, competition, inheritance.2Creanza N. Kolodny O. Feldman M.W. Cultural theory: evolves why it matters.Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA. 2017; 114: 7782-7789Crossref PubMed (103) Scholar, 3Mesoudi A. Whiten Laland K.N. Perspective: human evolution Darwinian? Evidence reviewed from perspective Origin Species.Evolution. 2004; 58: 1-11PubMed 4Mesoudi Pursuing Darwin's curious parallel: prospects for science evolution.Proc. 7853-7860Crossref (49) 5Boyd R. Richerson P.J. Culture Evolutionary Process. University Chicago press, 1988Google Selection more efficient alternatives crucial component cumulative evolution,6Mesoudi Thornton What evolution?.Proc. Biol. 2018; 285: 20180712Crossref (96) yet our understanding when such selection occurs non-human animals limited. We performed diffusion experiment using 18 captive populations wild-caught great tits (Parus major) ask whether foraging traditions selected for, this process affected by demographic process—population turnover. Our results showed gradual replacement individuals naive immigrants greatly increased probability behavior invaded population's repertoire outcompeted established inefficient behavior. Fine-scale, automated tracking revealed turnover did increase innovation rates, but instead acted on adoption disproportionately sampled novel, relative available social information. These provide strong evidence efficiency animals, highlight mechanism links population process.