Damaraland mole-rats do not rely on helpers for reproduction or survival

J Thorley, HM Bensch, K Finn, T Clutton-Brock… - Evolution …, 2023 - academic.oup.com
In eusocial invertebrates and obligate cooperative breeders, successful reproduction is
dependent on assistance from non-breeding group members. Although naked …

Should sons breed independently or help? Local relatedness matters

Z Li, S Chen, S Wei, J Komdeur… - Journal of Animal …, 2023 - Wiley Online Library
In cooperatively breeding birds, why do some individuals breed independently but others
have to help at home? This question has been rarely addressed despite its fundamental …

Michener's group-size paradox in cooperatively breeding birds

PA Downing - Journal of Evolutionary Biology, 2024 - academic.oup.com
According to Michener's paradox, most altruistic groups in nature should be small and large
groups should not exist. This is because per capita productivity is thought to decrease as …

Sex-specific routes to independent breeding in a polygynous cooperative breeder

D Josi, JM Flury, M Reyes-Contreras… - Frontiers in Ecology …, 2021 - frontiersin.org
How can individuals obtain a breeding position and what are the benefits associated with
philopatry compared to dispersal? These questions are particularly intriguing in polygamous …

Family living and cooperative breeding in birds are associated with the number of avian predators

L Bliard, P Dufour, M Griesser, R Covas - Evolution, 2024 - academic.oup.com
Cooperative breeding occurs when individuals contribute parental care to offspring that are
not their own. Numerous intra-and inter-specific studies have aimed to explain the evolution …

Early-life sibling conflict in Canada jays has lifetime fitness consequences

M Fuirst, D Strickland, NE Freeman… - … of the Royal …, 2023 - royalsocietypublishing.org
While delaying natal dispersal can provide short-term benefits for juveniles, lifetime fitness
consequences are rarely assessed. Furthermore, competition for limited positions on a natal …

Staging to join non‐kin groups in a classical cooperative breeder, the Florida scrub‐jay

YH Suh, R Bowman, JW Fitzpatrick - Journal of Animal Ecology, 2022 - Wiley Online Library
Why unrelated members form groups in animal societies remains a pertinent topic in
evolutionary biology because benefits for group members often are not obvious. We studied …

Kin-structured cooperatively breeding groups due to limited dispersal in the obligate shell-brooding cichlid Neolamprologus meeli

T Saeki, S Satoh, JG Frommen, M Kohda… - Behavioral Ecology and …, 2022 - Springer
Cooperative breeding systems, where individuals other than parents assist in raising
offspring, have been documented in insects, fish, birds, and mammals. Still, the factors …

[HTML][HTML] Implications of adult sex ratios for natal dispersal in a cooperative breeder

FJD Speelman, MJ Borger, M Hammers… - Animal Behaviour, 2024 - Elsevier
Highlights•Natal dispersal is associated with ASR in a facultative cooperative breeder.•Male
but not female yearlings disperse in response to population ASR and density.•Population …

Lifetime trajectories of male mating effort under reproductive conflict in a cooperatively breeding mammal

G Birch, HJ Nichols, F Mwanguhya… - …, 2024 - royalsocietypublishing.org
The costs of reproductive conflict can shape the evolution of life-histories in animal societies.
These costs may change as individuals age and grow, and with within-group competition …