Mafia hypothesis

The mafia hypothesis posits that brood parasite eggs are accepted by the host out of fear of retaliation (nest destruction) from the brood parasite, in an example of coevolution.

Amotz Zahavi proposed it in 1979, and it was tested by Manuel Soler in 1995.[1]

Mathematical modeling

Maria Abou Chakra, of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, with others, successfully mathematically modeled the mafia hypothesis as a viable strategy, conditional on two factors:[2][3]

  • hosts are capable of learning
  • parasites revisit nests

They found that the proportion of mafia vs non mafia brood parasites and unconditionally vs conditionally accepting hosts cycled over time: if all hosts unconditionally accepted parasite eggs, then it would not be worth the effort of revisiting the nest- being 'mafia'. If sufficiently few parasites were mafia, then only accepting parasite eggs after nest destruction once would be best for the hosts. As such, the mafia proportion of parasites would increase, thereby leading to unconditional acceptance by hosts, and so on.[4]

Farmer strategy

Nest destruction also occurs as a result of 'farming'- attempts to synchronize the hosts' schedule with the parasites'.[5][6] It bears similarities to the mafia strategy in that both engage in depredation of nests.[7]

The farmer strategy complicates the mafia/non, un/conditional acceptance model, as in the case of farmers, rejection enters as a viable third host strategy.[8]

References
  1. "Is There A Mafia System Among Birds?". Science ABC. 2022-07-30. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  2. "Fear of the cuckoo mafia". www.mpg.de. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  3. "Meet the Cuckoo Mafia". Discover Magazine. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
  4. Abou Chakra, Maria; Hilbe, Christian; Traulsen, Arne (2014-03-04). "Plastic behaviors in hosts promote the emergence of retaliatory parasites". Scientific Reports. 4 (1): 4251. Bibcode:2014NatSR...4E4251C. doi:10.1038/srep04251. ISSN 2045-2322. PMC 3940972. PMID 24589512. S2CID 5733384.
  5. Hauber, Mark E. (2014). "Mafia or Farmer? Coevolutionary consequences of retaliation and farming as pr farming as predator strategies upon host nests by avian brood parasites".
  6. Abou Chakra, M.; Hilbe, C.; Traulsen, A. (2016). "Coevolutionary interactions between farmers and mafia induce host acceptance of avian brood parasites". Royal Society Open Science. 3 (5): 160036. Bibcode:2016RSOS....360036C. doi:10.1098/rsos.160036. PMC 4892445. PMID 27293783.
  7. Soler, M.; Pérez-Contreras, T.; Soler, J. J. (2017), Soler, Manuel (ed.), "Brood Parasites as Predators: Farming and Mafia Strategies", Avian Brood Parasitism: Behaviour, Ecology, Evolution and Coevolution, Fascinating Life Sciences, Cham: Springer International Publishing, pp. 271–286, doi:10.1007/978-3-319-73138-4_15, ISBN 978-3-319-73138-4, retrieved 2023-01-20
  8. "Cuckoo mafia: Host birds only tolerate parasitic eggs in their nests when they fear retaliation". ScienceDaily. Retrieved 2023-01-20.
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