Behavioral Ecology Advance Access originally published online on August 16, 2007
Behavioral Ecology 2007 18(6):994-1000; doi:10.1093/beheco/arm074
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Variable postfledging care in a cooperative bird: causes and consequences
a DST/NRF Centre of Excellence, Percy Fitzpatrick Institute, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa b Large Animal Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, United Kingdom
Address correspondence to A.R. Ridley. E-mail: amanda.ridley{at}uct.ac.za.
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Abstract |
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Prolonged postfledging care is a commonly observed behavior in many cooperatively breeding species and has been shown to provide young with both survival and developmental benefits. However, the causes of intraspecific variation in postfledging care and the consequences of this variation on the development of young remain unclear. Here we investigate factors affecting the duration of postfledging care in the cooperatively breeding pied babbler (Turdoides bicolor). We show that the duration of care is variable (40–97 days) and is determined primarily by the cost of care. Adults in groups with a low adult:fledgling ratio were unable to maintain body mass during the period of chick provisioning and subsequently ceased care of young earlier. This had a strong influence on offspring development: fledglings that received longer periods of care attained higher foraging efficiency and body mass than their counterparts at 6 months of age. The duration of postfledging care also had long-term effects, with individuals that received longer periods of postfledging care more likely to successfully disperse from their natal group. This had important fitness implications as successful dispersers became reproductively active at an earlier age than their "failed-disperser" counterparts. These findings highlight the importance of considering long-term influences when assessing the benefits of prolonged postfledging care on offspring fitness and development in cooperative societies.
Key words: cooperative breeding, dispersal success, pied babblers, postfledging care, Turdoides bicolor.
Received 12 April 2007; revised 14 June 2007; accepted 25 June 2007.
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