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Helpful Female Subordinate Cichlids Are More Likely to Reproduce

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  • Dik Heg
  • Eva Jutzeler
  • Jeremy S Mitchell
  • Ian M Hamilton

Abstract

Background: In many cooperatively breeding vertebrates, subordinates assist a dominant pair to raise the dominants' offspring. Previously, it has been suggested that subordinates may help in payment for continued residency on the territory (the ‘pay-to-stay hypothesis’), but payment might also be reciprocated or might allow subordinates access to reproductive opportunities. Methodology/Principal Findings: We measured dominant and subordinate female alloparental brood care and reproductive success in four separate experiments and show that unrelated female dominant and subordinate cichlid fish care for each other's broods (alloparental brood care), but that there is no evidence for reciprocal ‘altruism’ (no correlation between alloparental care received and given). Instead, subordinate females appear to pay with alloparental care for own direct reproduction. Conclusions/Significance: Our results suggest subordinate females pay with alloparental care to ensure access to the breeding substrate and thereby increase their opportunities to lay their own clutches. Subordinates' eggs are laid, on average, five days after the dominant female has produced her first brood. We suggest that immediate reproductive benefits need to be considered in tests of the pay-to-stay hypothesis.

Suggested Citation

  • Dik Heg & Eva Jutzeler & Jeremy S Mitchell & Ian M Hamilton, 2009. "Helpful Female Subordinate Cichlids Are More Likely to Reproduce," PLOS ONE, Public Library of Science, vol. 4(5), pages 1-6, May.
  • Handle: RePEc:plo:pone00:0005458
    DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0005458
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    References listed on IDEAS

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    1. J.L. Fitzpatrick & J.K. Desjardins & K.A. Stiver & R. Montgomerie & S. Balshine, 2006. "Male reproductive suppression in the cooperatively breeding fish Neolamprologus pulcher," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 17(1), pages 25-33, January.
    2. Ian M. Hamilton & Dik Heg, 2007. "Clutch-size adjustments and skew models: effects on reproductive partitioning and group stability," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 18(2), pages 467-476.
    3. Satoshi Awata & Dik Heg & Hiroyuki Munehara & Masanori Kohda, 2006. "Testis size depends on social status and the presence of male helpers in the cooperatively breeding cichlid Julidochromis ornatus," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 17(3), pages 372-379, May.
    4. Ian M. Hamilton, 2004. "A commitment model of reproductive inhibition in cooperatively breeding groups," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 15(4), pages 585-591, July.
    5. Jeremy Field & Gavin Shreeves & Seirian Sumner & Maurizio Casiraghi, 2000. "Insurance-based advantage to helpers in a tropical hover wasp," Nature, Nature, vol. 404(6780), pages 869-871, April.
    6. Dik Heg & Ralph Bergmüller & Danielle Bonfils & Oliver Otti & Zina Bachar & Reto Burri & Gerald Heckel & Michael Taborsky, 2006. "Cichlids do not adjust reproductive skew to the availability of independent breeding options," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 17(3), pages 419-429, May.
    7. Noam Y. Werner & Sigal Balshine & Brenda Leach & Arnon Lotem, 2003. "Helping opportunities and space segregation in cooperatively breeding cichlids," Behavioral Ecology, International Society for Behavioral Ecology, vol. 14(6), pages 749-756, November.
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