A molecular genetic analysis of kinship and cooperation in African lions

This study used DNA markers to measure relatedness within and between lion coalitions and prides, testing whether cooperation tracks genetic kinship. It confirmed that companion females within a pride are typically close relatives and that small male coalitions are usually formed by relatives, supporting kin selection, while large coalitions can include unrelated males. The genetic data resolved long-standing questions that behavior alone could not answer, showing where inclusive fitness explains helping and where mutual benefit must be invoked. The work was an early demonstration of how molecular tools could illuminate the social structure of a wild carnivore. It anchored the interpretation of decades of behavioral observation in measured relatedness, strengthening the case that lion sociality is built on a foundation of kinship among females and among smaller male alliances.