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Altruism and infidelity among warblers

Author

Listed:
  • David S. Richardson

    (University of Sheffield
    University of Lund)

  • Jan Komdeur

    (Zoological Laboratory, University of Groningen
    University of Melbourne)

  • Terry Burke

    (University of Sheffield)

Abstract

In cooperatively breeding vertebrates, indirect fitness benefits1,2 are maximized by subordinates who choose to help their own closely related kin after accurately assessing their relatedness to the group's offspring3,4,5. Here we show that in the cooperatively breeding Seychelles warbler (Acrocephalus sechellensis), female subordinates help to raise new nestlings by providing them with food only when the offspring are being raised by parents who also fed the subordinates themselves when they were young3. These helper females use the continued presence of the primary female, rather than of the primary male, as their provisioning cue — presumably because female infidelity is rife in this species6, making their relatedness to the father less reliable.

Suggested Citation

  • David S. Richardson & Jan Komdeur & Terry Burke, 2003. "Altruism and infidelity among warblers," Nature, Nature, vol. 422(6932), pages 580-580, April.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:nature:v:422:y:2003:i:6932:d:10.1038_422580a
    DOI: 10.1038/422580a
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    Cited by:

    1. Frank Groenewoud & Sjouke A Kingma & Kat Bebbington & David S Richardson & Jan Komdeur, 2019. "Experimentally induced antipredator responses are mediated by social and environmental factors," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 30(4), pages 986-992.
    2. Kat Bebbington & Eleanor A Fairfield & Lewis G Spurgin & Sjouke A Kingma & Hannah Dugdale & Jan Komdeur & David S Richardson & Anna LindholmHandling editor, 2018. "Joint care can outweigh costs of nonkin competition in communal breeders," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 29(1), pages 169-178.

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