Reputation as a common source of cooperation and violent conflict: The case of the noble feud in early modern Germany

Feuding was a near-universal phenomenon, and a classic topic of anthropology and sociology. This article focuses on feuding among nobles in early modern Germany. The German noble feud assumed characteristics that differentiated it from vendetta. It developed into a distinct institution in terms of its legal status, methods and social conditions. It presents a puzzle: most feuds punctuated ongoing relationships between people who were closely related and socially and economically interdependent. Nobles tended to feud against the very people from whose goodwill they had much to gain and from whose enmity much to lose. Examining it from an evolutionary perspective suggests an answer to a problem that traditional historical approaches have not convincingly explained. The article argues that the same dense web of ties that facilitated cooperation between nobles generated violent conflicts between them. Reputation played a crucial role in this environment. Feuds are best seen as mechanisms of costly signaling one's underlying qualities and commitment to aristocratic values.     

Recovering Power in Association Mapping Panels with Variable Levels of Linkage Disequilibrium

Association mapping has permitted the discovery of major QTL in many species. It can be applied to existing populations and, as a consequence, it is generally necessary to take into account structure and relatedness among individuals in the statistical model to control false positives. We analytically studied power in association studies by computing noncentrality parameter of the tests and its relationship with parameters characterizing diversity (genetic differentiation between groups and allele frequencies) and kinship between individuals. Investigation of three different maize diversity panels genotyped with the 50k SNPs array highlighted contrasted average power among panels and revealed gaps of power of classical mixed models in regions with high linkage disequilibrium (LD). These gaps could be related to the fact that markers are used for both testing association and estimating relatedness. We thus considered two alternative approaches to estimating the kinship matrix to recover power in regions of high LD. In the first one, we estimated the kinship with all the markers that are not located on the same chromosome than the tested SNP. In the second one, correlation between markers was taken into account to weight the contribution of each marker to the kinship. Simulations revealed that these two approaches were efficient to control false positives and were more powerful than classical models.     

Life-history variation and adaptation in the historically mobile plant Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae) in North America

We used field-collected seeds of Arabidopsis thaliana (Brassicaceae) to simulate a colonization event of plants from diverse locations into a common environment to compare regionally "local" and "foreign" populations of this historically mobile species. Life history varied among regional groups, but most variation was found among populations within regions. While we found significant differences among populations and regional groups for important life-history characters, we did not find significant differences in performance of plants from different populations or regional groups. Rather, we found evidence that differences in life history contributed to the ability of plants from foreign regions to perform comparably to local Kentucky plants. Had plants from different regions not differed in the timing and size of reproduction, we would have seen that Kentucky (local) plants had higher total fitness via greater reproductive success of individuals that survived to reproduce and that Michigan plants would have had the lowest fitness. The populations are comparably adapted to the environment in Kentucky but through different combinations of life-history characters. Therefore, the life-history variation in this mobile species appears to contribute not to fitness differences among populations but rather to success in colonizing new locations.     

Capital punishment in tribal Montenegro: Implications for law,biology, and theory of social control

Clan execution among feuding tribal societies is proposed as a significant precursor to modern law. This form of ostracism is examined with respect to its social control functions and the indigenous assumptions about behavior, genes and demography that guide the behavior. It is suggested that there are very close parallels between modern legal systems and nonliterate ones based on “self-help”, when capital punishment is used by normal decision groups in the name of “national security”.     

Detecting instability in animal social networks: genetic fragmentation is associated with social instability in rhesus macaques

The persistence of biological systems requires evolved mechanisms which promote stability. Cohesive primate social groups are one example of stable biological systems, which persist in spite of regular conflict. We suggest that genetic relatedness and its associated kinship structure are a potential source of stability in primate social groups as kinship structure is an important organizing principle in many animal societies. We investigated the effect of average genetic relatedness per matrilineal family on the stability of matrilineal grooming and agonistic interactions in 48 matrilines from seven captive groups of rhesus macaques. Matrilines with low average genetic relatedness show increased family-level instability such as: more sub-grouping in their matrilineal groom network, more frequent fighting with kin, and higher rates of wounding. Family-level instability in multiple matrilines within a group is further associated with group-level instability such as increased wounding. Stability appears to arise from the presence of clear matrilineal structure in the rhesus macaque group hierarchy, which is derived from cohesion among kin in their affiliative and agonistic interactions with each other. We conclude that genetic relatedness and kinship structure are an important source of group stability in animal societies, particularly when dominance and/or affilative interactions are typically governed by kinship.     

Grundsätze der phylogenetischen Systematik (Eine praxisorientierte Übersicht)

The essential elements of phylogenetic systematics in the sense of Hennig are emphasized: The search for synapomorphies based on a special method of comparative morphology, and the aim of an exclusive use of synapomorphies for kinship proof and the basis of systematics. Special aspects of comparative morphology are: “Directed comparisons” steady reciprocal reflection between comparative morphological result and the system methodical efforts for the realization of distinctive details, comprehensive documentation and functional interpretation. This is equally true for recent and fossil forms. Most suitable for the method (in the sense defined above) are groups with numerous differentiated morphological characters, which can also be preserved in the fossil state. The less this is the case the less is the chance for achieving necessary numbers of well proven synapomorphies. Even so, it is not permitted—for those who want to perform phylogenetic systematics in the sense of Hennig—to use convergences, parallelisms or symplesiomorphies in the sense of “synapomorphies” as phylogenetic arguments for kinship relations. Numerous examples and diagrams demonstrate the methodological proceeding, and differences towards other methods of phylogenetical reconstruction and interpretation. Special attention is paid to direct and indirect conclusions drawn from fossils: Time of origin of characters, stem groups and *groups; predictions concerning the appearance (set of characters) of fossils and simultaneous existence of “neighbour groups” (sister groups, and more distantly related taxa).     

Diversity of some gene frequencies in European and Asian populations. II. Fit of an isolation by distance model

Six enzyme polymorphisms have been studied in European and Asian populations, using kinship as an index of genetic differentiation. Four clusters of populations are apparent, corresponding to four geographical regions. The differences between such groups account for a large fraction of genetic diversity, while minor differences are apparent between populations belonging to the same continent or subcontinent. The kinship as bioassayed from three loci (GLO, ESD, 6-PGD) correlates significantly with space, showing an exponential decline with the increase of distance between populations.     

Investigation of Lignin-water interactions by molecular simulation

The results of molecular dynamics simulations of three lignin-water systems are presented. Static and dynamic properties of each system are compared to a benchmark system consisting entirely of water molecules. The significantly reduced mobility of water molecules local to lignin hydroxyl regions is attributed to hydrogen bond formation, while the slightly reduced mobility of water molecules in the vicinity of lignin methoxyl groups results from a hydrophobic effect that causes water molecules to structure themselves around these groups. The average diffusion of water in each system correlates with the number of methoxyl groups present in the system. As the number of methoxyls in the system increases, so too does the average diffusion constant of water in that system. The bulky methoxyl groups obstruct water from accessing lignin hydroxyl regions where hydrogen bond formation is anticipated and the hydrogen-bonded water lowers the average diffusion constant.     

Genetic and Cultural Kinship among the Lamaleran Whale Hunters

The human ability to form large, coordinated groups is among our most impressive social adaptations. Larger groups facilitate synergistic economies of scale for cooperative breeding, such economic tasks as group hunting, and success in conflict with other groups. In many organisms, genetic relationships provide the structure for sociality to evolve via the process of kin selection, and this is the case, to a certain extent, for humans. But assortment by genetic affiliation is not the only mechanism that can bring people together. Affinity based on symbolically mediated and socially constructed identity, or cultural kinship, structures much of human ultrasociality. This paper examines how genetic kinship and two kinds of cultural kinship--affinal kinship and descent--structure the network of cooperating whale hunters in the village of Lamalera, Indonesia. Social network analyses show that each mechanism of assortment produces characteristic networks of different sizes, each more or less conducive to the task of hunting whales. Assortment via close genetic kin relationships (r?=?0.5) produces a smaller, denser network. Assortment via less-close kin relations (r?=?0.125) produces a larger but less dense network. Affinal networks are small and diffuse; lineage networks are larger, discrete, and very dense. The roles that genetic and cultural kinship play for structuring human sociality is discussed in the context of these results.     

Migration and genetic structure in Northumberland

To understand the genetic variation that occurs among regions of northern England, we estimated migration from places of birth and residence in the last two generations for a sample of 1367 families in Northumberland. There has been an increase in kinship among regions, compatible with the increased mobility of recent decades, but the kinship patterns suggest that any regional gene frequency differences have remained relatively undiluted. Comparison of kinship and geographic distance between regions indicates that geographic location is an important determinant of genetic structure.     

Of Chicks,Lice and Mackerel: Carnival and Transgression in a Cosmopolitan Spanish Enclave in Morocco

In 2006, a group of Ceutan Carnival performers were sued for their anti-Muslim lyrics, resulting in a convoluted trial that took six years to resolve. Ceuta is a small, cosmopolitan Spanish enclave on the Mediterranean coast of Morocco. Its Christian, Muslim, Hindu and Jewish communities are tenuously held together by the City-led ideology of convivencia, that challenges mono-cultural models of Spanishness in favour of the idea that that Ceuta's ethno-religious groups live in harmony, all being validly Spanish. This paper contends that the Ceutan Carnival does not fit functionalist theories describing it as a stress-tap that reproduces power-relations by temporarily allowing their transgression. The long-drawn-out trial, which incurred vicious feuds, spiked tensions between Christians and Muslims, collapsed ‘convivencia’, and challenged the authority of State institutions, suggests that the Ceutan Carnival is an uncomfortable space, better understood if treated as a Foucaultian ‘mirror’, a space where society appears to itself as dangerously anarchistic, making individuals long for, not resist, State control.     

Refusing to Sing: Gender,Kinship and Patriliny in Macedonia

The issue of whether formal kinship structures and sentiments reflect the reality of social relations was of particular concern to specialists at the height of the kinship debates in the 1960s and 1970s, as it continues to be in some contemporary studies. So too, the classifications ‘patrilineal’ or ‘matrilineal’ have clearly been shown to be problematic given that there are multiple levels of discourse and relational and ideational realities in any given society. For many contemporary kinship specialists in fact no simple correlation can be made between type of descent system and actual social relations, especially relations between men and women. However, some anthropologists continue to argue that patrilineal kinship systems are somehow indicative of control or domination by men or, put inversely, of women's lack of power and authority. It is argued in this paper that even where the formal kinship structures and ideological discourses are dominated by agnation as appears to be the case in south Slav societies generally, and Macedonian in particular, this is not automatically mirrored in gender relations between men and women. In short, there is a long leap from patriliny to patriarchy.     

Do Characteristics of Parental Child Homicide in Sweden Fit Evolutionary Predictions?

Evolutionary models have been used to explain parental child homicide. One idea is that children with low fitness value to their parents will be less loved and cared for and therefore more at risk in conflict situations. It is then important to investigate if conflicts with the children are the major pattern in cases of parental child homicide. The aim of this study is to survey the background circumstances of parental child homicide in Sweden and relate them to the evolutionary model suggested. We more specifically investigate if the homicides occur in conflict situations with the child, the frequency of several victims (including the partner or former partner) and if there are differences in characteristics of homicides between stepparents and genetic parents. Our results show that parental child homicide is a heterogeneous phenomenon, where relatively few cases were the result of a conflict with the child‐victims. Instead severe conflicts between parents were the most common circumstance in which children were killed. Many children were victims of an extended suicide, which often included several members of the family. Step‐parents were more likely to kill children aggressively in conflicts with them than genetic parents. The complexity of the phenomenon suggests that an evolutionary model based upon a mechanism related to conflicts with the child‐victim has limited explanatory value on parental child homicide in general.     

Social relationships between adult central males and kinship groups of Japanese monkeys at Arashiyama with some aspects of troop organization

Using focal-animal and instantaneous sampling techniques, seven adult central males of the Arashiyama-B troop of Japanese monkeys were observed during nonmating seasons from 1976 to 1978. The partners of these males in social activities (allogrooming and agonistic) and nonspecific body-contact, and those found in 1-m proximity were identified. The results indicated that: (1) a lack of observable associations as well as agonism was noticed among the adult central males; (2) a tendency was observed for each adult central male to associate with more than one kinship group and for most of the kinship groups to associate with more than one adult central male each. Many of the adult central males and kinship groups changed associations with each other from year to year; (3) the observed frequency of associations, which finally became zero, between any such male as had kins inside the study troop and his kins was statistically lower than the expected one; (4) some of the female youngsters had strong associations with particular adult central males; and (5) since one kinship group that had lost associations with all the adult central males left the troop, it is suggested that associations with at least one adult central male must be important for binding each kinship group in the troop.     

Social complexity and kinship in animal societies

Studies of eusocial invertebrates regard complex societies as those where there is a clear division of labour and extensive cooperation between breeders and helpers. In contrast, studies of social mammals identify complex societies as those where differentiated social relationships influence access to resources and reproductive opportunities. We show here that, while traits associated with social complexity of the first kind occur in social mammals that live in groups composed of close relatives, traits associated with the complexity of social relationships occur where average kinship between female group members is low. These differences in the form of social complexity appear to be associated with variation in brain size and probably reflect contrasts in the extent of conflicts of interest between group members. Our results emphasise the limitations of any unitary concept of social complexity and show that variation in average kinship between group members has far‐reaching consequences for animal societies.     

The social organization of resident-type killer whales (Orcinus orca) in Avacha Gulf,Northwest Pacific,as revealed through association patterns and acoustic similarity

Northeast Pacific resident-type killer whales (Orcinus orca) are known to form stable associations based on kinship between maternal relatives (matrilines) with a system of vocal dialects thought to reflect kinship relationships. We analyzed association patterns and acoustic similarity to study the social organization of killer whales in Avacha Gulf (Kamchatka, Russia), in the Northwest Pacific. The resident-type killer whales of Avacha Gulf formed temporally stable units that included maternal relatives with no dispersal observed. Acoustically, the killer whale community of Avacha Gulf was characterized by a system of dialects comparable to the communities of Northeast Pacific resident-type killer whales. Different units rarely associated with each other and these associations were nonrandom. Associations at different spatial levels did not always coincide with each other and with the patterns of acoustic similarity. Associations between units could change quickly irrespective of kinship relationships. The vocal dialect of a unit, which is more stable than the association patterns between units, might better reflect the overall kinship relationships. The stability and frequency of associations between units depended on the number of mature males in a unit, which could contribute to differences in the speed of change in vocal dialects and association patterns.     

Density But Not Kinship Regulates the Growth and Developmental Traits of Chinese Tiger Frog （Hoplobatrachus chinensis） Tadpoles

Kinship and density are believed to affect important ecological processes such as intraspecific competition, predation, growth, development, cannibalism, habitat selection and mate choice, In this work, we used Chinese tiger frog Hoplobatrachus chinensis tadpoles as an experimental model to investigate the effects of kinship and density on growth and development of this species over a 73 day period. The results showed that density can affect the growth and developmental traits （survival rate, larval period, size at the limb bud protrusion/metamorphic climax and body mass at different life stages） of H. chinensis tadpoles, while kinship does not. Tadpoles took longer to develop and potential metamorphosis was greater in high density groups of both sibling and non-siblings. The interaction of kinship and density did not significantly influenced growth traits of H. chinensis tadpoles during the experimental period. For coefficient variations of each growth trait, no differences were detected between sibling and non-sibling groups. These findings provide valuable information on the basic ecology of H. chinensis which will be helpful in future studies of other anuran species.     

Terminate lung cancer (TLC) study—A mixed-methods population approach to increase lung cancer screening awareness and low-dose computed tomography in Eastern Kentucky

For low dose CT lung cancer screening to be effective in curbing disease mortality, efforts are needed to overcome barriers to awareness and facilitate uptake of the current evidence-based screening guidelines. A sequential mixed-methods approach was employed to design a screening campaign utilizing messages developed from community focus groups, followed by implementation of the outreach campaign intervention in two high-risk Kentucky regions. This study reports on rates of awareness and screening in intervention regions, as compared to a control region.