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Behavioral Ecology Advance Access originally published online on March 23, 2005
Behavioral Ecology 2005 16(3):667-673; doi:10.1093/beheco/ari042
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© The Author 2005. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the International Society for Behavioral Ecology. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oupjournals.org

Experimental evidence for helper effects in a cooperatively breeding cichlid

Lyanne Brouwera,b, Dik Hega and Michael Taborskya

a Department of Behavioural Ecology, Zoological Institute, University of Bern, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland, and b Animal Ecology Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, P.O. Box 14 Haren, The Netherlands

Address correspondence to D. Heg. E-mail: dik.heg{at}esh.unibe.ch.

Neolamprologus pulcher is a cooperatively breeding cichlid fish, in which helpers stay in their natal territory and help with brood care, territory defense, and maintenance. In this study we investigated helper effects by an experimental group size reduction in the field. After this manipulation, focal helpers in reduced groups tended to feed less, and small helpers visited the breeding shelter significantly more often than same-sized helpers in control groups. No evidence was found that remaining helpers compensated for the removed helpers by increasing territory defense and maintenance behavior. Breeders, however, did show a lower defense rate, possibly caused by an increase in brood care effort. Survival of fry was significantly lower in removal than control groups, which provides the first experimental proof in a natural population of fish that brood care helpers do effectively help. The data suggest that in small, generally younger, helpers, kin selection may be an important evolutionary cause of cooperation. Large helpers, however, who are generally older and less related to the breeders than small helpers are suggested to pay to be allowed to stay in the territory by helping. All group members benefit from group augmentation.

Key words: cooperative breeding, group size reduction, helping behavior, Lake Tanganyika cichlids, reproductive success.


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