12-17-2020
By
Earth.com staff writer
Red squirrels have a higher chance of survival and a greater number of offspring when they have the same neighbors for consecutive years. The study from Cell Press reveals that it does not matter whether the neighboring squirrels are related, because the fitness benefits are simply based on familiarity.
The benefits were even more noticeable among older squirrels, and the research suggests that living next to each other for many years can offset the effects of aging.
“Red squirrels live on their individual territory, and they rarely come into physical contact with one another, but given the value of familiar neighbors, our study raises this really interesting possibility that they might cooperate with their competitors,” said study first author Erin Siracusa, a postdoctoral researcher at the University of Exeter.
Credit: Erin Siracusa
Though red squirrels are a solitary and territorial species, a 22-year study of these squirrels in the Yukon suggests that they have a higher chance of survival and a greater number of offspring when living near the same neighbors year after year. Surprisingly, the findings appearing December 17 in the journal
Current Biology show that it didn t matter whether the squirrels neighbors were related to them; these fitness benefits instead depended on familiarity, or the length of time the same squirrels lived next to each other. These benefits were even more pronounced in older squirrels, whom the data suggested could sharply offset the effects of aging by maintaining all of their neighbors from one year to the next.
Neighborhood stability boosts odds of survival for red squirrels
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North American red squirrel pups, which often maintain the same neighbors for years at a time,
huddle together for safety and warmth. Photo by Erin Siracusa
Dec. 17 (UPI) North American red squirrels benefit from maintaining the same neighbors, year after year.
According to a new study, published Thursday in the journal Current Biology, the advantages of neighborhood stability outweighed the negative impacts of growing a year older.
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Researchers also determined living near relatives offers squirrels no benefits. These squirrels are solitary each defending a territory with a midden (food stash) at the center so we might assume they don t cooperate, lead author Erin Siracusa said in a news release.