Data from: Kin recognition and co-operative foraging in Drosophila melanogaster larvae

A long-standing goal for biologists and social scientists is to understand
the factors that lead to the evolution and maintenance of co-operative
behaviour between conspecifics. To that end, the fruit fly, Drosophila
melanogaster, is becoming an increasingly popular model species to study
sociality, however, most of the research to date has focused on adult
behaviours. In this study, we set out to examine group feeding behaviour
by larvae and to determine whether the degree of relatedness between
individuals mediates the expression co-operation. In a series of assays,
we manipulated the average degree of relatedness in groups of third instar
larvae that were faced with resource scarcity, and measured the size,
frequency and composition of feeding clusters, as well as the fitness
benefits associated with co-operation. Our results suggest that larval D.
melanogaster are capable of kin recognition (something that has not been
previously described in this species), as clusters were more numerous,
larger and involved more larvae, when more closely related kin were
present in the social environment. These findings are discussed in the
context of the correlated fitness-associated benefits of co-operation, the
potential mechanisms by which individuals may recognize kin, and how that
kinship may play an important role in facilitating the manifestation of
this co-operative behaviour.