1
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García-Ruiz I, Taborsky M. Nepotism mediates enforced cooperation in asymmetric negotiations. iScience 2024; 27:110334. [PMID: 39100926 PMCID: PMC11295936 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110334] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
In cooperative societies, group members typically exchange different commodities among each other, which involves an incessant negotiation process. How is the conflict of fitness interests resolved in this continual bargaining process between unequal partners, so that maintaining the cooperative interaction is the best option for all parties involved? Theory predicts that relatedness between group members may alleviate the conflict of fitness interests, thereby promoting the evolution of cooperation. To evaluate the relative importance of relatedness and direct fitness effects in the negotiation process, we experimentally manipulated both the relatedness and mutual behavioral responses of dominant breeders and subordinate helpers in the cooperatively breeding cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher. Results show that coercion by breeders is crucial for the performance of alloparental egg care by helpers, but that kinship significantly decreases the need for coercion as predicted by theory. This illustrates the relative importance of kinship and enforcement in the bargaining process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene García-Ruiz
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin), 14193 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
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2
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Kerr NZ, Morris WF, Walters JR. Inclusive Fitness May Explain Some but Not All Benefits Derived from Helping Behavior in a Cooperatively Breeding Bird. Am Nat 2024; 203:393-410. [PMID: 38358814 DOI: 10.1086/728670] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/17/2024]
Abstract
AbstractIn cooperative breeding systems, inclusive fitness theory predicts that nonbreeding helpers more closely related to the breeders should be more willing to provide costly alloparental care and thus have more impact on breeder fitness. In the red-cockaded woodpecker (Dryobates borealis), most helpers are the breeders' earlier offspring, but helpers do vary within groups in both relatedness to the breeders (some even being unrelated) and sex, and it can be difficult to parse their separate impacts on breeder fitness. Moreover, most support for inclusive fitness theory has been positive associations between relatedness and behavior rather than actual fitness consequences. We used functional linear models to evaluate the per capita effects of helpers of different relatedness on eight breeder fitness components measured for up to 41 years at three sites. In support of inclusive fitness theory, helpers more related to the breeding pair made greater contributions to six fitness components. However, male helpers made equal contributions to increasing prefledging survival regardless of relatedness. These findings suggest that both inclusive fitness benefits and other direct benefits may underlie helping behaviors in the red-cockaded woodpecker. Our results also demonstrate the application of an underused statistical approach to disentangle a complex ecological phenomenon.
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3
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Benvenuto C, Lorenzi MC. Social regulation of reproduction: control or signal? Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:1028-1040. [PMID: 37385846 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2023.05.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 05/12/2023] [Accepted: 05/12/2023] [Indexed: 07/01/2023]
Abstract
Traditionally, dominant breeders have been considered to be able to control the reproduction of other individuals in multimember groups that have high variance in reproductive success/reproductive skew (e.g., forced sterility/coercion of conspecifics in eusocial animals; sex-change suppression in sequential hermaphrodites). These actions are typically presented as active impositions by reproductively dominant individuals. However, how can individuals regulate the reproductive physiology of others? Alternatively, all contestants make reproductive decisions, and less successful individuals self-downregulate reproduction in the presence of dominant breeders. Shifting perspective from a top-down manipulation to a broader view, which includes all contenders, and using a multitaxon approach, we propose a unifying framework for the resolution of reproductive skew conflicts based on signalling rather than control, along a continuum of levels of strategic regulation of reproduction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chiara Benvenuto
- School of Science, Engineering, and Environment, University of Salford, Salford, UK.
| | - Maria Cristina Lorenzi
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée (LEEC), Université Sorbonne Paris Nord, Villetaneuse, France
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4
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Teunissen N, Fan M, Roast MJ, Hidalgo Aranzamendi N, Kingma SA, Peters A. Best of both worlds? Helpers in a cooperative fairy-wren assist most to breeding pairs that comprise a potential mate and a relative. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231342. [PMID: 38026024 PMCID: PMC10646452 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231342] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 10/25/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
In cooperative breeders, individuals forego independent reproduction and help others raise offspring. Helping is proposed to be driven by indirect benefits from raising relatives, and/or direct benefits from raising additional recruits or helping itself. We propose that consideration of social context is also important, in particular the characteristics of the breeding pair: helping may also serve to lighten the workload of-or maintain social bonds with-breeders (e.g. kin, potential mates) who in turn can offer benefits to helpers (e.g. prolonged nepotism, future mating, future production of relatives). Here, we test this hypothesis, while controlling for potential direct and indirect benefits from raising offspring, in purple-crowned fairy-wrens (Malurus coronatus) exhibiting variation in social group composition, and thus, breeder value. We show that helper provisioning rates to the nest were explained by characteristics of breeders that helpers assisted, rather than benefits from raising offspring. The presence of at least one related breeder was a prerequisite to help, but helpers provisioned most if assisting a relative and potential mate. Neglecting to take group composition into account would have led to misinterpretation of our results. A comprehensive understanding of the evolution of cooperative breeding hence requires nuanced consideration of social context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Teunissen
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Marie Fan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Michael J. Roast
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | | | - Sjouke A. Kingma
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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5
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Shah SS, Rubenstein DR. Group augmentation underlies the evolution of complex sociality in the face of environmental instability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2212211120. [PMID: 37094171 PMCID: PMC10160950 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212211120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Although kin selection is assumed to underlie the evolution of sociality, many vertebrates-including nearly half of all cooperatively breeding birds-form groups that also include unrelated individuals. Theory predicts that despite reducing kin structure, immigration of unrelated individuals into groups can provide direct, group augmentation benefits, particularly when offspring recruitment is insufficient for group persistence. Using population dynamic modeling and analysis of long-term data, we provide clear empirical evidence of group augmentation benefits favoring the evolution and maintenance of complex societies with low kin structure and multiple reproductives. We show that in the superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus)-a plural cooperative breeder that forms large groups with multiple breeding pairs, and related and unrelated nonbreeders of both sexes-offspring recruitment alone cannot prevent group extinction, especially in smaller groups. Further, smaller groups, which stand to benefit more from immigration, exhibit lower reproductive skew for immigrants, suggesting that reproductive opportunities as joining incentives lead to plural breeding. Yet, despite a greater likelihood of becoming a breeder in smaller groups, immigrants are more likely to join larger groups where they experience increased survivorship and greater reproductive success as breeders. Moreover, immigrants form additional breeding pairs, increasing future offspring recruitment into the group and guarding against complete reproductive failure in the face of environmental instability and high nest predation. Thus, plural breeding likely evolves because the benefits of group augmentation by immigrants generate a positive feedback loop that maintains societies with low and mixed kinship, large group sizes, and multiple reproductives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailee S. Shah
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
| | - Dustin R. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
- Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
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Jungwirth A, Zöttl M, Bonfils D, Josi D, Frommen JG, Taborsky M. Philopatry yields higher fitness than dispersal in a cooperative breeder with sex-specific life history trajectories. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadd2146. [PMID: 36867697 PMCID: PMC9984175 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.add2146] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2023] [Indexed: 06/18/2023]
Abstract
Social evolution is tightly linked to dispersal decisions, but the ecological and social factors selecting for philopatry or dispersal often remain obscure. Elucidating selection mechanisms underlying alternative life histories requires measurement of fitness effects in the wild. We report on a long-term field study of 496 individually marked cooperatively breeding fish, showing that philopatry is beneficial as it increases breeding tenure and lifetime reproductive success in both sexes. Dispersers predominantly join established groups and end up in smaller groups when they ascend to dominance. Life history trajectories are sex specific, with males growing faster, dying earlier, and dispersing more, whereas females more likely inherit a breeding position. Increased male dispersal does not seem to reflect an adaptive preference but rather sex-specific differences in intrasexual competition. Cooperative groups may thus be maintained because of inherent benefits of philopatry, of which females seem to get the greater share in social cichlids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arne Jungwirth
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Konrad Lorenz Institute of Ethology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Savoyenstraße 1a, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Markus Zöttl
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Ecology and Evolution in Microbial Model Systems, EEMiS, Department of Biology and Environmental Science, Linnaeus University, SE-391 82 Kalmar, Sweden
| | - Danielle Bonfils
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Dario Josi
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Eawag Swiss Federal Institute of Aquatic Science and Technology, CH-6047 Kastanienbaum, Switzerland
| | - Joachim G. Frommen
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Chester Street, M1 5GD Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, D-78467 Konstanz, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) Berlin, D-14193 Berlin, Germany
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7
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Kreider JJ, Kramer BH, Komdeur J, Pen I. The evolution of ageing in cooperative breeders. Evol Lett 2022; 6:450-459. [PMID: 36579168 PMCID: PMC9783459 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.307] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/22/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/06/2022] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperatively breeding animals live longer than their solitary counterparts. This has been suggested for birds, mole rats, and social insects. A common explanation for these long lifespans is that cooperative breeding evolves more readily in long-lived species because lower mortality reduces the rate of territory turnover and thus leads to a limitation of breeding territories. Here, we reverse this argument and show that-rather than being a cause for its evolution-long lifespans are an evolutionary consequence of cooperative breeding. In evolutionary individual-based simulations, we show that natural selection favors a delayed onset of senescence in cooperative breeders, relative to solitary breeders, because cooperative breeders have a delayed age of first reproduction as helpers wait in a reproductive queue to obtain breeder status. Especially long lifespans evolve in cooperative breeders in which queue positions depend on the helpers' age rank among the helpers within the breeding territory. Furthermore, we show that lower genetic relatedness among group members leads to the evolution of longer lifespans. This is because selection against higher mortality is weaker when mortality reduces competition for breeding between relatives. Our results link the evolutionary theory of ageing with kin selection theory, demonstrating that the evolution of ageing in cooperative breeders is driven by the timing of reproduction and kin structure within breeding territories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan J. Kreider
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9747 AGThe Netherlands,Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9747 AGThe Netherlands
| | - Boris H. Kramer
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9747 AGThe Netherlands
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9747 AGThe Netherlands
| | - Ido Pen
- Theoretical Research in Evolutionary Life Sciences, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life SciencesUniversity of GroningenGroningen9747 AGThe Netherlands
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8
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García-Ruiz I, Taborsky M. Group augmentation on trial: helpers in small groups enhance antipredator defence of eggs. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20220170. [PMID: 36196551 PMCID: PMC9533001 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0170] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/06/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Mechanisms selecting for the evolution of cooperative breeding are hotly debated. While kin selection theory has been the central paradigm to explain the seemingly altruistic behaviour of non-reproducing helpers, it is increasingly recognized that direct fitness benefits may be highly relevant. The group augmentation hypothesis proposes that alloparental care may evolve to enhance group size when larger groups yield increased survival and/or reproductive success. However, there is a lack of empirical tests. Here we use the cooperatively breeding cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher, in which group size predicts survival and group stability, to test this hypothesis experimentally by prompting two cooperative tasks: defence against an egg predator and digging out sand from the breeding shelter. We controlled for alternative mechanisms such as kin selection, load lightening and coercion. As predicted by the group augmentation hypothesis, helpers increased defence against an egg predator in small compared with large groups. This difference was only evident in large helpers owing to size-specific task specialization. Furthermore, helpers showed more digging effort in the breeding chamber compared with alternative personal shelters, indicating that digging is an altruistic service to the dominant breeders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Irene García-Ruiz
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, D-78467 Konstanz, Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) Berlin, D-14193 Berlin, Germany
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9
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Cousseau L, Van de Loock D, Apfelbeck B, Githiru M, Matthysen E, Lens L. Kin do not always help: testing multiple hypotheses on nest feeding in a cooperatively breeding bird. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
In cooperatively breeding species, group members may derive multiple benefits from helping to raise other individuals’ offspring, yet not all individuals do so. In this study, we tested predictions from the “kin selection”, “pay-to-stay”, “group augmentation” and “skills” hypotheses, to explain why group members feed nestlings of breeding placid greenbuls (Phyllastrephus placidus). In our study population, about 70% of the breeding pairs were accompanied by subordinates, and in 60% of these cases at least one subordinate helped in provisioning nestlings. In total, 80% of the subordinates were related to one or both breeders. In accordance with the “kin selection” hypothesis, and contrary to the “pay-to-stay” hypothesis, all the helpers were first-order kin of the breeding female (although relatedness to the breeding male did not explain variation in helping) and the presence of helpers was associated with increased survival of the breeding pair. However, the propensity to help varied among group members, as 46% of group members related to the breeding female did not feed nestlings. Younger helpers fed offspring more often than older ones, supporting the “skills” and “group augmentation” hypotheses. However, support for the “group augmentation” hypothesis was mixed since subordinate sex and group size did not explain additional variation in helping propensity and effort. We argue that in addition to indirect and direct benefits, also the costs of helping as well as other types of helping aside from provisioning must be considered to better understand variation in helping behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Cousseau
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University , K. L. Ledeganckstraat, Ghent , Belgium
| | - Dries Van de Loock
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University , K. L. Ledeganckstraat, Ghent , Belgium
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein , Wilrijk , Belgium
- Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya , Nairobi , Kenya
| | - Beate Apfelbeck
- Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya , Nairobi , Kenya
- Evolutionary Zoology Group, Biosciences, University of Salzburg , Hellbrunnerstr., Salzburg , Austria
| | - Mwangi Githiru
- Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya , Nairobi , Kenya
- Wildlife Works , Voi , Kenya
| | - Erik Matthysen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Campus Drie Eiken, Universiteitsplein , Wilrijk , Belgium
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University , K. L. Ledeganckstraat, Ghent , Belgium
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10
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Who to help? Helping decisions in a cooperatively breeding bird with redirected care. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03190-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Cooperative breeding sometimes occurs when adult breeders form groups following natal dispersal and mating. In such cases, individuals typically face a choice of social partner with whom to cooperate. Selecting appropriate social partners is crucial to maximising the fitness payoffs from cooperation, but our understanding of the criteria guiding partner choice is limited. Here, we analyse helping decisions by long-tailed tits (Aegithalos caudatus), which may redirect their care to assist breeders in raising offspring following the failure of their own nests. In this species, helpers prefer to help relatives at nearby nests, but it is unclear whether other criteria that may affect helper fitness also influence helping decisions. When choosing among broods of equivalent kinship, we found that helpers did not prefer those broods that offered the greatest indirect fitness returns. Further analyses revealed that helpers did not choose nests on the basis of brood size or age, but were more likely to help broods that were closer to their own failed nests and that were already being cared for by other helpers. Both effects likely reflect the limited choice available to helpers: although individuals breed close to relatives within kin neighbourhoods, a high rate of nest predation constrains helpers’ choice of broods. In other species where cooperatively breeding groups form after natal dispersal, a greater range of options may be available and here detailed analysis of group formation will be helpful for determining the decision rules that underpin partner choice and permit stable cooperation in the face of alternative options.
Significance statement
Cooperative breeding occurs most frequently when offspring delay dispersal from their natal site and help to care for their younger siblings. In some species, however, individuals first disperse and then come together as adults to cooperate in rearing young. In the latter case, multiple social partners may be available — what then determines which partner is helped? We studied partner choice in long-tailed tits, which may help to feed other broods if their own brood fails. When multiple related broods were available, individuals were more likely to help those close by but showed no preference for broods offering the greatest indirect fitness returns. One explanation for this result is that helping options for most individuals are limited by high levels of nest predation, favouring a simpler decision-making process based on identifying close relatives breeding in close proximity.
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11
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Social rank and species-specific differences influence cooperation and conflict in anemonefish societies. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.02.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
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12
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Li Z, Da X, Lu X. Complementary interactions between indirect and direct fitness in a cooperatively breeding bird. Curr Zool 2022; 69:76-81. [PMID: 36974150 PMCID: PMC10039178 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoac024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Altruism is difficult to explain evolutionarily and to understand it, there is a need to quantify the benefits and costs to altruists. Hamilton's theory of kin selection argues that altruism can persist if the costs to altruists are offset by indirect fitness payoffs from helping related recipients. Nevertheless, helping non-kin is also common and in such situations the costs must be compensated for by direct benefits. While previous researchers tended to evaluate the indirect and direct fitness in isolation, we expect that they have a complementary interaction where altruists are associated with recipients of different relatedness within a population. The prediction is tested with 12 years of data on lifetime reproductive success for a cooperatively breeding bird, Tibetan ground tits Pseudopodoces humilis. Helpers who helped distantly related recipients gained significantly lower indirect benefits than those who helped closely related recipients, but the opposite was true for direct fitness, thereby making these helpers have an equal inclusive fitness. Helping efforts were independent of helpers' relatedness to recipients, but those helping distantly related recipients were more likely to inherit the resident territory, which could be responsible for their high direct reproductive success. Our findings provide an explanatory model for the widespread coexistence of altruists and recipients with varying relatedness within a single population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhibing Li
- Institute for Advanced Studies,Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xinwei Da
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Xin Lu
- Institute for Advanced Studies,Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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13
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Allonursing in Wild and Farm Animals: Biological and Physiological Foundations and Explanatory Hypotheses. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11113092. [PMID: 34827824 PMCID: PMC8614478 DOI: 10.3390/ani11113092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/14/2021] [Revised: 10/23/2021] [Accepted: 10/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/28/2022] Open
Abstract
The dams of gregarious animals must develop a close bond with their newborns to provide them with maternal care, including protection against predators, immunological transference, and nutrition. Even though lactation demands high energy expenditures, behaviors known as allonursing (the nursing of non-descendant infants) and allosuckling (suckling from any female other than the mother) have been reported in various species of wild or domestic, and terrestrial or aquatic animals. These behaviors seem to be elements of a multifactorial strategy, since reports suggest that they depend on the following: species, living conditions, social stability, and kinship relations, among other group factors. Despite their potential benefits, allonursing and allosuckling can place the health and welfare of both non-filial dams and alien offspring at risk, as it augments the probability of pathogen transmission. This review aims to analyze the biological and physiological foundations and bioenergetic costs of these behaviors, analyzing the individual and collective advantages and disadvantages for the dams' own offspring(s) and alien neonate(s). We also include information on the animal species in which these behaviors occur and their implications on animal welfare.
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14
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Busana M, Childs DZ, Burke TA, Komdeur J, Richardson DS, Dugdale HL. Population level consequences of facultatively cooperative behaviour in a stochastic environment. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:224-240. [PMID: 34704272 PMCID: PMC9299144 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13618] [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: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The social environment in which individuals live affects their fitness and in turn population dynamics as a whole. Birds with facultative cooperative breeding can live in social groups with dominants, subordinate helpers that assist with the breeding of others, and subordinate non-helpers. Helping behaviour benefits dominants through increased reproductive rates and reduced extrinsic mortality, such that cooperative breeding might have evolved in response to unpredictable, harsh conditions affecting reproduction and/or survival of the dominants. Additionally, there may be different costs and benefits to both helpers and non-helpers, depending on the time-scale. For example, early-life costs might be compensated by later-life benefits. These differential effects are rarely analysed in the same study. We examined whether helping behaviour affects population persistence in a stochastic environment and whether there are direct fitness consequences of different life-history tactics adopted by helpers and non-helpers. We parameterised a matrix population model describing the population dynamics of female Seychelles warblers Acrocephalus sechellensis, birds that display facultative cooperative breeding. The stochastic density-dependent model is defined by a (st)age structure that includes life-history differences between helpers and non-helpers and thus can estimate the demographic mechanisms of direct benefits of helping behaviour. We found that population dynamics are strongly influenced by stochastic variation in the reproductive rates of the dominants, that helping behaviour promotes population persistence and that there are only early-life differences in the direct fitness of helpers and non-helpers. Through a matrix population model, we captured multiple demographic rates simultaneously and analysed their relative importance in determining population dynamics of these cooperative breeders. Disentangling early-life versus lifetime effects of individual tactics sheds new light on the costs and benefits of helping behaviour. For example, the finding that helpers and non-helpers have similar lifetime reproductive outputs and that differences in reproductive values between the two life-history tactics arise only in early life suggests that overall, helpers and non-helpers have a similar balance of costs and benefits when analysing direct benefits. We recommend analysing the consequence of different life-history tactics, during both early life and over the lifetime, as analyses of these different time frames may produce conflicting results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Busana
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dylan Z Childs
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Terrence A Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East-Anglia, Norfolk, UK.,Nature Seychelles, Mahè, Republic of Seychelles
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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15
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Josi D, Heg D, Takeyama T, Bonfils D, Konovalov DA, Frommen JG, Kohda M, Taborsky M. Age- and sex-dependent variation in relatedness corresponds to reproductive skew, territory inheritance, and workload in cooperatively breeding cichlids. Evolution 2021; 75:2881-2897. [PMID: 34555177 PMCID: PMC9298395 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14348] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2021] [Accepted: 08/18/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Kin selection plays a major role in the evolution of cooperative systems. However, many social species exhibit complex within-group relatedness structures, where kin selection alone cannot explain the occurrence of cooperative behavior. Understanding such social structures is crucial to elucidate the evolution and maintenance of multi-layered cooperative societies. In lamprologine cichlids, intragroup relatedness seems to correlate positively with reproductive skew, suggesting that in this clade dominants tend to provide reproductive concessions to unrelated subordinates to secure their participation in brood care. We investigate how patterns of within-group relatedness covary with direct and indirect fitness benefits of cooperation in a highly social vertebrate, the cooperatively breeding, polygynous lamprologine cichlid Neolamprologus savoryi. Behavioral and genetic data from 43 groups containing 578 individuals show that groups are socially and genetically structured into subgroups. About 17% of group members were unrelated immigrants, and average relatedness between breeders and brood care helpers declined with helper age due to group membership dynamics. Hence the relative importance of direct and indirect fitness benefits of cooperation depends on helper age. Our findings highlight how both direct and indirect fitness benefits of cooperation and group membership can select for cooperative behavior in societies comprising complex social and relatedness structures.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dario Josi
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland.,Conservation, Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Research Group, Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Dik Heg
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland.,CTU Bern, University of Bern, Bern, Switzerland
| | - Tomohiro Takeyama
- Department of Biosphere-Geosphere Science, Okayama University of Science, Okayama, Japan.,Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Danielle Bonfils
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Dmitry A Konovalov
- College of Science and Engineering, James Cook University, Townsville, Australia
| | - Joachim G Frommen
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland.,Conservation, Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Research Group, Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural Sciences, Manchester Metropolitan University, Manchester, UK
| | - Masanori Kohda
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of Science, Osaka City University, Osaka, Japan
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
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16
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Riehl C. Evolutionary origins of cooperative and communal breeding: Lessons from the crotophagine cuckoos. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Christina Riehl
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton NJ USA
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17
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald G. Carter
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University Columbus OH USA
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18
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
| | - Long Ma
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences (GELIFES) University of Groningen Groningen The Netherlands
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19
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Teunissen N, Kingma SA, Fan M, Roast MJ, Peters A. Context-dependent social benefits drive cooperative predator defense in a bird. Curr Biol 2021; 31:4120-4126.e4. [PMID: 34302740 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.06.070] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/13/2021] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the major evolutionary transition from solitary individuals to complex societies is hampered by incomplete insight into the drivers of living in cooperative groups.1-3 This may be because the benefits of sociality can derive from group living itself (e.g., dilution of predation risk),4,5 or depend on social context (e.g., kin or potential mates represent beneficial group members).6-8 Cooperative breeders, where non-breeding subordinates assist breeders, have provided important insights into the drivers of cooperation, but comprehensive assessment of diverse potential benefits has been hindered by a prevailing focus on benefits deriving from raising offspring.9-11 We propose a novel paradigm to tease apart different benefits by comparing cooperative responses to predators threatening dependent young and adult group members according to their value for the responding individual. Applying this approach in purple-crowned fairy-wrens, Malurus coronatus, we show that non-breeding subordinates are more responsive to nest predators-a threat to offspring-when their probability of inheriting a breeding position is greater-irrespective of group size, relatedness to offspring, or opportunity to showcase individual quality to potential mates. This suggests that offspring defense is modulated according to the benefits of raising future helpers. Conversely, when predators pose a threat to adults, responsiveness depends on social context: subordinates respond more often when kin or potential mates are under threat, or when group members are associated with mutualistic social bonds, indirect genetic benefits, and future reproductive benefits.9,12,13 Our results demonstrate that direct and kin-selected benefits of sociality are context dependent, and highlight the importance of predation risk in driving complex sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Teunissen
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia.
| | - Sjouke A Kingma
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen 6708 WD, the Netherlands
| | - Marie Fan
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Michael J Roast
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, VIC 3800, Australia
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20
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Cusick JA, Wellman CL, Demas GE. The call of the wild: using non-model systems to investigate microbiome-behaviour relationships. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:jeb224485. [PMID: 33988717 PMCID: PMC8180253 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.224485] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
On and within most sites across an animal's body live complex communities of microorganisms. These microorganisms perform a variety of important functions for their hosts, including communicating with the brain, immune system and endocrine axes to mediate physiological processes and affect individual behaviour. Microbiome research has primarily focused on the functions of the microbiome within the gastrointestinal tract (gut microbiome) using biomedically relevant laboratory species (i.e. model organisms). These studies have identified important connections between the gut microbiome and host immune, neuroendocrine and nervous systems, as well as how these connections, in turn, influence host behaviour and health. Recently, the field has expanded beyond traditional model systems as it has become apparent that the microbiome can drive differences in behaviour and diet, play a fundamental role in host fitness and influence community-scale dynamics in wild populations. In this Review, we highlight the value of conducting hypothesis-driven research in non-model organisms and the benefits of a comparative approach that assesses patterns across different species or taxa. Using social behaviour as an intellectual framework, we review the bidirectional relationship between the gut microbiome and host behaviour, and identify understudied mechanisms by which these effects may be mediated.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jessica A. Cusick
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Biology Building 142, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Animal Behavior Program, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Cara L. Wellman
- Animal Behavior Program, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Department of Psychological and Brain Sciences, Indiana University, 1101 E. 10th Street, Bloomington, IN 47405-7007, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Psychology Building, 1101 E 10th Street Bloomington, IN 47405-2204, USA
| | - Gregory E. Demas
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Biology Building 142, 1001 East Third Street, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Animal Behavior Program, Indiana University, 409 N. Park Avenue, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
- Program in Neuroscience, Indiana University, Psychology Building, 1101 E 10th Street Bloomington, IN 47405-2204, USA
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21
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Downing PA, Griffin AS, Cornwallis CK. Hard-working helpers contribute to long breeder lifespans in cooperative birds. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190742. [PMID: 33678023 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0742] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In many species that raise young in cooperative groups, breeders live an exceptionally long time despite high investment in offspring production. How is this possible given the expected trade-off between survival and reproduction? One possibility is that breeders extend their lifespans by outsourcing parental care to non-reproductive group members. Having help lightens breeder workloads and the energy that is saved can be allocated to survival instead. We tested this hypothesis using phylogenetic meta-analysis across 23 cooperatively breeding bird species. We found that breeders with helpers had higher rates of annual survival than those without helpers (8% on average). Increased breeder survival was correlated with reduced investment in feeding offspring, which in turn depended on the proportion of feeding provided by helpers. Helpers had similar effects on female and male breeder survival. Our results indicate that one of the secrets to a long life is reduced investment in parental care. This appears to be a unique feature of cooperative societies with hard-working helpers. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?'
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22
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Kappeler PM. Parental Care. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/978-3-030-82879-0_11] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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23
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Ridley AR, Wiley EM, Bourne AR, Cunningham SJ, Nelson-Flower MJ. Understanding the potential impact of climate change on the behavior and demography of social species: The pied babbler (Turdoides bicolor) as a case study. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2021.03.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
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24
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Horn L, Bugnyar T, Griesser M, Hengl M, Izawa EI, Oortwijn T, Rössler C, Scheer C, Schiestl M, Suyama M, Taylor AH, Vanhooland LC, von Bayern AMP, Zürcher Y, Massen JJM. Sex-specific effects of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting on prosociality in corvids. eLife 2020; 9:e58139. [PMID: 33079060 PMCID: PMC7609055 DOI: 10.7554/elife.58139] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2020] [Accepted: 10/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/27/2022] Open
Abstract
The investigation of prosocial behavior is of particular interest from an evolutionary perspective. Comparisons of prosociality across non-human animal species have, however, so far largely focused on primates, and their interpretation is hampered by the diversity of paradigms and procedures used. Here, we present the first systematic comparison of prosocial behavior across multiple species in a taxonomic group outside the primate order, namely the bird family Corvidae. We measured prosociality in eight corvid species, which vary in the expression of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting. We show that cooperative breeding is positively associated with prosocial behavior across species. Also, colonial nesting is associated with a stronger propensity for prosocial behavior, but only in males. The combined results of our study strongly suggest that both cooperative breeding and colonial nesting, which may both rely on heightened social tolerance at the nest, are likely evolutionary pathways to prosocial behavior in corvids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa Horn
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Michael Griesser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Department of Biology, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
| | - Marietta Hengl
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Eulen- und Greifvogelstation HaringseeHaringseeAustria
| | | | - Tim Oortwijn
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Christiane Rössler
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Clara Scheer
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Faculty of Psychology, Education and Sports, University of RegensburgRegensburgGermany
| | - Martina Schiestl
- Department of Linguistic and Cultural Evolution, Max Planck Institute for the Science of Human HistoryJenaGermany
| | - Masaki Suyama
- Department of Behavioral Sciences, Hokkaido UniversitySapporoJapan
| | - Alex H Taylor
- School of Psychology, University of AucklandAucklandNew Zealand
| | | | | | - Yvonne Zürcher
- Department of Anthropology, University of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jorg JM Massen
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of ViennaViennaAustria
- Animal Ecology Group, Department of Biology, Utrecht UniversityUtrechtNetherlands
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25
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Naef J, Taborsky M. Punishment controls helper defence against egg predators but not fish predators in cooperatively breeding cichlids. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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26
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Nest defence and offspring provisioning in a cooperative bird: individual subordinates vary in total contribution, but no division of tasks among breeders and subordinates. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02877-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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27
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Teunissen N, Kingma SA, Peters A. Predator defense is shaped by risk, brood value and social group benefits in a cooperative breeder. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
AbstractPredation is a major cause of mortality and nest failure in birds. Cooperative predator defense can enhance nest success and adult survival but, because it is inherently risky, dynamic risk assessment theory predicts that individuals modify defense behavior according to the risk posed by the predator. Parental investment theory, on the other hand, predicts that reproductive payoffs (brood value) determine investment in nest defense. We propose that, in cooperative breeders, fitness benefits deriving from the survival of other group members may additionally influence defense behavior (social group benefits theory). We tested predictions of these theories in the cooperatively breeding purple-crowned fairy-wren, Malurus coronatus, where brood value is higher for breeders, but social group benefits more important for helpers. We recorded experimentally induced individual defense behaviors in response to predator models presented near nests, representing differing levels of threat to nests and adults. As predicted, 1) individuals engaged in less risky defenses when encountering a more dangerous predator (dynamic risk assessment theory); 2) individuals defended older broods more often, and breeders defended more than helpers (parental investment theory); and 3) helpers were more likely to respond to a predator of adults (social group benefits theory). Our findings highlight that predator defense in cooperative breeders is complex, shaped by the combination of immediate risk and multiple benefits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Niki Teunissen
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sjouke A Kingma
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Schlossallee, Radolfzell, Germany
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28
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Josi D, Taborsky M, Frommen JG. Investment of group members is contingent on helper number and the presence of young in a cooperative breeder. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.11.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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29
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Pike KN, Ashton BJ, Morgan KV, Ridley AR. Social and Individual Factors Influence Variation in Offspring Care in the Cooperatively Breeding Western Australian Magpie. Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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30
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Almond EJ, Huggins TJ, Crowther LP, Parker JD, Bourke AFG. Queen Longevity and Fecundity Affect Conflict with Workers over Resource Inheritance in a Social Insect. Am Nat 2018; 193:256-266. [PMID: 30720369 DOI: 10.1086/701299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Resource inheritance is a major source of conflict in animal societies. However, the assumptions and predictions of models of conflict over resource inheritance have not been systematically tested within a single system. We developed an inclusive fitness model for annual eusocial Hymenoptera that predicts a zone of conflict in which future reproductive workers are selected to enforce nest inheritance before the queen is selected to cede the nest. We experimentally tested key elements of this model in the bumblebee Bombus terrestris. In colonies from which queens were sequentially removed, queen tenure was significantly negatively associated with worker male production, confirming that workers gain direct fitness by usurping the queen. In unmanipulated colonies, queen fecundity decreased significantly over the latter part of the colony cycle, confirming that workers' indirect fitness from maintaining queens declines over time. Finally, in an experiment simulating loss of queen fecundity by removal of queens' eggs, worker-to-queen aggression increased significantly and aggressive workers were significantly more likely to become egg layers, consistent with workers monitoring queen fecundity to assess the net benefit of future reproduction. Overall, by upholding key assumptions and predictions of the model, our results provide novel empirical support for kin-selected conflict over resource inheritance.
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31
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Teunissen N, Kingma SA, Hall ML, Hidalgo Aranzamendi N, Komdeur J, Peters A. More than kin: subordinates foster strong bonds with relatives and potential mates in a social bird. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Niki Teunissen
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
| | - Sjouke A Kingma
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Michelle L Hall
- School of BioSciences, University of Melbourne, Parkville, Victoria, Australia
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell, Germany
| | | | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural and Physiological Ecology, Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Anne Peters
- School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Clayton, Victoria, Australia
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32
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Downing PA, Griffin AS, Cornwallis CK. Sex differences in helping effort reveal the effect of future reproduction on cooperative behaviour in birds. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:20181164. [PMID: 30135160 PMCID: PMC6125912 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1164] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2018] [Accepted: 07/25/2018] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The evolution of helping behaviour in species that breed cooperatively in family groups is typically attributed to kin selection alone. However, in many species, helpers go on to inherit breeding positions in their natal groups, but the extent to which this contributes to selection for helping is unclear as the future reproductive success of helpers is often unknown. To quantify the role of future reproduction in the evolution of helping, we compared the helping effort of female and male retained offspring across cooperative birds. The kin selected benefits of helping are equivalent between female and male helpers-they are equally related to the younger siblings they help raise-but the future reproductive benefits of helping differ because of sex differences in the likelihood of breeding in the natal group. We found that the sex which is more likely to breed in its natal group invests more in helping, suggesting that in addition to kin selection, helping in family groups is shaped by future reproduction.
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33
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Hohwieler K, Rosell F, Mayer M. Scent-marking behavior by subordinate Eurasian beavers. Ethology 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12762] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Katrin Hohwieler
- Department of Integrative Biology; Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game Management; University of Natural Resources and Life Sciences; Vienna Austria
| | - Frank Rosell
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health; University of Southeast Norway; Bø i Telemark Norway
| | - Martin Mayer
- Department of Natural Sciences and Environmental Health; University of Southeast Norway; Bø i Telemark Norway
- Department of Bioscience; Aarhus University; Kalø Denmark
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