Punishment controls helper defence against egg predators but not fish predators in cooperatively breeding cichlids

• Published in: Animal behaviour Vol. 168; pp. 137 - 147
• Main Authors: Naef, Jan, Taborsky, Michael
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Elsevier Ltd 01.10.2020
• Subjects: aggression; alloparental behavior; brood rearing; commodity trading; cooperation; cooperative breeding; eggs; enforcement; fish; negotiations; Neolamprologus pulcher; pay-to-stay; punishment; submission; territoriality; cooperative breeding; punishment; enforcement; Neolamprologus pulcher; pay-to-stay; submission; negotiations; territoriality; commodity trading; cooperation

Helping behaviour in some cooperative breeders is apparently maintained by a combination of coercion and reciprocity. In such pay-to-stay systems, alloparental brood care of subordinate group members functions as a service to dominants, which tolerate subordinates based on how much help they provide...