Stay at home sons - why cutting out the cooking could get rid of the kids

It's become a common modern phenomenon - kids are leaving it later and later to leave home. But for any frustrated parent out there help may be at hand - birds may have the answer to kicking the cuckoos out of the nest. Scientists at the University of Exeter in Cornwall and the University of California, Berkeley have shown for the first time that male birds will only stay at home if they think their parents are wealthy enough.

In a paper, published in Proceedings of Royal Society B, Dr Andy McGowan, currently at the University of Exeter in Cornwall, and Dr Janis Dickinson from the University of California, Berkeley looked at the make-up of western bluebird family groups in California, for whom wealth comprises clumps of mistletoe. These birds are highly territorial vigorously defending their mistletoe, which provides an essential food source during harsh winter months.

Dr McGowan and the team created different sets of territories by removing half the mistletoe in some areas whilst leaving others intact. In areas where the mistletoe continued to flourish 50% of sons stayed with their parents compared with only 8% of sons in areas where mistletoe had been removed. Daughters on the other hand seem to pay no attention to the wealth of their parents and leave home anyway.

"This is the first time it's been shown experimentally that resources cause offspring to stay at home and strongly supports the idea that wealth is the starting point for the evolution of kin-based sociality. It wasn’t that an absolute insufficiency of resources was causing sons to leave but the relative wealth of the parents. Western bluebird sons seem to be assessing just how wealthy their parents are and if it does not come up to expectations then they leave, probably because they think they can do better on their own elsewhere. The findings from this study really help expand our theoretical understanding of the evolution of human social behaviour."

Source: University of Exeter

Related stories:

Accumulated wealth encourages family stability, not only for humans
Among Western bluebirds and other cooperatively breeding birds, when grown children hang around the nest instead of dispersing at maturity, family structures become more close-knit. But what keeps the kids hanging around? A new study shows, as with humans, it's the accumulated wealth. Once the money begins to run out, the kids split.
Living donor liver transplants may drastically decrease mortality from liver failure
Patients with acute liver failure (ALF) could be saved by a transplant from a living donor (LDLT), according to a new study in the September issue of Liver Transplantation, a journal by John Wiley & Sons. The recent experience of U.S. patients shows that recipient mortality rates and donor morbidity rates are acceptable.
Suicide risks studied in drugs for physical ills
(AP) -- Cody Miller was a high school football player who was allergic to ragweed. Douglas Briggs was a doctor coping with pain from an old back injury. Both are now dead, hanging victims driven to suicide, their families believe, when drugs prescribed to relieve physical symptoms upset their mental and emotional balance. Federal drug regulators are investigating to see if the families could be right.
Researchers define characteristics, treatment options for XXYY syndrome
Researchers at the UC Davis M.I.N.D. Institute and The Children's Hospital in Denver have conducted the largest study to date describing the medical and psychological characteristics of a rare genetic disorder in which males have two "X" and two "Y" chromosomes, rather than the normal one of each. The study, published in the June 15, 2008, issue of the American Journal of Medical Genetics Part A, also offers treatment recommendations for men and boys with the disorder.
As Kids go to College, Empty Nest Syndrome for Parents Not so Bad After All
(PhysOrg.com) -- It's that time of year when parents are buying college supplies and textbooks, while their children are packing their bags and preparing to leave the 'nest' for the first time.
SKorea court rules parents may know baby's sex
South Korea's top court ruled Thursday that parents have the right to know the sex of their unborn babies, sparking concerns the decision might result in more sex-selection abortions.
Joy Luck Club: The health benefits of daughters-in-law
In a new twist on the Confucian ideal of filial piety, a study finds that the assistance of daughters-in-law – but not their own children – helps mitigate depression among older people in China. This is particularly true in rural areas, where elders may rely more heavily on family to be support providers.
Students who use 'clickers' score better on physics tests
Hand-held electronic devices called clickers are helping college students learn physics, according to a series of research studies.

News discussion:

General Science news