Begging for Milk: Evolution of Teat Massaging in Suckling Pigs

We present a model that simulates the evolution of teat massaging (begging) by suckling piglets (Sus scrofa) and milk distribution among teats (provisioning) by their mothers. Contrary to previous begging models, this one incorporates an ontogenetic dimension in that the inherited begging and provisioning rules are repeatedly allowed to interact, and their consequences for milk intake, growth and death probability are assessed, during each nursing. We test the model under three selection regimes differing in the relative importance of the between-litter selection component. We show that the selection regime with the strongest between-litter selection component leads to lowest begging levels and most effective milk utilization, thus supporting the hypothesis that selection based on whole litters may attenuate sibling competition.