10.5061/DRYAD.4B45D
Kasper, Claudia
University of Bern
Koelliker, Mathias
University of Basel
Postma, Erik
University of Zurich
Taborsky, Barbara
University of Bern
Data from: Consistent cooperation in a cichlid fish is caused by maternal
and developmental effects rather than heritable genetic variation
Dryad
dataset
2017
maternal effects
Neolamprologus pulcher
variance decomposition
2017-06-06T16:44:54Z
2017-06-06T16:44:54Z
en
https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2017.0369
121011 bytes
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CC0 1.0 Universal (CC0 1.0) Public Domain Dedication
Studies on the evolution of cooperative behaviour are typically confined
to understanding its adaptive value. It is equally essential, however, to
understand its potential to evolve, requiring knowledge about the
phenotypic consistency and genetic basis of cooperative behaviour. While
previous observational studies reported considerably high heritabilities
of helping behaviour in cooperatively breeding vertebrates, experimental
studies disentangling the relevant genetic and non-genetic components of
cooperative behaviour are lacking. In a half-sibling breeding experiment,
we investigated the repeatability and heritability of three major helping
behaviours performed by subordinates of the cooperatively breeding fish
Neolamprologus pulcher. To experimentally manipulate the amount of help
needed in a territory, we raised the fish in two environments differing in
egg predation risk. All three helping behaviours were significantly
repeatable, but had very low heritabilities. The high within-individual
consistencies were predominantly due to maternal and permanent environment
effects. The perceived egg predation risk had no effect on helping, but
social interactions significantly influenced helping propensities. Our
results reveal that developmentally plastic adjustments of provided help
to social context shape cooperative phenotypes, whereas heritable genetic
variation plays a minor role.
Helping behaviour in the cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher540 observations of
3 major alloparental brood care behaviours of the cooperatively breeding
cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher bred in a paternal half-sibling
breeding design. Includes dependent variables egg cleaning, digging, and
defence against egg predator Telmatochromis vittatus of individuals during
a test or a repeated test, covariates that predicted helping behaviours
and random effects for quantitative genetic
analyses.data_cichlid_helping.xlsx
Lake Tanganyika