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Marmots could have the solution to a long-running debate in evolution

When it comes to the survival of animals living in the wild, the characteristics of the group can matter as much as the traits of the individual, according to a study in marmots

By Michael Le Page

7 November 2024

Two yellow-bellied marmots on a rock in the Okanagan area of British Columbia, Canada

Yellow-bellied marmots live in colonies with a single dominant male

Maria Janicki/Alamy

Friendly groups of marmots could help settle an enduring debate in evolution – whether the characteristics of a group can be more important to an individual’s chances of survival than the characteristics of that individual. An analysis of their behaviour is the first evidence in wild animals for this evolutionary idea, known as multilevel selection

“What we found is that the group traits are under just as strong selection as the individual traits, if not slightly stronger,” says then at the University of California, Los…

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