'Social competence'refers to the ability of an individual to optimise its social behaviour
depending on available social information. Although such ability will enhance social …

Territorial behavior is widespread throughout the animal kingdom, with responses to
conspecific intruders differing depending on various ecological, life history, and social …

Among vertebrates, fish show by far the greatest variability of alternative reproductive tactics
(ARTs). Usually, males attempting to monopolize access to females or fertilizations are …

Predation risk is a major ecological factor selecting for group living. It is largely ignored,
however, as an evolutionary driver of social complexity and cooperative breeding, which is …

Social evolution is tightly linked to dispersal decisions, but the ecological and social factors
selecting for philopatry or dispersal often remain obscure. Elucidating selection mechanisms …

The conundrum of why subordinate individuals assist dominants at the expense of their own
direct reproduction has received much theoretical and empirical attention over the last 50 …

Environmental conditions are thought to be responsible for the extent and benefits of
cooperative breeding in many animal societies, but experimental tests are scarce. We …

Alternative reproductive tactics (ARTs) coexisting within a population are found in many
organisms. Their existence has been an enduring puzzle in evolutionary biology. Why …

The theory of family–group dynamics predicts that group structure, helping behaviour and
social interactions among group members should vary with the opportunities of subordinates …

Social animals can greatly benefit from well-developed social skills. Because the frequency
and diversity of social interactions often increase with the size of social groups, the benefits …