Evolutionary Transitions Toward Pair Living in Nonhuman Primates as Stepping Stones Toward More Complex Societies

摘要: Nonhuman primate societies vary tremendously in size and composition, but how why evolutionary transitions among different states occurred remains highly controversial. In particular, many times pair living evolved the social of ancestors pair- group-living species contentious. We examined evolution by using new, independent categorizations sociality phylogenetic hypotheses with a vastly expanded dataset. Using Bayesian comparative methods, we consistently found strongest support for model that invokes frequent between solitary pair-living descendants, latter giving rise to species. This result was robust systematic variation classification, sample size, phylogeny. Our analyses therefore indicate stepping stone structurally more complex societies, bolsters role kin selection evolution.