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Spiess S, Mylne HK, Engesser S, Mine JG, O’Neill LG, Russell AF, Townsend SW. Syntax-like Structures in Maternal Contact Calls of Chestnut-Crowned Babblers ( Pomatostomus ruficeps). INT J PRIMATOL 2022; 45:543-562. [PMID: 38948101 PMCID: PMC11211148 DOI: 10.1007/s10764-022-00332-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
The combination of meaning-bearing units (e.g., words) into higher-order structures (e.g., compound words and phrases) is integral to human language. Despite this central role of syntax in language, little is known about its evolutionary progression. Comparative data using animal communication systems offer potential insights, but only a handful of species have been identified to combine meaningful calls together into larger signals. We investigated a candidate for syntax-like structure in the highly social chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps). Using a combination of behavioral observations, acoustic analyses, and playback experiments, we test whether the form and function of maternal contact calls is modified by combining the core "piping" elements of such calls with at least one other call element or call. Results from the acoustic analyses (236 analysed calls from 10 individuals) suggested that piping call elements can be flexibly initiated with either "peow" elements from middle-distance contact calls or adult "begging" calls to form "peow-pipe" and "beg-pipe" calls. Behavioral responses to playbacks (20 trials to 7 groups) of natural peow-pipe and beg-pipe calls were comparable to those of artificially generated versions of each call using peow elements and begging calls from other contexts. Furthermore, responses to playbacks (34 trials to 7 groups) of the three forms of maternal contact calls (piping alone, peow-pipe, beg-pipe) differed. Together these data suggest that meaning encoded in piping calls is modified by combining such calls with begging calls or peow elements used in other contexts and so provide rare empirical evidence for syntactic-like structuring in a nonhuman animal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Silvan Spiess
- Comparative Communication and Cognition Group, Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zürich, Affolternstrasse 56, Zurich-Oerlikon, 8050 Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zürich, Affolternstrasse 56, Zurich-Oerlikon, 8050 Switzerland
| | - Helen K. Mylne
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE Cornwall UK
| | - Sabrina Engesser
- Comparative Communication and Cognition Group, Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zürich, Affolternstrasse 56, Zurich-Oerlikon, 8050 Switzerland
- Department of Behavioral & Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassi-Platz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
| | - Joseph G. Mine
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE Cornwall UK
- Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of New South Wales, Fowlers Gap, via Broken Hill, NSW 2880 Australia
| | - Louis G. O’Neill
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE Cornwall UK
- Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, School of Biological, Environmental and Earth Sciences, University of New South Wales, Fowlers Gap, via Broken Hill, NSW 2880 Australia
- Department of Biological Sciences, Macquarie University, 14 Eastern Road, Sydney, NSW 2109 Australia
| | - Andrew F. Russell
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE Cornwall UK
| | - Simon W. Townsend
- Comparative Communication and Cognition Group, Department of Comparative Language Science, University of Zürich, Affolternstrasse 56, Zurich-Oerlikon, 8050 Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zürich, Affolternstrasse 56, Zurich-Oerlikon, 8050 Switzerland
- Department of Psychology, University of Warwick, University Road, Coventry, CV4 7AL UK
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2
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Fortuna R, D'Amelio PB, Doutrelant C, Ferreira AC, Lecq C, Silva LR, Covas R, Rybak F, Paquet M. Begging and feeding responses vary with relatedness and sex of provisioners in a cooperative breeder. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.12.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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3
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White AF, Dawson RD. Manipulations of brood age reveal limited parental flexibility in an insectivorous passerine. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.12.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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5
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Luna Á, Lois NA, Rodríguez-Martinez S, Palma A, Sanz-Aguilar A, Tella JL, Carrete M. Urban life promotes delayed dispersal and family living in a non-social bird species. Sci Rep 2021; 11:107. [PMID: 33420201 PMCID: PMC7794495 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-80344-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/05/2020] [Accepted: 12/16/2020] [Indexed: 01/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In some vertebrate species, family units are typically formed when sexually mature individuals delay dispersal and independent breeding to remain as subordinates in a breeding group. This behaviour has been intensively studied in gregarious species but has also been described in non-social species where ecological and evolutionary drivers are less known. Here, we explore factors that favour delayed dispersal and family living and potential benefits associated with this strategy in a non-social, monogamous species (the burrowing owl, Athene cunicularia) occupying urban and rural habitats. Our results show that family units arise when first-year individuals, mainly males, delay their dispersal to stay in their natal nests with their parents. This delayed dispersal, while still uncommon, was more prevalent in urban (7%) than in rural (3%) habitats, and in areas with high conspecific density and productivity. Birds delaying dispersal contributed to the genetic pool of the offspring in 25% of the families analysed, but did not increase the productivity of the nests where they remained. However, their presence was related to an improvement in the body condition of chicks, which was ultimately linked to a slightly positive effect in offspring future survival probabilities. Finally, delayed dispersers were recruited as breeders in high-quality urban territories and closer to their natal nests than individuals dispersing during their first year of life. Thus, our results suggest that delaying dispersal may be mainly related to opportunities to inheriting a good quality territory, especially for males. Our study contributes to understanding the role played by habitat quality in promoting delayed dispersal and family living, not only in social but also non-social species, highlighting its impact in the ecology and evolution of animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Álvaro Luna
- grid.418875.70000 0001 1091 6248Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana - CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Nicolás A. Lois
- grid.7345.50000 0001 0056 1981Laboratorio de Ecología y Comportamiento Animal. Departamento de Ecología, Genética y Evolución, Universidad de Buenos Aires, Buenos Aires, Argentina ,grid.423606.50000 0001 1945 2152Instituto de Ecología, Genética y Evolución de Buenos Aires, Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Científicas y Técnicas, Buenos Aires, Argentina
| | - Sol Rodríguez-Martinez
- grid.418875.70000 0001 1091 6248Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Estación Biológica de Doñana - CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Antonio Palma
- grid.418875.70000 0001 1091 6248Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana - CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Ana Sanz-Aguilar
- grid.466857.e0000 0000 8518 7126Animal Demography and Ecology Unit, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Spain ,grid.9563.90000 0001 1940 4767Applied Zoology and Conservation Group, University of Balearic Islands, Palma, Spain
| | - José L. Tella
- grid.418875.70000 0001 1091 6248Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana - CSIC, Sevilla, Spain
| | - Martina Carrete
- grid.15449.3d0000 0001 2200 2355Department of Physical, Chemical and Natural Systems, Universidad Pablo de Olavide, Sevilla, Spain
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6
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Cones AG, Liebl AL, Houslay TM, Russell AF. Temperature-mediated plasticity in incubation schedules is unlikely to evolve to buffer embryos from climatic challenges in a seasonal songbird. J Evol Biol 2020; 34:465-476. [PMID: 33325597 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2020] [Revised: 11/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/09/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Phenotypic plasticity is hypothesized to facilitate adaptive responses to challenging conditions, such as those resulting from climate change. However, tests of the key predictions of this 'rescue hypothesis', that variation in plasticity exists and can evolve to buffer unfavourable conditions, remain rare. Here, we investigate among-female variation in temperature-mediated plasticity of incubation schedules and consequences for egg temperatures using the chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps) from temperate regions of inland south-eastern Australia. Given recent phenological advances in this seasonal breeder and thermal requirements of developing embryos (>~25°C, optimally ~38°C), support for evolutionary rescue-perhaps paradoxically-requires that plasticity serves to buffer embryos more from sub-optimally low temperatures. We found significant variation in the duration of incubation bouts (mean ± SD = 27 ± 22 min) and foraging bouts (mean ± SD = 17 ± 11 min) in this maternal-only incubator. However, variation in each arose because of variation in the extent to which mothers increased on- and off-bout durations when temperatures (0-36°C) were more favourable rather than unfavourable as required under rescue. In addition, there was a strong positive intercept-slope correlation in on-bout durations, indicating that those with stronger plastic responses incubated more at average temperatures (~19°C). Combined, these effects reduced the functional significance of plastic responses: an individual's plasticity was neither associated with daily contributions to incubation (i.e. attentiveness) nor average egg temperatures. Our results highlight that despite significant among-individual variation in environmental-sensitivity, plasticity in parental care traits need not evolve to facilitate buffering against unfavourable conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexandra G Cones
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK.,Department of Biology, University of Kentucky, Lexington, KY, USA
| | - Andrea L Liebl
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK.,Department of Biology, University of South Dakota, Vermillion, SD, USA
| | - Thomas M Houslay
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK
| | - Andrew F Russell
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK.,Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Beaubien GB, Olson CI, Todd AC, Otter RR. The Spider Exposure Pathway and the Potential Risk to Arachnivorous Birds. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND CHEMISTRY 2020; 39:2314-2324. [PMID: 32790212 DOI: 10.1002/etc.4848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/03/2020] [Revised: 07/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
There is growing concern over the health of North American birds, with evidence suggesting substantial population declines. Spiders are prominent dietary items for many bird species and mediate the transfer of contaminants to arachnivorous birds that consume them. Few studies have investigated the potential risk the spider exposure pathway poses to these birds because most studies have focused on piscivores. In the present study, we developed new chronic and acute As, Cd, Cu, Pb, Ni, Se, Zn, and MeHg spider-based avian wildlife values (SBAWVs) for multiple adult and nestling birds (primarily passerines) and then used the newly generated SBAWVs to characterize the risk to birds across 2 study areas: 1) 5 reaches in the southern Appalachian Mountains, an area with substantial mercury deposition but minimal anthropogenic impact, and 2) 4 reaches adjacent to the Emory River, an area impacted by the largest fly coal-ash spill in US history. We identified MeHg and Cu, Pb, Se, and Zn as contaminants of potential concern (COPC) at the Appalachian Mountain and Emory River study areas, respectively, based on dietary exposure of aquatic contaminants via riparian spiders. The identification of COPC at both study areas due to dietary spider exposure is notable not only because the spider exposure pathway has largely been uninvestigated at these sites but also because the aquatic systems in both areas have been studied extensively. Significant differences in MeHg concentrations were detected among spider taxa and suggest that the selection of spider taxa can impact risk characterization. These results indicate that the spider exposure pathway is important to consider when assessing potential risk, particularly for passerine birds. Environ Toxicol Chem 2020;39:2314-2324. © 2020 SETAC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gale B Beaubien
- Molecular Biosciences, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
| | - Connor I Olson
- Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Syracuse University, Syracuse, New York, USA
| | - Andrew C Todd
- Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
| | - Ryan R Otter
- Molecular Biosciences, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
- Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
- Data Science Institute, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, Tennessee, USA
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8
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Nomano FY, Savage JL, Browning LE, Griffith SC, Russell AF. Breeding Phenology and Meteorological Conditions Affect Carer Provisioning Rates and Group-Level Coordination in Cooperative Chestnut-Crowned Babblers. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00423] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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9
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10
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Grüebler MU, Müller M, Michel VT, Perrig M, Keil H, Naef-Daenzer B, Korner-Nievergelt F. Brood provisioning and reproductive benefits in relation to habitat quality: a food supplementation experiment. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2018.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
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11
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Guindre-Parker S, Rubenstein DR. Multiple benefits of alloparental care in a fluctuating environment. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2018; 5:172406. [PMID: 29515910 PMCID: PMC5830800 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.172406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Accepted: 01/26/2018] [Indexed: 05/16/2023]
Abstract
Although cooperatively breeding vertebrates occur disproportionately in unpredictable environments, the underlying mechanism shaping this biogeographic pattern remains unclear. Cooperative breeding may buffer against harsh conditions (hard life hypothesis), or additionally allow for sustained breeding under benign conditions (temporal variability hypothesis). To distinguish between the hard life and temporal variability hypotheses, we investigated whether the number of alloparents at a nest increased reproductive success or load-lightening in superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus), and whether these two types of benefits varied in harsh and benign years. We found that mothers experienced both types of benefits consistent with the temporal variability hypothesis, as larger contingents of alloparents increased the number of young fledged while simultaneously allowing mothers to reduce their provisioning rates under both harsh and benign rainfall conditions. By contrast, fathers experienced load-lightening only under benign rainfall conditions, suggesting that cooperative breeding may serve to take advantage of unpredictable benign breeding seasons when they do occur. Cooperative breeding in unpredictable environments may thus promote flexibility in offspring care behaviour, which could mitigate variability in the cost of raising young. Our results highlight the importance of considering how offspring care decisions vary among breeding roles and across fluctuating environmental conditions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah Guindre-Parker
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Dustin R. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
- Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY, USA
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12
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Capp E, Liebl AL, Cones AG, Russell AF. Advancing breeding phenology does not affect incubation schedules in chestnut-crowned babblers: Opposing effects of temperature and wind. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:696-705. [PMID: 29321906 PMCID: PMC5756856 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3524] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2017] [Revised: 09/23/2017] [Accepted: 10/02/2017] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Projecting population responses to climate change requires an understanding of climatic impacts on key components of reproduction. Here, we investigate the associations among breeding phenology, climate and incubation schedules in the chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps), a 50 g passerine with female-only, intermittent incubation that typically breeds from late winter (July) to early summer (November). During daylight hours, breeding females spent an average of 33 min on the nest incubating (hereafter on-bouts) followed by 24-min foraging (hereafter off-bouts), leading to an average daytime nest attentiveness of 60%. Nest attentiveness was 25% shorter than expected from allometric calculations, largely because off-bout durations were double the expected value for a species with 16 g clutches (4 eggs × 4 g/egg). On-bout durations and daily attentiveness were both negatively related to ambient temperature, presumably because increasing temperatures allowed more time to be allocated to foraging with reduced detriment to egg cooling. By contrast, on-bout durations were positively associated with wind speed, in this case because increasing wind speed exacerbated egg cooling during off-bouts. Despite an average temperature change of 12°C across the breeding season, breeding phenology had no effect on incubation schedules. This surprising result arose because of a positive relationship between temperature and wind speed across the breeding season: Any benefit of increasing temperatures was canceled by apparently detrimental consequences of increasing wind speed on egg cooling. Our results indicate that a greater appreciation for the associations among climatic variables and their independent effects on reproductive investment are necessary to understand the effects of changing climates on breeding phenology.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elliot Capp
- UNSW Arid Zone Research StationSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNSWAustralia
| | - Andrea L. Liebl
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenryn, CornwallUK
- Department of BiologyUniversity of South DakotaVermillionSDUSA
| | - Alexandra G. Cones
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenryn, CornwallUK
| | - Andrew F. Russell
- UNSW Arid Zone Research StationSchool of Biological, Earth and Environmental SciencesUniversity of New South WalesSydneyNSWAustralia
- Centre for Ecology and ConservationCollege of Life and Environmental SciencesUniversity of ExeterPenryn, CornwallUK
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13
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Savage JL, Browning LE, Manica A, Russell AF, Johnstone RA. Turn-taking in cooperative offspring care: by-product of individual provisioning behavior or active response rule? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017; 71:162. [PMID: 29081573 PMCID: PMC5644705 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2391-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2017] [Revised: 09/28/2017] [Accepted: 09/29/2017] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Abstract For individuals collaborating to rear offspring, effective organization of resource delivery is difficult because each carer benefits when the others provide a greater share of the total investment required. When investment is provided in discrete events, one possible solution is to adopt a turn-taking strategy whereby each individual reduces its contribution rate after investing, only increasing its rate again once another carer contributes. To test whether turn-taking occurs in a natural cooperative care system, here we use a continuous time Markov model to deduce the provisioning behavior of the chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps), a cooperatively breeding Australian bird with variable number of carers. Our analysis suggests that turn-taking occurs across a range of group sizes (2–6), with individual birds being more likely to visit following other individuals than to make repeat visits. We show using a randomization test that some of this apparent turn-taking arises as a by-product of the distribution of individual inter-visit intervals (“passive” turn-taking) but that individuals also respond actively to the investment of others over and above this effect (“active” turn-taking). We conclude that turn-taking in babblers is a consequence of both their individual provisioning behavior and deliberate response rules, with the former effect arising through a minimum interval required to forage and travel to and from the nest. Our results reinforce the importance of considering fine-scale investment dynamics when studying parental care and suggest that behavioral rules such as turn-taking may be more common than previously thought. Significance statement Caring for offspring is a crucial stage in the life histories of many animals and often involves conflict as each carer typically benefits when others contribute a greater share of the work required. One way to resolve this conflict is to monitor when other carers contribute and adopt a simple “turn-taking” rule to ensure fairness, but natural parental care has rarely been studied in sufficient detail to identify such rules. Our study investigates whether cooperatively breeding chestnut-crowned babblers “take turns” delivering food to offspring, and (if so) whether this a deliberate strategy or simply a by-product of independent care behavior. We find that babblers indeed take turns and conclude that part of the observed turn-taking is due to deliberate responsiveness, with the rest arising from the species’ breeding ecology. Electronic supplementary material The online version of this article (10.1007/s00265-017-2391-4) contains supplementary material, which is available to authorized users.
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Affiliation(s)
- James L Savage
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK.,Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, De Elst 1, 6708 WD Wageningen, The Netherlands.,School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Distillery Fields, North Mall, Cork, T23 TK30 Ireland
| | - Lucy E Browning
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK.,Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, 2052 NSW Australia
| | - Andrea Manica
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Andrew F Russell
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Tremough Campus, Penryn, TR10 9FE UK
| | - Rufus A Johnstone
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge, CB2 3EJ UK
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14
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Multinomial analysis of behavior: statistical methods. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017; 71:138. [PMID: 28959087 PMCID: PMC5594044 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2363-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral ecologists frequently use observational methods, such as instantaneous scan sampling, to record the behavior of animals at discrete moments in time. We develop and apply multilevel, multinomial logistic regression models for analyzing such data. These statistical methods correspond to the multinomial character of the response variable while also accounting for the repeated observations of individuals that characterize behavioral datasets. Correlated random effects potentially reveal individual-level trade-offs across behaviors, allowing for models that reveal the extent to which individuals who regularly engage in one behavior also exhibit relatively more or less of another behavior. Using an example dataset, we demonstrate the estimation of these models using Hamiltonian Monte Carlo algorithms, as implemented in the RStan package in the R statistical environment. The supplemental files include a coding script and data that demonstrate auxiliary functions to prepare the data, estimate the models, summarize the posterior samples, and generate figures that display model predictions. We discuss possible extensions to our approach, including models with random slopes to allow individual-level behavioral strategies to vary over time and the need for models that account for temporal autocorrelation. These models can potentially be applied to a broad class of statistical analyses by behavioral ecologists, focusing on other polytomous response variables, such as behavior, habitat choice, or emotional states.
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15
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Khwaja N, Preston SA, Hatchwell BJ, Briskie JV, Winney IS, Savage JL. Flexibility but no coordination of visits in provisioning riflemen. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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16
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Chappell MA, Buttemer WA, Russell AF. Energetics of communal roosting in chestnut-crowned babblers: implications for group dynamics and breeding phenology. J Exp Biol 2016; 219:3321-3328. [DOI: 10.1242/jeb.144972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/21/2016] [Accepted: 08/15/2016] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
ABSTRACT
For many endotherms, communal roosting saves energy in cold conditions, but how this might affect social dynamics or breeding phenology is not well understood. Using chestnut-crowned babblers (Pomatostomus ruficeps), we studied the effects of nest use and group size on roosting energy costs. These 50 g cooperatively breeding passerine birds of outback Australia breed from late winter to early summer and roost in huddles of up to 20 in single-chambered nests. We measured babbler metabolism at three ecologically relevant temperatures: 5°C (similar to minimum nighttime temperatures during early breeding), 15°C (similar to nighttime temperatures during late breeding) and 28°C (thermal neutrality). Nest use alone had modest effects: even for solitary babblers at 5°C, it reduced nighttime energy expenditures by <15%. However, group-size effects were substantial, with savings of up to 60% in large groups at low temperatures. Babblers roosting in groups of seven or more at 5°C, and five or more at 15°C, did not need to elevate metabolic rates above basal levels. Furthermore, even at 28°C (thermoneutral for solitary babblers), individuals in groups of four or more had 15% lower basal metabolic rate than single birds, hinting that roosting in small groups is stressful. We suggest that the substantial energy savings of communal roosting at low temperatures help explain why early breeding is initiated in large groups and why breeding females, which roost alone and consequently expend 120% more energy overnight than other group members, suffer relatively higher mortality than communally roosting group mates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mark A. Chappell
- Department of Biology, University of California, Riverside, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
| | - William A. Buttemer
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Wollongong, Wollongong, New South Wales 2522, Australia
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, Deakin University, Geelong, Victoria 3217, Australia
| | - Andrew F. Russell
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
- Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, New South Wales 2052, Australia
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17
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McAuliffe K, Wrangham R, Glowacki L, Russell AF. When cooperation begets cooperation: the role of key individuals in galvanizing support. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 370:20150012. [PMID: 26503685 PMCID: PMC4633848 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Life abounds with examples of conspecifics actively cooperating to a common end, despite conflicts of interest being expected concerning how much each individual should contribute. Mathematical models typically find that such conflict can be resolved by partial-response strategies, leading investors to contribute relatively equitably. Using a case study approach, we show that such model expectations can be contradicted in at least four disparate contexts: (i) bi-parental care; (ii) cooperative breeding; (iii) cooperative hunting; and (iv) human cooperation. We highlight that: (a) marked variation in contributions is commonplace; and (b) individuals can often respond positively rather than negatively to the contributions of others. Existing models have surprisingly limited power in explaining these phenomena. Here, we propose that, although among-individual variation in cooperative contributions will be influenced by differential costs and benefits, there is likely to be a strong genetic or epigenetic component. We then suggest that selection can maintain high investors (key individuals) when their contributions promote support by increasing the benefits and/or reducing the costs for others. Our intentions are to raise awareness in—and provide testable hypotheses of—two of the most poorly understood, yet integral, questions regarding cooperative ventures: why do individuals vary in their contributions and when does cooperation beget cooperation?
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Affiliation(s)
- Katherine McAuliffe
- Department of Psychology, Yale University, 2 Hillhouse Avenue, New Haven, CT 06520, USA Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Department of Psychology, Boston College, Chestnut Hill, MA 02467, USA
| | - Richard Wrangham
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Luke Glowacki
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Program for Evolutionary Dynamics, Harvard University, 1 Brattle Square, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Andrew F Russell
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, 11 Divinity Avenue, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
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Sorato E, Griffith SC, Russell AF. The price of associating with breeders in the cooperatively breeding chestnut‐crowned babbler: foraging constraints, survival and sociality. J Anim Ecol 2016; 85:1340-51. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12539] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/18/2015] [Accepted: 04/14/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Enrico Sorato
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
- Department of Physics, Chemistry and Biology (IFM) Linköping University Linköping 58183 Sweden
| | - Simon C. Griffith
- Department of Biological Sciences Macquarie University Sydney NSW 2109 Australia
- Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Andy F. Russell
- Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences University of New South Wales Sydney NSW 2052 Australia
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation College of Life and Environmental Sciences University of Exeter, Tremough Campus Penryn TR10 9FE UK
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Liebl A, Nomano F, Browning L, Russell A. Experimental evidence for fully additive care among male carers in the cooperatively breeding chestnut-crowned babbler. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.02.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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20
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Liebl AL, Browning LE, Russell AF. Manipulating carer number versus brood size: complementary but not equivalent ways of quantifying carer effects on offspring. Behav Ecol 2016; 27:1247-1254. [PMID: 27418754 PMCID: PMC4943111 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw038] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2015] [Revised: 02/01/2016] [Accepted: 02/03/2016] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
Measuring the causal effects of increasing carer number on offspring success is required to understand the evolution of cooperative care systems. Here, we did so using 2 experimental techniques in the chestnut-crowned babbler from outback Australia. Both carer removal and brood size manipulations indicate causal effects of helpers on offspring food acquisition. However, the results were not equivalent, with nestlings receiving more food following brood size manipulations, even after controlling for similar carer to offspring ratios. Experiments designed to quantify the effects of increasing numbers of carers on levels of offspring care are rare in cooperative breeding systems, where offspring are reared by individuals additional to the breeding pair. This paucity might stem from disagreement over the most appropriate manipulations necessary to elucidate these effects. Here, we perform both carer removal and brood enhancement experiments to test the effects of numbers of carers and carer:offspring ratios on provisioning rates in the cooperatively breeding chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps). Removing carers caused linear reductions in overall brood provisioning rates. Further analyses failed to provide evidence that this effect was influenced by territory quality or disruption of group dynamics stemming from the removals. Likewise, adding nestlings to broods caused linear increases in brood provisioning rates, suggesting carers are responsive to increasing offspring demand. However, the 2 experiments did not generate quantitatively equivalent results: Each nestling received more food following brood size manipulation than carer removal, despite comparable carer:offspring ratios in each. Following an at-hatching split-design cross-fostering manipulation to break any links between prehatching maternal effects and posthatching begging patterns, we found that begging intensity increased in larger broods after controlling for metrics of hunger. These findings suggest that manipulation of brood size can, in itself, influence nestling provisioning rates when begging intensity is affected by scramble competition. We highlight that carer number and brood size manipulations are complimentary but not equivalent; adopting both can yield greater overall insight into carer effects in cooperative breeding systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- A L Liebl
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter , Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE , UK and
| | - L E Browning
- UNSW Arid Zone Research Station, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales , Sydney, New South Wales 2052 , Australia
| | - A F Russell
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter , Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE , UK and
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Engesser S, Crane JMS, Savage JL, Russell AF, Townsend SW. Experimental Evidence for Phonemic Contrasts in a Nonhuman Vocal System. PLoS Biol 2015; 13:e1002171. [PMID: 26121619 PMCID: PMC4488142 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pbio.1002171] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Accepted: 05/08/2015] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ability to generate new meaning by rearranging combinations of meaningless sounds is a fundamental component of language. Although animal vocalizations often comprise combinations of meaningless acoustic elements, evidence that rearranging such combinations generates functionally distinct meaning is lacking. Here, we provide evidence for this basic ability in calls of the chestnut-crowned babbler (Pomatostomus ruficeps), a highly cooperative bird of the Australian arid zone. Using acoustic analyses, natural observations, and a series of controlled playback experiments, we demonstrate that this species uses the same acoustic elements (A and B) in different arrangements (AB or BAB) to create two functionally distinct vocalizations. Specifically, the addition or omission of a contextually meaningless acoustic element at a single position generates a phoneme-like contrast that is sufficient to distinguish the meaning between the two calls. Our results indicate that the capacity to rearrange meaningless sounds in order to create new signals occurs outside of humans. We suggest that phonemic contrasts represent a rudimentary form of phoneme structure and a potential early step towards the generative phonemic system of human language. The chestnut-crowned babbler, a social species of bird from the Australian outback, possesses the basic capacity to generate words, shedding new light on the origins of word generation in our own species. A major question in language evolution is how its generative power emerged. This power, which allows the communication of limitless thoughts and ideas, is a result of the combinatorial nature of human language: meaningless phonemes can be combined to form meaningful words (phonology), and words can be combined to form higher-order, meaningful structures (syntax). While previous work has indicated the potential for animals to form syntax-like constructions, there exists little convincing evidence for a basic phonemic capacity in animals. Here, we demonstrate, using analyses combined with natural observations and playback experiments, that the cooperatively breeding chestnut-crowned babbler reuses two meaningless acoustic elements to create two functionally distinct vocalizations. This result suggests the basic ability for phoneme structuring occurs outside of humans and provides insights into potential early evolutionary steps preceding the generative phonemic system of human language.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sabrina Engesser
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jodie M S Crane
- Department of Animal & Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - James L Savage
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew F Russell
- Centre for Ecology & Conservation, College of Life & Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom; Fowlers Gap Arid Zone Research Station, School of Biological, Earth & Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Simon W Townsend
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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Nomano FY, Browning LE, Savage JL, Rollins LA, Griffith SC, Russell AF. Unrelated helpers neither signal contributions nor suffer retribution in chestnut-crowed babblers. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023] Open
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Bowers EK, Nietz D, Thompson CF, Sakaluk SK. Parental provisioning in house wrens: effects of varying brood size and consequences for offspring. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru153] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Validation of an automated data collection method for quantifying social networks in collective behaviours. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1757-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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25
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Food allocation rules vary with age and experience in a cooperatively breeding parrot. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1716-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Prey size increases with nestling age: are provisioning parents programmed or responding to cues from offspring? Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1684-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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Brouwer L, van de Pol M, Cockburn A. The role of social environment on parental care: offspring benefit more from the presence of female than male helpers. J Anim Ecol 2013; 83:491-503. [PMID: 24128295 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12143] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2013] [Accepted: 09/02/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Investment in offspring depends on the costs and benefits to the carer, which can vary with sex and social status. Investment also depends on the effort of others by allowing for compensation (load-lightening), with biparental care studies showing that this depends on the state and type of the other carer. By contrast, studies on cooperative breeders have solely focussed on the effects of group size rather than its composition (i.e. social environment). Here we propose and provide the first test of the 'Social Environment' hypothesis, that is, how the characteristics (here the sex) of other helpers present in the group affect parental care and how this in turn affects offspring fitness in cooperatively breeding red-winged fairy-wrens (Malurus elegans). Breeders provisioned nestlings at a higher rate than helpers, but there was no sex difference in provisioning rate. Compensation to increasing group size varied little with sex and status, but strongly depended on social environment. All group members reduced their provisioning rates in response to an increasing number of male (load-lightening), but not female helpers (additive care). As a result, nestlings received more food and grew faster in the presence of female helpers. The increased nestling growth did convey a fitness advantage due to a higher post-fledging survival to adulthood. Our study provides the first evidence that parental care can depend on social environment. This could be an important overlooked aspect to explain variation in parental care in cooperative breeders in general and in particular the enormous variation between the sexes, which we reveal in a literature overview.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lyanne Brouwer
- Department of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
| | - Martijn van de Pol
- Department of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia.,Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Andrew Cockburn
- Department of Evolution, Ecology & Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 0200, Australia
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Nomano FY, Browning LE, Rollins LA, Nakagawa S, Griffith SC, Russell AF. Feeding nestlings does not function as a signal of social prestige in cooperatively breeding chestnut-crowned babblers. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.05.015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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Savage JL, Russell AF, Johnstone RA. Intra-group relatedness affects parental and helper investment rules in offspring care. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2013. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-013-1595-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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30
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Savage JL, Russell AF, Johnstone RA. Maternal costs in offspring production affect investment rules in joint rearing. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars203] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
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