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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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2
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Morris-Drake A, Linden JF, Kern JM, Radford AN. Extended and cumulative effects of experimentally induced intergroup conflict in a cooperatively breeding mammal. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20211743. [PMID: 34875195 PMCID: PMC8651417 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.1743] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/03/2021] [Accepted: 11/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
Conflict between rival groups is rife in nature. While recent work has begun exploring the behavioural consequences of this intergroup conflict, studies have primarily considered just the 1-2 h immediately after single interactions with rivals or their cues. Using a habituated population of wild dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula), we conducted week-long manipulations to investigate longer-term impacts of intergroup conflict. Compared to a single presentation of control herbivore faeces, one rival-group faecal presentation (simulating a territorial intrusion) resulted in more within-group grooming the following day, beyond the likely period of conflict-induced stress. Repeated presentations of outsider cues led to further changes in baseline behaviour by the end of the week: compared to control weeks, mongooses spent less time foraging and foraged closer to their groupmates, even when there had been no recent simulated intrusion. Moreover, there was more baseline territorial scent-marking and a higher likelihood of group fissioning in intrusion weeks. Consequently, individuals gained less body mass at the end of weeks with repeated simulated intrusions. Our experimental findings provide evidence for longer-term, extended and cumulative, effects of an elevated intergroup threat, which may lead to fitness consequences and underpin this powerful selective pressure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Morris-Drake
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Jennifer F. Linden
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Julie M. Kern
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, New South Wales 2351, Australia
| | - Andrew N. Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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3
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Haave-Audet E, Besson AA, Nakagawa S, Mathot KJ. Differences in resource acquisition, not allocation, mediate the relationship between behaviour and fitness: a systematic review and meta-analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:708-731. [PMID: 34859575 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12819] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2021] [Revised: 11/17/2021] [Accepted: 11/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Within populations, individuals often show repeatable variation in behaviour, called 'animal personality'. In the last few decades, numerous empirical studies have attempted to elucidate the mechanisms maintaining this variation, such as life-history trade-offs. Theory predicts that among-individual variation in behavioural traits could be maintained if traits that are positively associated with reproduction are simultaneously associated with decreased survival, such that different levels of behavioural expression lead to the same net fitness outcome. However, variation in resource acquisition may also be important in mediating the relationship between individual behaviour and fitness components (survival and reproduction). For example, if certain phenotypes (e.g. dominance or aggressiveness) are associated with higher resource acquisition, those individuals may have both higher reproduction and higher survival, relative to others in the population. When individuals differ in their ability to acquire resources, trade-offs are only expected to be observed at the within-individual level (i.e. for a given amount of resource, if an individual increases its allocation to reproduction, it comes at the cost of allocation to survival, and vice versa), while among individuals traits that are associated with increased survival may also be associated with increased reproduction. We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis, asking: (i) do among-individual differences in behaviour reflect among-individual differences in resource acquisition and/or allocation, and (ii) is the relationship between behaviour and fitness affected by the type of behaviour and the testing environment? Our meta-analysis consisted of 759 estimates from 193 studies. Our meta-analysis revealed a positive correlation between pairs of estimates using both survival and reproduction as fitness proxies. That is, for a given study, behaviours that were associated with increased reproduction were also associated with increased survival, suggesting that variation in behaviour at the among-individual level largely reflects differences among individuals in resource acquisition. Furthermore, we found the same positive correlation between pairs of estimates using both survival and reproduction as fitness proxies at the phenotypic level. This is significant because we also demonstrated that these phenotypic correlations primarily reflect within-individual correlations. Thus, even when accounting for among-individual differences in resource acquisition, we did not find evidence of trade-offs at the within-individual level. Overall, the relationship between behaviour and fitness proxies was not statistically different from zero at the among-individual, phenotypic, and within-individual levels; this relationship was not affected by behavioural category nor by the testing condition. Our meta-analysis highlights that variation in resource acquisition may be more important in driving the relationship between behaviour and fitness than previously thought, including at the within-individual level. We suggest that this may come about via heterogeneity in resource availability or age-related effects, with higher resource availability and/or age leading to state-dependent shifts in behaviour that simultaneously increase both survival and reproduction. We emphasize that future studies examining the mechanisms maintaining behavioural variation in populations should test the link between behavioural expression and resource acquisition - both within and among individuals. Such work will allow the field of animal personality to develop specific predictions regarding the mediating effect of resource acquisition on the fitness consequences of individual behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elène Haave-Audet
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
| | - Anne A Besson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Department of Zoology, University of Otago, P.O. Box 56, Dunedin, 9054, New Zealand
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, 2052, Australia
| | - Kimberley J Mathot
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, CW 405, Biological Sciences Bldg, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada.,Canada Research Chair, Integrative Ecology, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, AB, T6G 2E9, Canada
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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] [MESH Headings] [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 EvolutionUniversity of BernHinterkappelenSwitzerland
- Conservation, Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Research Group, Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural SciencesManchester Metropolitan UniversityManchesterUK
| | - Dik Heg
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernHinterkappelenSwitzerland
- CTU BernUniversity of BernBernSwitzerland
| | - Tomohiro Takeyama
- Department of Biosphere‐Geosphere ScienceOkayama University of ScienceOkayamaJapan
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of ScienceOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Danielle Bonfils
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernHinterkappelenSwitzerland
| | | | - Joachim G. Frommen
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernHinterkappelenSwitzerland
- Conservation, Ecology, Evolution and Behaviour Research Group, Ecology and Environment Research Centre, Department of Natural SciencesManchester Metropolitan UniversityManchesterUK
| | - Masanori Kohda
- Department of Biology and Geosciences, Graduate School of ScienceOsaka City UniversityOsakaJapan
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and EvolutionUniversity of BernHinterkappelenSwitzerland
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5
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Kerr NZ, Malfi RL, Williams NM, Crone EE. Larger workers outperform smaller workers across resource environments: An evaluation of demographic data using functional linear models. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:2814-2827. [PMID: 33767838 PMCID: PMC7981203 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/20/2020] [Accepted: 01/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Behavior and organization of social groups is thought to be vital to the functioning of societies, yet the contributions of various roles within social groups toward population growth and dynamics have been difficult to quantify. A common approach to quantifying these role-based contributions is evaluating the number of individuals conducting certain roles, which ignores how behavior might scale up to effects at the population-level. Manipulative experiments are another common approach to determine population-level effects, but they often ignore potential feedbacks associated with these various roles.Here, we evaluate the effects of worker size distribution in bumblebee colonies on worker production in 24 observational colonies across three environments, using functional linear models. Functional linear models are an underused correlative technique that has been used to assess lag effects of environmental drivers on plant performance. We demonstrate potential applications of this technique for exploring high-dimensional ecological systems, such as the contributions of individuals with different traits to colony dynamics.We found that more larger workers had mostly positive effects and more smaller workers had negative effects on worker production. Most of these effects were only detected under low or fluctuating resource environments suggesting that the advantage of colonies with larger-bodied workers becomes more apparent under stressful conditions.We also demonstrate the wider ecological application of functional linear models. We highlight the advantages and limitations when considering these models, and how they are a valuable complement to many of these performance-based and manipulative experiments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natalie Z. Kerr
- Department of BiologyTufts UniversityMedfordMAUSA
- Department of BiologyDuke UniversityDurhamNCUSA
| | - Rosemary L. Malfi
- Department of BiologyUniversity of Massachusetts‐AmherstAmherstMAUSA
| | - Neal M. Williams
- Department of Entomology and NematologyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCAUSA
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6
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Culbert BM, Balshine S. Visual threat signals influence social interactions in a cooperatively breeding fish. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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7
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Culbert BM, Balshine S, Gilmour KM. Physiological Regulation of Growth during Social Ascension in a Group-Living Fish. Physiol Biochem Zool 2019; 92:211-222. [PMID: 30735088 DOI: 10.1086/702338] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Abstract
In social groups, dominant animals typically are larger and have better access to resources than subordinates. When subordinates are given the opportunity to ascend to a dominant position, they will elevate their rates of growth to help secure dominance. This study investigated the physiological mechanisms facilitating this increased growth. Using the group-living cichlid, Neolamprologus pulcher, we investigated whether the insulin-like growth factor (IGF) system-a key regulator of growth-is involved in the regulation of growth during social ascension. We also assessed differences in energy storage and expenditure among dominant, subordinate, and ascending males to determine the energetic costs associated with ascension. Daily growth rates tripled during ascension, and ascending males expended more energy after ascension, owing to higher rates of energetically costly social behaviors, increased locomotor activity, and larger home ranges. Ascenders did not increase food intake to offset increasing energetic costs but had half the liver glycogen energy stores of subordinates. Together, these results indicate a reliance on stockpiled energy reserves to fuel the high energetic demands associated with ascension. Transcript abundance of IGF binding proteins 1 (igfbp1) and 2a (igfbp2a) were low in ascenders relative to subordinates, suggesting a higher capacity for growth during ascension through increased bioavailability of circulating IGF-1. Our findings provide clear evidence of the energetic costs of social ascension and offer novel insight into the physiological mechanisms modulating the social regulation of growth.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brett M Culbert
- 1 Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Sigal Balshine
- 1 Department of Psychology, Neuroscience, and Behaviour, McMaster University, 1280 Main Street West, Hamilton, Ontario L8S 4K1, Canada
| | - Kathleen M Gilmour
- 2 Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie Private, Ottawa, Ontario K1N 6N5, Canada
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8
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Hing ML, Klanten OS, Dowton M, Wong MYL. The Right Tools for the Job: Cooperative Breeding Theory and an Evaluation of the Methodological Approaches to Understanding the Evolution and Maintenance of Sociality. Front Ecol Evol 2017. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2017.00100] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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9
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Differences in cooperative behavior among Damaraland mole rats are consequences of an age-related polyethism. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2016; 113:10382-7. [PMID: 27588902 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1607885113] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In many cooperative breeders, the contributions of helpers to cooperative activities change with age, resulting in age-related polyethisms. In contrast, some studies of social mole rats (including naked mole rats, Heterocephalus glaber, and Damaraland mole rats, Fukomys damarensis) suggest that individual differences in cooperative behavior are the result of divergent developmental pathways, leading to discrete and permanent functional categories of helpers that resemble the caste systems found in eusocial insects. Here we show that, in Damaraland mole rats, individual contributions to cooperative behavior increase with age and are higher in fast-growing individuals. Individual contributions to different cooperative tasks are intercorrelated and repeatability of cooperative behavior is similar to that found in other cooperatively breeding vertebrates. Our data provide no evidence that nonreproductive individuals show divergent developmental pathways or specialize in particular tasks. Instead of representing a caste system, variation in the behavior of nonreproductive individuals in Damaraland mole rats closely resembles that found in other cooperatively breeding mammals and appears to be a consequence of age-related polyethism.
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Bruintjes R, Lynton-Jenkins J, Jones JW, Radford AN. Out-Group Threat Promotes Within-Group Affiliation in a Cooperative Fish. Am Nat 2016; 187:274-82. [DOI: 10.1086/684411] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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11
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Bruintjes R, Radford AN. Chronic playback of boat noise does not impact hatching success or post-hatching larval growth and survival in a cichlid fish. PeerJ 2014; 2:e594. [PMID: 25276507 PMCID: PMC4178459 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.594] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/03/2014] [Accepted: 09/03/2014] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Anthropogenic (man-made) noise has been shown to have a negative impact on the behaviour and physiology of a range of terrestrial and aquatic animals. However, direct assessments of fitness consequences are rare. Here we examine the effect of additional noise on early life stages in the model cichlid fish, Neolamprologus pulcher. Many fishes use and produce sounds, they are crucial elements of aquatic ecosystems, and there is mounting evidence that they are vulnerable to anthropogenic noise; adult N. pulcher have recently been shown to change key behaviours during playback of motor boat noise. Using a split-brood design to eliminate potential genetic effects, we exposed half of the eggs and fry from each clutch to four weeks of playbacks of noise originally recorded from small motor boats with the other half acting as a control (receiving no noise playback). There was no significant effect of additional noise on hatching success or fry survival, length or weight at the end of the exposure period. Although care should be taken not to generalize these findings on a single species from a laboratory study, our data suggest that moderate noise increases do not necessarily have direct negative impacts on early-life survival and growth. Further studies on a range of species in natural conditions are urgently needed to inform conservation efforts and policy decisions about the consequences of anthropogenic noise.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick Bruintjes
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
- Biosciences, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Andrew N. Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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Fischer S, Zöttl M, Groenewoud F, Taborsky B. Group-size-dependent punishment of idle subordinates in a cooperative breeder where helpers pay to stay. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20140184. [PMID: 24990673 PMCID: PMC4100499 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 75] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2014] [Accepted: 06/05/2014] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
In cooperative breeding systems, dominant breeders sometimes tolerate unrelated individuals even if they inflict costs on the dominants. According to the 'pay-to-stay' hypothesis, (i) subordinates can outweigh these costs by providing help and (ii) dominants should be able to enforce help by punishing subordinates that provide insufficient help. This requires that dominants can monitor helping and can recognize group members individually. In a field experiment, we tested whether cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher subordinates increase their help after a forced 'idle' period, how other group members respond to a previously idle helper, and how helper behaviour and group responses depend on group size. Previously, idle helpers increased their submissiveness and received more aggression than control helpers, suggesting that punishment occurred to enforce help. Subordinates in small groups increased their help more than those in large groups, despite receiving less aggression. When subordinates were temporarily removed, dominants in small groups were more likely to evict returning subordinates. Our results suggest that only in small groups do helpers face a latent threat of punishment by breeders as predicted by the pay-to-stay hypothesis. In large groups, cognitive constraints may prevent breeders from tracking the behaviour of a large number of helpers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefan Fischer
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Markus Zöttl
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Frank Groenewoud
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland Behavioural Ecology and Self-Organization, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Barbara Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
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Bruintjes R, Radford AN. Context-dependent impacts of anthropogenic noise on individual and social behaviour in a cooperatively breeding fish. Anim Behav 2013. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.03.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/26/2022]
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14
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Bruintjes R, Heg‐Bachar Z, Heg D. Subordinate removal affects parental investment, but not offspring survival in a cooperative cichlid. Funct Ecol 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.12088] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Rick Bruintjes
- Department of Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Hinterkappelen Switzerland
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol UK
| | - Zina Heg‐Bachar
- Department of Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Hinterkappelen Switzerland
- Division of International and Environmental Health Institute of Social and Preventive Medicine Bern Switzerland
| | - Dik Heg
- Department of Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology and Evolution University of Bern Hinterkappelen Switzerland
- Department of Clinical Research Clinical Trials Unit Bern ISPM University of Bern Bern Switzerland
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15
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Bruintjes R, Bonfils D, Heg D, Taborsky M. Paternity of subordinates raises cooperative effort in cichlids. PLoS One 2011; 6:e25673. [PMID: 22022428 PMCID: PMC3192049 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0025673] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/17/2011] [Accepted: 09/09/2011] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND In cooperative breeders, subordinates generally help a dominant breeding pair to raise offspring. Parentage studies have shown that in several species subordinates can participate in reproduction. This suggests an important role of direct fitness benefits for cooperation, particularly where groups contain unrelated subordinates. In this situation parentage should influence levels of cooperation. Here we combine parentage analyses and detailed behavioural observations in the field to study whether in the highly social cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher subordinates participate in reproduction and if so, whether and how this affects their cooperative care, controlling for the effect of kinship. METHODOLOGY/PRINCIPAL FINDINGS We show that: (i) male subordinates gained paternity in 27.8% of all clutches and (ii) if they participated in reproduction, they sired on average 11.8% of young. Subordinate males sharing in reproduction showed more defence against experimentally presented egg predators compared to subordinates not participating in reproduction, and they tended to stay closer to the breeding shelter. No effects of relatedness between subordinates and dominants (to mid-parent, dominant female or dominant male) were detected on parentage and on helping behaviour. CONCLUSIONS/SIGNIFICANCE This is the first evidence in a cooperatively breeding fish species that the helping effort of male subordinates may depend on obtained paternity, which stresses the need to consider direct fitness benefits in evolutionary studies of helping behaviour.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rick Bruintjes
- Department of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland.
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16
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Sefc KM. Mating and Parental Care in Lake Tanganyika's Cichlids. INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF EVOLUTIONARY BIOLOGY 2011; 2011:470875. [PMID: 21822482 PMCID: PMC3142683 DOI: 10.4061/2011/470875] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2010] [Revised: 03/22/2011] [Accepted: 05/02/2011] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Cichlid fishes of Lake Tanganyika display a variety of mating and parental care behaviors, including polygamous and monogamous mouthbrooding and substrate breeding, cooperative breeding, as well as various alternative reproductive tactics such as sneaking and piracy. Moreover, reproductive behaviors sometimes vary within species both in space and in time. Here, I survey reports on mating and parenting behaviors of Lake Tanganyika cichlid species and address the evolution of mating and parental care patterns and sexual dimorphism. Notes on measures of sexual selection intensity and the difficulties of defining mating systems and estimating selection intensities at species level conclude the essay.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina M. Sefc
- Department of Zoology, Karl-Franzens University Graz, Universitätsplatz 2, 8010 Graz, Austria
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18
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Costs of delayed dispersal and alloparental care in the fungus-cultivating ambrosia beetle Xyleborus affinis Eichhoff (Scolytinae: Curculionidae). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1183-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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19
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Bruintjes R, Taborsky M. Size-dependent task specialization in a cooperative cichlid in response to experimental variation of demand. Anim Behav 2011. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.10.004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 78] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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