Was monogamy a key step on the hominin road? reevaluating the monogamy hypothesis in the evolution of cooperative breeding. Issue 2 (4th March 2015)

• Record Type: Journal Article
• Authors: Kramer, Karen L.; Russell, Andrew F.
• Is Part Of: Evolutionary anthropology. Volume 24:Issue 2(2015:Mar./Apr.)
• Page Start: 73
• Page End: 83
• Publication Date: 2015-03-04
• Subjects: monogamy -- pair bonds -- mating system -- alloparenting -- cooperative breeding -- kin selection; Human evolution -- Periodicals; Anthropology -- Periodicals; Physical anthropology -- Periodicals; Human ecology -- Periodicals; Homme -- Évolution -- Périodiques; Anthropologie -- Périodiques; Écologie humaine -- Périodiques; 599.905
• DOI: 10.1002/evan.21445
• Languages: English
• ISSNs: 1060-1538

Abstract

Abstract : Because human mothers routinely rely on others to help raise their young, humans have been characterized as cooperative breeders. 1–9 Several large‐scale phylogenetic analyses have presented compelling evidence that monogamy preceded the evolution of cooperative breeding in a wide variety of nonhuman animals. 10–14 These studies have suggested that monogamy provides a general rule (the monogamy hypothesis) for explaining evolutionary transitions to cooperative breeding. 15 Given the prevalence of cooperative breeding in contemporary human societies, we evaluate whether this suggests a monogamous hominin past.