Is provisioning rate of parents and helpers influenced by the simulated presence of novel individuals?

Pietro D’amelio (), Nora Carlson, Arnaud Tognetti (), Marina Sentís, Liliana R. Silva (), Fanny Rybak, Rita Covas and Claire Doutrelant ()
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Pietro D’amelio: CEFE - Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive - EPHE - École Pratique des Hautes Études - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - IRD [Occitanie] - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier - UMPV - Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry, NeuroPSI - Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology - University of Cape Town
Nora Carlson: NeuroPSI - Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Victoria University [Melbourne]
Arnaud Tognetti: CEE-M - Centre d'Economie de l'Environnement - Montpellier - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier
Marina Sentís: UGENT - Universiteit Gent = Ghent University = Université de Gand
Liliana R. Silva: CIBIO - Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos [Vairao] - Universidade do Porto = University of Porto
Fanny Rybak: NeuroPSI - Institut des Neurosciences Paris-Saclay - Université Paris-Saclay - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique
Rita Covas: CIBIO - Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos [Vairao] - Universidade do Porto = University of Porto
Claire Doutrelant: CEFE - Centre d’Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive - EPHE - École Pratique des Hautes Études - PSL - Université Paris Sciences et Lettres - CNRS - Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique - IRD [Occitanie] - Institut de Recherche pour le Développement - INRAE - Institut National de Recherche pour l’Agriculture, l’Alimentation et l’Environnement - Institut Agro Montpellier - Institut Agro - Institut national d'enseignement supérieur pour l'agriculture, l'alimentation et l'environnement - UM - Université de Montpellier - UMPV - Université de Montpellier Paul-Valéry, Percy FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology - University of Cape Town

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Abstract: Cooperative behaviour is widespread in animals and is likely to be the result of multiple selective pressures. A contentious hypothesis is that helping enhances the probability of obtaining a sexual partner (i.e., confers direct benefits through sexual selection). Under this hypothesis, cooperative behaviours may have evolved into a signal. Consequently, we would expect individuals to enhance cooperation when a potential mate is present, to signal their status and quality. We evaluated this possibility in the cooperatively breeding sociable weaver (Philetairus socius). We simulated the presence of different types of individuals using a playback to test whether the simulated presence of an unknown individual, possibly a potential mate, increases provisioning rate in two classes of cooperating birds : breeders and helpers. If the signal is the provisioning rate in itself we expected increased feeding rates of male helpers during the simulated presence of an unknown female. Contrary to our predictions, the simulated presence in the audience of an unknown individual did not influence the nestling provisioning rate of birds of any sex and class. From these results, we conclude that in this species the variation in provisioning rate is unlikely to be used as a signal in a sexual selection context. However, we also highlight the limitations of our methods and suggest improvements that future studies should incorporate when testing audience effects on cooperation. Significance statementAnimals may cooperate to gain direct benefits, like attracting mates. This happens for example in humans. In species where cooperation leads to direct sexual benefits, when the appropriate audience is present, (i.e., a potential mate), helpers should enhance their cooperation. To determine whether helping to raise others' young varies according to who is watching, we used playbacks to simulate the presence of unknown individuals of opposite sex (potential mates) while helpers were feeding young. Helping, quantified here as number of times food was brought to the chicks over an hour, was not affected by the simulated audience. We concluded that in sociable weavers variation in provisioning rate is unlikely to be a signal to obtain direct sexual benefits.

Date: 2025-01-15
New Economics Papers: this item is included in nep-evo
Note: View the original document on HAL open archive server: https://hal.inrae.fr/hal-04892327v1
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Published in Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, 2025, 79, pp.14. ⟨10.1007/s00265-024-03548-2⟩

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Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:hal:journl:hal-04892327

DOI: 10.1007/s00265-024-03548-2

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