1
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Li Z, Chen S, Wei S, Komdeur J, Lu X. Should sons breed independently or help? Local relatedness matters. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2189-2200. [PMID: 37766488 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14005] [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] [Received: 02/28/2023] [Accepted: 08/30/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023]
Abstract
In cooperatively breeding birds, why do some individuals breed independently but others have to help at home? This question has been rarely addressed despite its fundamental importance for understanding the evolution of social cooperation. We address it using 15 years of data from Tibetan ground tits Pseudopodoces humilis where helpers consist of younger males. Since whether younger males successfully breed depends critically on their chances to occupy territories nearby home, our analytic strategy is to identify the determinants of individual differences in gaining territory ownership among these ready-to-breed males. Across widowed, last-year helper and yearling males, an age advantage was evident in inheriting resident territories, occupying adjacent vacancies and budding off part of adjacent territories, which left some last-year helpers and most yearling males to take the latter two routes. These males were more likely to acquire a territory if they were genetically related to the previous or current territory owners; otherwise they remained on natal territories as helpers. The relatedness effect can arise from the prior residence advantage established in the preceding winter when younger males followed their parents to perform kin-directed off-territory forays. Our research highlights the key role of local kinship in determining younger males' territory acquisition and thus their fate in terms of independent reproduction versus help. This finding provides insight into the formation of kin-based, facultative cooperative societies prevailing among vertebrates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Zhibing Li
- Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
| | - Shicheng Chen
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Sai Wei
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Xin Lu
- Institute for Advanced Studies, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Henan Normal University, Xinxiang, China
- Department of Ecology, College of Life Sciences, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China
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2
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Suh YH, Bowman R, Fitzpatrick JW. Staging to join non-kin groups in a classical cooperative breeder, the Florida scrub-jay. J Anim Ecol 2022; 91:970-982. [PMID: 35085401 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/12/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
1. Why unrelated members form groups in animal societies remains a pertinent topic in evolutionary biology because benefits for group members often are not obvious. We studied subordinates that disperse to join unrelated social groups in the Florida scrub-jay Aphelocoma coerulescens, a cooperative breeding species mainly composed of kin-based groups. 2. We evaluated potential adaptive benefits of dispersing to become an unrelated helper (staging) versus remaining home and dispersing only to pair and breed (direct dispersal) to understand why non-kin-based groups form. 3. Using 35 years of demographic data, we quantified life history aspects of staging individuals and tested associations between social and ecological factors on the natal and staging territories. We compared fitness outcomes between dispersal strategies by analyzing survival, breeding recruitment, and direct reproductive output. We tested for sexual asymmetry potentially driven by differences in territory acquisition patterns and female-biased dispersal for this species. 4. Of birds that reached one-year-old, 28% staged at a non-natal territory before breeding or disappearing. Staging dispersers departed at younger ages and moved greater distances than direct dispersers. When looking at proximate factors on the natal territory associated with staging, males left groups with many same-sex helpers, while females often left when their father disappeared. For both sexes, staging individuals more likely came from high-quality territories and joined groups with fewer same-sex helpers than in their natal group. While staging and direct dispersers did not differ in survival or likelihood of becoming a breeder, staging males became breeders later and had lower lifetime reproductive success than direct dispersers. 5. In Florida scrub-jays, staging appears to be an alternative strategy for female helpers, but a best-of-a-bad-situation for males. This sexual asymmetry is consistent with males having more options than females to achieve higher reproductive success by breeding near home. Tradeoffs in cost-benefits of departing the natal territory and joining unrelated groups as a helper seem to best explain alternative dispersal patterns, with optimal social queues primarily driving the benefits. This research highlights plasticity in dispersal behavior in response to social and environmental conditions and offers a new perspective in our understanding of non-kin-based social groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Young Ha Suh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, 14853.,Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, 14850
| | - Reed Bowman
- Avian Ecology Program, Archbold Biological Station, Venus, 33960
| | - John W Fitzpatrick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Cornell University, Ithaca, 14853.,Cornell Lab of Ornithology, Ithaca, 14850
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3
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4
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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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5
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Cousseau L, Hammers M, Van de Loock D, Apfelbeck B, Githiru M, Matthysen E, Lens L. Habitat fragmentation shapes natal dispersal and sociality in an Afrotropical cooperative breeder. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20202428. [PMID: 33323076 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2428] [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] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
It remains poorly understood how effects of anthropogenic activity, such as large-scale habitat fragmentation, impact sociality in animals. In cooperatively breeding species, groups are mostly formed through delayed offspring dispersal, and habitat fragmentation can affect this process in two opposite directions. Increased habitat isolation may increase dispersal costs, promoting delayed dispersal. Alternatively, reduced patch size and quality may decrease benefits of philopatry, promoting dispersal. Here, we test both predictions in a cooperatively breeding bird (placid greenbul, Phyllastrephus placidus) from an Afrotropical cloud forest archipelago. Males born in fragmented forest dispersed about 1 year earlier than those born in continuous forest. Contrary to females, males also started to reproduce earlier and mostly settled within their natal patch. Females only rarely delayed their dispersal for more than 1 year, both in fragmented and continuous forests. Our results suggest that early male dispersal and reproduction is jointly driven by a decrease in the value of the natal territory and an increase in local breeding opportunities in fragmented forest. While plasticity in dispersal strategies of cooperative breeders in response to anthropogenic change is believed to optimize reproduction-survival trade-offs, to what extent it shapes the ability of species to respond to rapid environmental change remains to be studied.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laurence Cousseau
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
| | - Martijn Hammers
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, PO Box 11103, 9700 CC Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dries Van de Loock
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium.,Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium.,Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Beate Apfelbeck
- Evolutionary Zoology Group, Department of Biosciences, University of Salzburg, Hellbrunner Strasse 34, 5020, Salzburg, Austria.,Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Mwangi Githiru
- Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya.,Wildlife Works, PO Box 310-80300, Voi, Kenya
| | - Erik Matthysen
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Luc Lens
- Terrestrial Ecology Unit, Ghent University, K. L. Ledeganckstraat 35, 9000 Ghent, Belgium
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6
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Garcés-Restrepo MF, Peery MZ, Pauli JN. The demography of a resource specialist in the tropics: Cecropia trees and the fitness of three-toed sloths. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 286:20182206. [PMID: 30963880 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.2206] [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] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Resource specialists persist in a narrow range of resources. Consequently, the abundance of key resources should drive vital rates, individual fitness, and population viability. While Neotropical forests feature both high levels of biodiversity and numbers of specialist species, no studies have directly evaluated how the variation of key resources affects the fitness of a tropical specialist. Here, we quantified the effect of key tree species density and forest cover on the fitness of three-toed sloths ( Bradypus variegatus), an arboreal folivore strongly associated with Cecropia trees in Costa Rica, using a multi-year demographic, genetic, and space-use dataset. We found that the density of Cecropia trees was strongly and positively related to both adult survival and reproductive output. A matrix model parametrized with Cecropia-demography relationships suggested positive growth of sloth populations, even at low densities of Cecropia (0.7 trees ha-1). Our study shows the first direct link between the density of a key resource to demographic consequences of a tropical specialist, underscoring the sensitivity of tropical specialists to the loss of a single key resource, but also point to targeted conservation measures to increase that resource. Finally, our study reveals that previously disturbed and regenerating environments can support viable populations of tropical specialists.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mario F Garcés-Restrepo
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison , 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 , USA
| | - M Zachariah Peery
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison , 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 , USA
| | - Jonathan N Pauli
- Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison , 1630 Linden Drive, Madison, WI 53706 , USA
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7
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Fattebert J, Perrig M, Naef-Daenzer B, Grüebler MU. Experimentally disentangling intrinsic and extrinsic drivers of natal dispersal in a nocturnal raptor. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 286:20191537. [PMID: 31480971 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2019.1537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Equivocal knowledge of the phase-specific drivers of natal dispersal remains a major deficit in understanding causes and consequences of dispersal and thus, spatial dynamics within and between populations. We performed a field experiment combining partial cross-fostering of nestlings and nestling food supplementation in little owls (Athene noctua). This approach disentangled the effect of nestling origin from the effect of the rearing environment on dispersal behaviour, while simultaneously investigating the effect of food availability in the rearing environment. We radio-tracked fledglings to quantify the timing of pre-emigration forays and emigration, foray and transfer duration, and the dispersal distances. Dispersal characteristics of the pre-emigration phase were affected by the rearing environment rather than by the origin of nestlings. In food-poor habitats, supplemented individuals emigrated later than unsupplemented individuals. By contrast, transfer duration and distance were influenced by the birds' origin rather than by their rearing environment. We found no correlation between timing of emigration and transfer duration or distance. We conclude that food supply to the nestlings and other characteristics of the rearing environment modulate the timing of emigration, while innate traits associated with the nestling origin affect the transfer phases after emigration. The dispersal behaviours of juveniles prior and after emigration, therefore, were related to different determinants, and are suggested to form different life-history traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Fattebert
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, CH-6204 Sempach, Switzerland.,Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences, University of KwaZulu-Natal, Durban 4000, South Africa
| | - Marco Perrig
- Swiss Ornithological Institute, CH-6204 Sempach, Switzerland
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8
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Kramer J, Meunier J. The other facets of family life and their role in the evolution of animal sociality. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2019; 94:199-215. [PMID: 29989333 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/19/2017] [Revised: 06/12/2018] [Accepted: 06/15/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Family life forms an integral part of the life history of species across the animal kingdom and plays a crucial role in the evolution of animal sociality. Our current understanding of family life, however, is almost exclusively based on studies that (i) focus on parental care and associated family interactions (such as those arising from sibling rivalry and parent-offspring conflict), and (ii) investigate these phenomena in the advanced family systems of mammals, birds, and eusocial insects. Here, we argue that these historical biases have fostered the neglect of key processes shaping social life in ancestral family systems, and thus profoundly hamper our understanding of the (early) evolution of family life. Based on a comprehensive survey of the literature, we first illustrate that the strong focus on parental care in advanced social systems has deflected scrutiny of other important social processes such as sibling cooperation, parent-offspring competition and offspring assistance. We then show that accounting for these neglected processes - and their changing role over time - could profoundly alter our understanding of the origin and subsequent evolution of family life. Finally, we outline how this 'diachronic' perspective on the evolution of family living provides novel insights into general processes driving the evolution of animal sociality. Overall, we infer that the explicit consideration of thus-far neglected facets of family life, together with their study across the whole diversity of family systems, are crucial to advance our understanding of the processes that shape the evolution of social life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jos Kramer
- Department of Plant and Microbial Biology (IPMB), University of Zürich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Joël Meunier
- Institut de Recherche sur la Biologie de l'Insecte (IRBI), UMR 726, CNRS, Université de Tours, Avenue Monge, 37200 Tours, France
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9
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Cayuela H, Schmidt BR, Weinbach A, Besnard A, Joly P. Multiple density-dependent processes shape the dynamics of a spatially structured amphibian population. J Anim Ecol 2018; 88:164-177. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/14/2018] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Cayuela
- UMR 5023 LEHNA; Université de Lyon, Lyon1, CNRS, ENTPE; Villeurbanne France
- CNRS, PSL Research University, EPHE, UM, SupAgro, IRD, INRA, UMR 5175 CEFE; Montpellier France
| | - Benedikt R. Schmidt
- Info Fauna Karch, UniMail; Neuchâtel Switzerland
- Institut für Evolutionsbiologie und Umweltwissenschaften; Universität Zürich; Zürich Switzerland
| | - Avril Weinbach
- UMR 5023 LEHNA; Université de Lyon, Lyon1, CNRS, ENTPE; Villeurbanne France
| | - Aurélien Besnard
- CNRS, PSL Research University, EPHE, UM, SupAgro, IRD, INRA, UMR 5175 CEFE; Montpellier France
| | - Pierre Joly
- UMR 5023 LEHNA; Université de Lyon, Lyon1, CNRS, ENTPE; Villeurbanne France
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10
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Cayuela H, Pradel R, Joly P, Bonnaire E, Besnard A. Estimating dispersal in spatiotemporally variable environments using multievent capture-recapture modeling. Ecology 2018; 99:1150-1163. [PMID: 29460431 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.2195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/26/2017] [Revised: 12/03/2017] [Accepted: 01/16/2018] [Indexed: 11/05/2022]
Abstract
Dispersal is a key process in ecological and evolutionary dynamics. Spatiotemporal variation in habitat availability and characteristics has been suggested to be one of the main cause involved in dispersal evolution and has a strong influence on metapopulation dynamics. In recent decades, the study of dispersal has led to the development of capture-recapture (CR) models that allow movement between sites to be quantified, while handling imperfect detection. For studies involving numerous recapture sites, Lagrange et al. () proposed a multievent CR model that allows dispersal to be estimated while omitting site identity by distinguishing between individuals that stay and individuals that move. More recently, Cayuela et al. () extended this model to allow survival and dispersal probabilities to differ for the different types of habitat represented by several sites within a study area. Yet in both of these modeling systems, the state of sites is assumed to be static over time, which is not a realistic assumption in dynamic landscapes. For that purpose, we generalized the multievent CR model proposed by Cayuela et al. () to allow the estimation of dispersal, survival and recapture probabilities when a site may appear or disappear over time (MODEL 1) or when the characteristics of a site fluctuate over space and time (MODEL 2). This paper first presents these two new modeling systems, and then provides an illustration of their efficacy and usefulness by applying them to simulated CR data and data collected on two metapopulations of amphibians. MODEL 1 was tested using CR data recorded on a metapopulation of yellow-bellied toads (Bombina variegata). In this first empirical case, we examined whether the drying-out dynamics of ponds and the past dispersal status of an individual might affect dispersal behavior. Our study revealed that the probability of facultative dispersal (i.e., from a pond group that remained available/flooded) fluctuated between years and was higher in individuals that had previously dispersed. MODEL 2 was tested using CR data collected on a metapopulation of great crested newts (Triturus cristatus). In this second empirical example, we investigated whether the density of alpine newts (Ichthyosaura alpestris), a potential competitor, might affect the dispersal and survival of the crested newt. Our study revealed that the departure rate was lower in ponds with a high density of heterospecifics than in ponds with a low density of heterospecifics at both inter-annual and intra-annual scales. Moreover, annual survival was slightly higher in ponds with a high density of heterospecifics. Overall, our findings indicate that these multievent CR models provide a highly flexible means of modeling dispersal in dynamic landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hugo Cayuela
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, UMR 5023 LEHNA, Villeurbanne, 69100, France.,EPHE, UM, SupAgro, IRD, INRA, UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS, PSL Research University, Montpellier, F-34293, France
| | - Roger Pradel
- EPHE, UM, SupAgro, IRD, INRA, UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS, PSL Research University, Montpellier, F-34293, France
| | - Pierre Joly
- Laboratoire d'Ecologie des Hydrosystèmes Naturels et Anthropisés, UMR 5023 LEHNA, Villeurbanne, 69100, France
| | - Eric Bonnaire
- Office National des Forêts, Agence de Verdun, Verdun, 55100, France
| | - Aurélien Besnard
- EPHE, UM, SupAgro, IRD, INRA, UMR 5175 CEFE, CNRS, PSL Research University, Montpellier, F-34293, France
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11
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Shen SF, Emlen ST, Koenig WD, Rubenstein DR. The ecology of cooperative breeding behaviour. Ecol Lett 2017; 20:708-720. [PMID: 28480586 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 91] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2017] [Revised: 03/10/2017] [Accepted: 03/28/2017] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
Ecology is a fundamental driving force for the evolutionary transition from solitary living to breeding cooperatively in groups. However, the fact that both benign and harsh, as well as stable and fluctuating, environments can favour the evolution of cooperative breeding behaviour constitutes a paradox of environmental quality and sociality. Here, we propose a new model - the dual benefits framework - for resolving this paradox. Our framework distinguishes between two categories of grouping benefits - resource defence benefits that derive from group-defended critical resources and collective action benefits that result from social cooperation among group members - and uses insider-outsider conflict theory to simultaneously consider the interests of current group members (insiders) and potential joiners (outsiders) in determining optimal group size. We argue that the different grouping benefits realised from resource defence and collective action profoundly affect insider-outsider conflict resolution, resulting in predictable differences in the per capita productivity, stable group size, kin structure and stability of the social group. We also suggest that different types of environmental variation (spatial vs. temporal) select for societies that form because of the different grouping benefits, thus helping to resolve the paradox of why cooperative breeding evolves in such different types of environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sheng-Feng Shen
- Biodiversity Research Center, Academia Sinica, Taipei, 115, Taiwan
| | - Stephen T Emlen
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA
| | - Walter D Koenig
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14853, USA.,Lab of Ornithology, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, 14850, USA
| | - Dustin R Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA.,Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY, 10027, USA
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12
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Halliwell B, Uller T, Chapple DG, Gardner MG, Wapstra E, While GM. Habitat saturation promotes delayed dispersal in a social reptile. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw181] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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13
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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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14
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Marshall HH, Sanderson JL, Mwanghuya F, Businge R, Kyabulima S, Hares MC, Inzani E, Kalema-Zikusoka G, Mwesige K, Thompson FJ, Vitikainen EIK, Cant MA. Variable ecological conditions promote male helping by changing banded mongoose group composition. Behav Ecol 2016; 27:978-987. [PMID: 27418750 PMCID: PMC4943108 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/06/2015] [Revised: 12/21/2015] [Accepted: 12/28/2015] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Ecological conditions are expected to have an important influence on individuals' investment in cooperative care. However, the nature of their effects is unclear: both favorable and unfavorable conditions have been found to promote helping behavior. Recent studies provide a possible explanation for these conflicting results by suggesting that increased ecological variability, rather than changes in mean conditions, promote cooperative care. However, no study has tested whether increased ecological variability promotes individual-level helping behavior or the mechanisms involved. We test this hypothesis in a long-term study population of the cooperatively breeding banded mongoose, Mungos mungo, using 14 years of behavioral and meteorological data to explore how the mean and variability of ecological conditions influence individual behavior, body condition, and survival. Female body condition was more sensitive to changes in rainfall leading to poorer female survival and pronounced male-biased group compositions after periods of high rainfall variability. After such periods, older males invested more in helping behavior, potentially because they had fewer mating opportunities. These results provide the first empirical evidence for increased individual helping effort in more variable ecological conditions and suggest this arises because of individual differences in the effect of ecological conditions on body condition and survival, and the knock-on effect on social group composition. Individual differences in sensitivity to environmental variability, and the impacts this has on the internal structure and composition of animal groups, can exert a strong influence on the evolution and maintenance of social behaviors, such as cooperative care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Harry H Marshall
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus , Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE , UK
| | - Jennifer L Sanderson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus , Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE , UK
| | - Francis Mwanghuya
- Banded Mongoose Research Project , Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kasese , Uganda
| | - Robert Businge
- Banded Mongoose Research Project , Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kasese , Uganda
| | - Solomon Kyabulima
- Banded Mongoose Research Project , Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kasese , Uganda
| | - Michelle C Hares
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus , Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE , UK
| | - Emma Inzani
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus , Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE , UK
| | | | - Kenneth Mwesige
- Banded Mongoose Research Project , Queen Elizabeth National Park, Kasese , Uganda
| | - Faye J Thompson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus , Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE , UK
| | - Emma I K Vitikainen
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus , Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE , UK
| | - Michael A Cant
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus , Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE , UK
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15
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Reed P. A transactional analysis of changes in parent and chick behaviour prior to separation of Herring Gulls (Larus Argentatus): A three-term contingency model. Behav Processes 2015; 118:21-7. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2015.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Revised: 05/18/2015] [Accepted: 05/18/2015] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
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16
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Drobniak SM, Wagner G, Mourocq E, Griesser M. Family living: an overlooked but pivotal social system to understand the evolution of cooperative breeding. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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17
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Ondrasek NR, Wade A, Burkhard T, Hsu K, Nguyen T, Post J, Zucker I. Environmental modulation of same-sex affiliative behavior in female meadow voles (Microtus pennsylvanicus). Physiol Behav 2014; 140:118-26. [PMID: 25497080 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2014.12.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Revised: 12/04/2014] [Accepted: 12/08/2014] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
The effects of temperature and food availability on social bonds and group formation are poorly understood. Because seasonal transitions in female social behavior facilitate the assembly of winter groups in meadow voles, we explored the role of same-sex female associations in winter sociality. To examine the effects of winter typical environmental conditions on same-sex female affiliative behavior, paired female meadow voles were housed in varying combinations of day length, temperature, and food availability for 7weeks and then tested for social preference. In short days (SDs), lower ambient temperature increased huddling with unfamiliar females without interfering with existing social bonds, whereas lower temperature disrupted the retention of bonds in long days (LDs). Mild food restriction with no discernible effects on body mass enhanced affiliative behavior in SDs, but not LDs. A second experiment examined the effects of sex and day length on the propensity to aggregate with unfamiliar same-sex voles. Compared to LD females and SD males, SD females spent more time in group huddles with unfamiliar voles and displayed no social preference. These outcomes indicate that winter-like conditions enhance affiliative behavior between females and that pre-existing social bonds do not preclude integration into new winter social groups. The adaptive value of these behaviors is discussed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Naomi R Ondrasek
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Adam Wade
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Tracy Burkhard
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Kacie Hsu
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Tiffany Nguyen
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Jessica Post
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
| | - Irving Zucker
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA; Department of Psychology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA.
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Wilson EA, Sullivan PJ, Dickinson JL. Spatial distribution of oak mistletoe as it relates to habits of oak woodland frugivores. PLoS One 2014; 9:e111947. [PMID: 25389971 PMCID: PMC4229145 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0111947] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/05/2014] [Accepted: 10/07/2014] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
This study addresses the underlying spatial distribution of oak mistletoe, Phoradendron villosum, a hemi-parasitic plant that provides a continuous supply of berries for frugivorous birds overwintering the oak savanna habitat of California's outer coast range. As the winter community of birds consuming oak mistletoe varies from group-living territorial species to birds that roam in flocks, we asked if mistletoe volume was spatially autocorrelated at the scale of persistent territories or whether the patterns predicted by long-term territory use by western bluebirds are overcome by seed dispersal by more mobile bird species. The abundance of mistletoe was mapped on trees within a 700 ha study site in Carmel Valley, California. Spatial autocorrelation of mistletoe volume was analyzed using the variogram method and spatial distribution of oak mistletoe trees was analyzed using Ripley's K and O-ring statistics. On a separate set of 45 trees, mistletoe volume was highly correlated with the volume of female, fruit-bearing plants, indicating that overall mistletoe volume is a good predictor of fruit availability. Variogram analysis showed that mistletoe volume was spatially autocorrelated up to approximately 250 m, a distance consistent with persistent territoriality of western bluebirds and philopatry of sons, which often breed next door to their parents and are more likely to remain home when their parents have abundant mistletoe. Using Ripley's K and O-ring analyses, we showed that mistletoe trees were aggregated for distances up to 558 m, but for distances between 558 to 724 m the O-ring analysis deviated from Ripley's K in showing repulsion rather than aggregation. While trees with mistletoe were aggregated at larger distances, mistletoe was spatially correlated at a smaller distance, consistent with what is expected based on persistent group territoriality of western bluebirds in winter and the extreme philopatry of their sons.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ethan A. Wilson
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14850, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Patrick J. Sullivan
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14850, United States of America
| | - Janis L. Dickinson
- Department of Natural Resources, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, 14850, United States of America
- The Cornell Lab of Ornithology, 159 Sapsucker Woods Road, Ithaca, New York, 14850, United States of America
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Dickinson JL, Ferree ED, Stern CA, Swift R, Zuckerberg B. Delayed dispersal in western bluebirds: teasing apart the importance of resources and parents. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru042] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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21
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22
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Tarwater CE. Influence of phenotypic and social traits on dispersal in a family living, tropical bird. Behav Ecol 2012. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ars108] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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23
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ROLLINS LEEANN, BROWNING LUCYE, HOLLELEY CLAREE, SAVAGE JAMESL, RUSSELL ANDREWF, GRIFFITH SIMONC. Building genetic networks using relatedness information: a novel approach for the estimation of dispersal and characterization of group structure in social animals. Mol Ecol 2012; 21:1727-40. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-294x.2012.05492.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 56] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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24
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Schoepf I, Schradin C. Better off alone! Reproductive competition and ecological constraints determine sociality in the African striped mouse (Rhabdomys pumilio). J Anim Ecol 2012; 81:649-56. [PMID: 22220746 DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2656.2011.01939.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Ivana Schoepf
- Department of Animal Behaviour, Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zurich 8057, Switzerland.
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25
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Abstract
In some species, including humans, parents receive help with offspring care. A new comparative study suggests that birds breed cooperatively when environmental conditions vary. Further empirical and theoretical work will be required to understand the evolutionary significance of this insight.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew Cockburn
- Division of Evolution Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.
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26
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Chiarati E, Canestrari D, Vila M, Vera R, Baglione V. Nepotistic access to food resources in cooperatively breeding carrion crows. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1187-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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27
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Tarwater CE, Brawn JD. Family living in a Neotropical bird: variation in timing of dispersal and higher survival for delayed dispersers. Anim Behav 2010. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.06.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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28
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Bruintjes R, Hekman R, Taborsky M. Experimental global food reduction raises resource acquisition costs of brood care helpers and reduces their helping effort. Funct Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2435.2010.01715.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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29
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Starrfelt J, Kokko H. Parent‐Offspring Conflict and the Evolution of Dispersal Distance. Am Nat 2010; 175:38-49. [DOI: 10.1086/648605] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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Griesser M, Barnaby J, Schneider NA, Figenschau N, Wright J, Griffith SC, Kazem A, Russell AF. Influence of Winter Ranging Behaviour on the Social Organization of a Cooperatively Breeding Bird Species, The Apostlebird. Ethology 2009. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.2009.01678.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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31
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Cooperation and competition: nepotistic tolerance and intrasexual aggression in western bluebird winter groups. Anim Behav 2009. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.11.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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Canestrari D, Chiarati E, Marcos JM, Ekman J, Baglione V. Helpers but not breeders adjust provisioning effort to year-round territory resource availability in carrion crows. Anim Behav 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 27] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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33
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Gunnels CW, Dubrovskiy A, Avalos A. Social interactions as an ecological constraint in a eusocial insect. Anim Behav 2008. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2007.07.022] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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34
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Sachs JL, Rubenstein DR. The evolution of cooperative breeding; is there cheating? Behav Processes 2007; 76:131-7. [PMID: 17764858 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2006.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2006] [Accepted: 12/21/2006] [Indexed: 11/17/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Joel L Sachs
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, USA.
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35
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Kokko H. Cooperative behaviour and cooperative breeding: What constitutes an explanation? Behav Processes 2007; 76:81-5. [PMID: 17697756 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2006.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2006] [Accepted: 11/18/2006] [Indexed: 11/21/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Hanna Kokko
- Laboratory of Ecological and Evolutionary Dynamics, Department of Biological and Environmental Science, University of Helsinki, PO Box 65, Viikinkaari 1, FIN-00014 Helsinki, Finland.
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36
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Covas R, Griesser M. Life history and the evolution of family living in birds. Proc Biol Sci 2007; 274:1349-57. [PMID: 17374593 PMCID: PMC1950297 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2007.0117] [Citation(s) in RCA: 97] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/26/2007] [Revised: 02/20/2007] [Accepted: 02/21/2007] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The reason why some bird species live in family groups is an important question of evolutionary biology that remains unanswered. Families arise when young delay the onset of independent reproduction and remain with their parents beyond independence. Explanations for why individuals forgo independent reproduction have hitherto focused on dispersal constraints, such as the absence of high-quality breeding openings. However, while constraints successfully explain within-population dispersal decisions, they fail as an ultimate explanation for variation in family formation across species. Most family-living species are long-lived and recent life-history studies demonstrated that a delayed onset of reproduction can be adaptive in long-lived species. Hence, delayed dispersal and reproduction might be an adaptive life-history decision rather than 'the best of a bad job'. Here, we attempt to provide a predictive framework for the evolution of families by integrating life-history theory into family formation theory. We suggest that longevity favours a delayed onset of reproduction and gives parents the opportunity of a prolonged investment in offspring, an option which is not available for short-lived species. Yet, parents should only prolong their investment in offspring if this increases offspring survival and outweighs the fitness cost that parents incur, which is only possible under ecological conditions, such as a predictable access to resources. We therefore propose that both life-history and ecological factors play a role in determining the evolution of family living across species, yet we suggest different mechanisms than those proposed by previous models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rita Covas
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3JT, UK.
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37
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Kleiber D, Kyle K, Rockwell SM, Dickinson JL. Sexual competition explains patterns of individual investment in territorial aggression in western bluebird winter groups. Anim Behav 2007. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2006.09.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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38
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Rubenstein DR. Stress hormones and sociality: integrating social and environmental stressors. Proc Biol Sci 2007; 274:967-75. [PMID: 17251100 PMCID: PMC2141667 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2006.0051] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/26/2006] [Revised: 12/16/2006] [Accepted: 12/18/2006] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In cooperatively breeding species, reproductive decisions and breeding roles may be influenced by environmental (food resources) or social factors (reproductive suppression of subordinates by dominants). Studies of glucocorticoid stress hormones in cooperatively breeding species suggest that breeding roles and hormone levels are related to the relative costs of dominance and subordination, which are driven primarily by social interactions. Few studies, however, have considered how environmental factors affect glucocorticoid levels and breeding roles in cooperative breeders, even though environmental stressors modulate seasonal glucocorticoid release and often influence breeding roles. I examined baseline and stress-induced levels of the glucocorticoid corticosterone (CORT) across 4 years in the plural breeding superb starling, Lamprotornis superbus, to determine whether (i) environmental factors (namely rainfall) directly influence breeding roles or (ii) environmental factors influence social interactions, which in turn drive breeding roles. Chronic baseline and maximal stress-induced CORT changed significantly across years as a function of pre-breeding rainfall, but dominant and subordinate individuals responded differently. Pre-breeding rainfall was also correlated directly with breeding roles. The results are most consistent with the hypothesis that environmental conditions influenced the relative costs of dominance and subordination, which in turn affected the degree and intensity of social interactions and ultimately reproductive decisions and breeding roles.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dustin R Rubenstein
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Seeley G. Mudd Hall, Ithaca, NY 14853-2702, USA.
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39
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Griesser M, Nystrand M, Ekman J. Reduced mortality selects for family cohesion in a social species. Proc Biol Sci 2006; 273:1881-6. [PMID: 16822747 PMCID: PMC1634772 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3527] [Citation(s) in RCA: 87] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Delayed dispersal is the key to family formation in most kin-societies. Previous explanations for the evolution of families have focused on dispersal constraints. Recently, an alternative explanation was proposed, emphasizing the benefits gained through philopatry. Empirical data have confirmed that parents provide their philopatric offspring with preferential treatment through enhanced access to food and predator protection. Yet it remains unclear to what extent such benefits translate into fitness benefits such as reduced mortality, which ultimately can select for the evolution of families. Here, we demonstrate that philopatric Siberian jay (Perisoreus infaustus) offspring have an odds ratio of being killed by predators 62% lower than offspring that dispersed promptly after independence to join groups of unrelated individuals (20.6% versus 33.3% winter mortality). Predation was the sole cause of mortality, killing 20 out of 73 juveniles fitted with radio tags. The higher survival rate among philopatric offspring was associated with parents providing nepotistic predator protection that was withheld from unrelated group members. Natal philopatry usually involves the suppression of personal reproduction. However, a lower mortality of philopatric offspring can overcome this cost and may thus select for the formation of families and set the scene for cooperative kin-societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael Griesser
- Population Biology, Department of Ecology and Evolution, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18 D, 75236 Uppsala, Sweden.
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40
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Ekman J, Ericson PGP. Out of Gondwanaland; the evolutionary history of cooperative breeding and social behaviour among crows, magpies, jays and allies. Proc Biol Sci 2006; 273:1117-25. [PMID: 16600890 PMCID: PMC1560265 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2005.3431] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Cooperative breeding is comparatively rare among birds in the mainly temperate and boreal Northern Hemisphere. Here we test if the distribution of breeding systems reflects a response to latitude by means of a phylogenetic analysis using correlates with geographical range among the corvids (crows, jays, magpies and allied groups). The corvids trace their ancestry to the predominantly cooperative 'Corvida' branch of oscine passerines from the Australo-Papuan region on the ancient Gondwanaland supercontinent, but we could not confirm the ancestral state of the breeding system within the family, while family cohesion may be ancestral. Initial diversification among pair-breeding taxa that are basal in the corvid phylogeny, represented by genera such as Pyrrhocorax and Dendrocitta, indicates that the corvid family in its current form could have evolved from pair-breeding ancestors only after they had escaped the Australo-Papuan shield. Within the family, cooperative breeding (alloparental care/family cohesion) is strongly correlated to latitude and its predominance in species maintaining a southerly distribution indicates a secondary evolution of cooperative breeding in the lineage leading away from the basal corvids. Multiple transitions show plasticity in the breeding system, indicating a response to latitude rather than evolutionary inertia. The evolutionary background to the loss of cooperative breeding among species with a northerly distribution is complex and differs between species, indicating a response to a variety of selection forces. Family cohesion where the offspring provide alloparental care is a main route to cooperatively breeding groups among corvids. Some corvid species lost only alloparental care, while maintaining coherent family groups. Other species lost family cohesion and, as a corollary, they also lost the behaviour where retained offspring provide alloparental care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Ekman
- Population Biology, Evolutionary Biology Centre, Uppsala University, Norbyvägen 18D, 752 36 Uppsala, Sweden.
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41
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Baglione V, Canestrari D, Marcos JM, Ekman J. Experimentally increased food resources in the natal territory promote offspring philopatry and helping in cooperatively breeding carrion crows. Proc Biol Sci 2006; 273:1529-35. [PMID: 16777748 PMCID: PMC1560324 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2006.3481] [Citation(s) in RCA: 60] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Kin-based societies, where families represent the basic social unit, occur in a relatively small number of vertebrate species. In the majority of avian kin societies, families form when offspring prolong their association with the parents on the natal territory. Therefore, the key to understanding the evolution of families in birds is to understand natal philopatry (i.e. the tendency to remain on the natal territory). It has been shown that, within populations, the strength of the association between parents and offspring (i.e. family stability) increases when offspring dispersal is constrained by external environmental factors, but it is unclear whether and how family wealth influences juvenile dispersal decisions. Here, we show that young carrion crows (Corvus corone corone) from territories that were food-supplemented year-round were more philopatric and more likely to help at their family's nest than the unfed ones. The results suggest that offspring philopatry and helping behaviour are influenced by the quality of 'home' and that the availability of food resources positively affects the cohesion of the family.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittorio Baglione
- Department of Agro-Forestry, University of Valladolid, Avenida de Madrid 44, 34004 Palencia, Spain.
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42
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SUTHERLAND WILLIAMJ. Predicting the ecological consequences of environmental change: a review of the methods*. J Appl Ecol 2006. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1365-2664.2006.01182.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 195] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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