Dominant members of cooperatively-breeding groups adjust their behaviour in response to the sexes of their subordinates

Mitchell, Jeremy S.; Jutzeler, Eva; Heg, Dik; Taborsky, Michael

doi:10.1163/000579509x12459328580026

Cited by 29 publications

(27 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(48 reference statements)

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“…Nevertheless, helpers also impose costs on the breeders, because large mature male helpers engage in parasitic spawning [20]–[22], [49], large mature female helpers may try to breed with the breeder male [33], [37]–[38] also in a separate breeding shelter [38], which may draw away breeder male or helper assistance from the primary female's brood [45], and both helper males and females may compete for the breeding position with the breeder male and female, respectively [25]. These effects are also apparent in sex-dependent dominant-subordinate interactions [50].…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Helper Response to Experimentally Manipulated Predation Risk in the Cooperatively Breeding Cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher

Heg

Taborsky

2010

PLoS ONE

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BackgroundWe manipulated predation risk in a field experiment with the cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher by releasing no predator, a medium- or a large-sized fish predator inside underwater cages enclosing two to three natural groups. We assessed whether helpers changed their helping behaviour, and whether within-group conflict changed, depending on these treatments, testing three hypotheses: ‘pay-to-stay’ PS, ‘risk avoidance’ RA, or (future) reproductive benefits RB. We also assessed whether helper food intake was reduced under risk, because this might reduce investments in other behaviours to save energy.Methodology/Principal FindingsMedium and large helpers fed less under predation risk. Despite this effect helpers invested more in territory defence, but not territory maintenance, under the risk of predation (supporting PS). Experimentally covering only the breeding shelter with sand induced more helper digging under predation risk compared to the control treatment (supporting PS). Aggression towards the introduced predator did not differ between the two predator treatments and increased with group member size and group size (supporting PS and RA). Large helpers increased their help ratio (helping effort/breeder aggression received, ‘punishment’ by the dominant pair in the group) in the predation treatments compared to the control treatment, suggesting they were more willing to PS. Medium helpers did not show such effects. Large helpers also showed a higher submission ratio (submission/ breeder aggression received) in all treatments, compared to the medium helpers (supporting PS).Conclusions/SignificanceWe conclude that predation risk reduces helper food intake, but despite this effect, helpers were more willing to support the breeders, supporting PS. Effects of breeder punishment suggests that PS might be more important for large compared to the medium helpers. Evidence for RA was also detected. Finally, the results were inconsistent with RB.

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Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Helper Response to Experimentally Manipulated Predation Risk in the Cooperatively Breeding Cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher

Heg

Taborsky

2010

PLoS ONE

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“…In the first, more traditional approach, we analysed data on an individual basis and established whether and how the behavioural types of the individuals determined settlement patterns, correcting for effects of state (body size and sex, which are both known to affect sociality in these cichlids, e.g. Mitchell et al 2009a). Since the effects of behavioural type on sociality in a cooperative breeder have hardly been explored, we did not have any a priori expectations concerning the direction and the magnitude of the effects.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The building-up of social relationships: behavioural types, social networks and cooperative breeding in a cichlid

Schürch

Rothenberger

Heg

2010

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Consistent individual differences in behavioural types may not only cause variation in life-history decisions, but may also affect the choice of social partners and sociality in general. Here, we tested whether and how behavioural type influences the establishment of social ties using the cooperatively breeding cichlid, Neolamprologus pulcher. In a habitat saturation experiment with individuals pre-tested for behavioural type, we first analysed whether behavioural type affected the likelihood of settlement (i.e. social status), group sizes, and the types of dominant and subordinate individuals accepted as group members. Corrected for effects of body size and sex, the behavioural type did not affect settlement. However, bold dominant males only accepted smaller females, and grouped with bold subordinates, while shy dominant males accepted larger females than themselves, and grouped with shy subordinates. Second, we analysed the relationships between behavioural type and the aggressiveness or affiliation social network. Behavioural type significantly affected the number and quality of connections within the two networks. We show that behavioural types affect group composition, social networks and status achieved, in interaction with body size. Thus, the interactions within groups may depend not only on age, size and sex, but also on the behavioural type of the individuals involved.

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“…In N. pulcher it is unlikely that dominant males are in full control of reproduction, because they frantically attempt to prevent subordinates participating in spawning [34], and more dominant reproduction is lost to subordinates if multiple subordinate males are present in the group [38], [70]. Furthermore, dominant males show more aggression towards male than female subordinates [71], especially during reproductive periods [70]. This implies that male subordinates entail costs to dominant males mainly by parasitizing reproduction (cf.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Paternity of Subordinates Raises Cooperative Effort in Cichlids

et al. 2011

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BackgroundIn 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 FindingsWe 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/SignificanceThis 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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Dominant members of cooperatively-breeding groups adjust their behaviour in response to the sexes of their subordinates

Cited by 29 publications

References 44 publications

Helper Response to Experimentally Manipulated Predation Risk in the Cooperatively Breeding Cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher

Helper Response to Experimentally Manipulated Predation Risk in the Cooperatively Breeding Cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher

The building-up of social relationships: behavioural types, social networks and cooperative breeding in a cichlid

Paternity of Subordinates Raises Cooperative Effort in Cichlids

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