Find research datasets worth reusing
Search datasets from major research repositories and use ShareScore to quickly assess how well each record supports discovery, access, and reuse.
138
datasets available to search
ShareScore release 0.7.1
Dataset results
138 results for “cooperative breeding”
Data from: Kin discrimination via odour in the cooperatively breeding banded mongoose
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Supplementary materials for: Female‐female aggression in a cooperatively breeding bird during the non‐breeding period: The behavioral strategy to maintain long‐term partnerships
<p>Social monogamy evolves in association with biparental care. However, males who tend to pursue multiple mating are expected to place less value on established partnerships, whereas females do the opposite to ensure males'participation in rearing offspring. Accordingly, selection is expected to favor paired females to behave aggressively towards females that approach their social mates. For species with long-term partnerships, female-female aggression commonly observed during the breeding period should also occur in the non-breeding period. We look at whether these expectations are held up by conducting a field experiment in Tibetan ground tits Pseudopodoces humilis, a cooperatively breeding bird that has lifetime monogamy and forms new pair bonds in winter. Paired but not unpaired females were more aggressive towards the same-sex than towards opposite-sex intruders experimentally introduced into the winter group territory, an indication that paired females may be protecting partnerships. Both paired and unpaired males, on the other hand, displayed aggression almost equally against intruders of both sexes, indicating a likely function in territory defense. Our work provides the first evidence for the female's role in maintaining long-term monogamy during the non-breeding period in birds, and contributes to the recent progress regarding intrasexual competition between females as a component of sexual selection.</p>
Sex-specific effects of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting on prosociality in corvids
<p>The investigation of prosocial behavior is of particular interest from an evolutionary perspective. Comparisons of prosociality across non-human animal species have, however, so far largely focused on primates, and their interpretation is hampered by the diversity of paradigms and procedures used. Here we present the first systematic comparison of prosocial behavior across multiple species in a taxonomic group outside the primate order, namely the bird family Corvidae. We measured prosociality in 8 corvid species, which vary in the expression of cooperative breeding and colonial nesting. We show that cooperative breeding is positively associated with prosocial behavior across species. Also colonial nesting is associated with a stronger propensity for prosocial behavior, but only in males. The combined results of our study strongly suggest that both cooperative breeding and colonial nesting, which may both rely on heightened social tolerance at the nest, are likely evolutionary pathways to prosocial behavior in corvids.</p>
Data from: No apparent benefits of allonursing for recipient offspring and mothers in the cooperatively breeding meerkat
1. Cooperative behaviours by definition are those that provide some benefit to another individual. Allonursing, the nursing of non-descendent young, is often considered a cooperative behaviour and is assumed to provide benefits to recipient offspring in terms of growth and survival, and to their mothers, by enabling them to share the lactation load. However, these proposed benefits are not well understood, in part because maternal and litter traits and other ecological and social variables are not independent of one another, making patterns hard to discern using standard univariate analyses. 2. Here, we investigate the potential benefits of allonursing in the cooperatively breeding Kalahari meerkat, where socially subordinate females allonurse the young of a dominant pair without having young of their own. 3. We use structural equation modelling to allow us to account for the interdependence of maternal traits, litter traits and environmental factors. 4. We find no evidence that allonursing provides benefits to pups or mothers. Pups that received allonursing were not heavier at emergence and did not have a higher survival rate than pups that did not receive allonursing. Mothers whose litters were allonursed were not in better physical condition, did not reconceive faster and did not reduce their own nursing investment compared to mothers who nursed their litters alone. These patterns were not significantly influenced by whether mothers were in relatively good, or poor, condition. 5. We suggest that allonursing may persist in this species because the costs to allonurses may be low. Alternatively, allonursing may confer other, more cryptic, benefits to pups or allonurses, such as immunological or social benefits.
Data from: Extra-group mating increases inbreeding risk in a cooperatively breeding bird
In many cooperatively-breeding species females mate extra-group, the adaptive value of which remains poorly understood. One hypothesis posits that females employ extra-group mating to access mates whose genotypes are more dissimilar to their own than their social mates', so as to increase offspring heterozygosity. We test this hypothesis using life-history and genetic data from 36 cooperatively-breeding white-browed sparrow weaver (Plocepasser mahali) groups. Contrary to prediction, a dominant female's relatedness to her social mate did not drive extra-group mating decisions and, moreover, extra-group mating females were significantly more related to their extra-group sires than their social mates. Instead, dominant females were substantially more likely to mate extra-group when paired to a dominant male of low heterozygosity, and their extra-group mates (typically dominants themselves) were significantly more heterozygous than the males they cuckolded. The combined effects of mating with extra-group males of closer relatedness but higher heterozygosity resulted in extra-group-sired offspring that were no more heterozygous than their within-group-sired half-siblings. Our findings are consistent with a role for male-male competition in driving extra-group mating and suggest that the local kin structure typical of cooperative breeders could counter potential benefits to females of mating extra-group by exposing them to a risk of inbreeding.
Data from: Heritabilities, social environment effects and genetic correlations of social behaviours in a cooperatively breeding vertebrate
Social animals interact frequently with conspecifics, and their behaviour is influenced by social context, environmental cues and the behaviours of interaction partners, allowing for adaptive, flexible adjustments to social encounters. This flexibility can be limited by part of the behavioural variation being genetically determined. Furthermore, behaviours can be genetically correlated, potentially constraining independent evolution. Understanding social behaviour thus requires carefully disentangling genetic, environmental, maternal and social sources of variations as well as the correlation structure between behaviours. Here, we assessed heritability, maternal, common environment and social effects of eight social behaviours in Neolamprologus pulcher, a cooperatively breeding cichlid. We bred wild-caught fish in a paternal half-sibling design and scored ability to defend a resource against conspecifics, to integrate into a group and the propensity to help defending the group territory ('helping behaviour'). We assessed genetic, social and phenotypic correlations within clusters of behaviours predicted to be functionally related, namely 'competition', 'aggression', 'aggression-sociability', 'integration' and 'integration-help'. Helping behaviour and two affiliative behaviours were heritable, whereas there was little evidence for a genetic basis in all other traits. Phenotypic social effects explained part of the variation in a sociable and a submissive behaviour, but there were no maternal or common environment effects. Genetic and phenotypic correlation within clusters were mostly positive. A group's social environment influenced covariances of social behaviours. Genetic correlations were similar in magnitude but usually exceeding the phenotypic ones, indicating that conclusions about the evolution of social behaviours in this species could be provisionally drawn from phenotypic data in cases where data for genetic analyses are unobtainable.
Data from: Delayed dispersal and the costs and benefits of different routes to independent breeding in a cooperatively breeding bird
Why sexually mature individuals stay in groups as nonreproductive subordinates is central to the evolution of sociality and cooperative breeding. To understand such delayed dispersal, its costs and benefits need to be compared with those of permanently leaving to float through the population. However, comprehensive comparisons, especially regarding differences in future breeding opportunities, are rare. Moreover, extraterritorial prospecting by philopatric individuals has generally been ignored, even though the factors underlying this route to independent breeding may differ from those of strict philopatry or floating. We use a comprehensive predictive framework to explore how various costs, benefits and intrinsic, environmental and social factors explain philopatry, prospecting, and floating in Seychelles warblers (Acrocephalus sechellensis). Not only floaters more likely obtained an independent breeding position before the next season than strictly philopatric individuals, but also suffered higher mortality. Prospecting yielded similar benefits to floating but lower mortality costs, suggesting that it is overall more beneficial than floating and strict philopatry. While prospecting is probably individual-driven, although limited by resource availability, floating likely results from eviction by unrelated breeders. Such differences in proximate and ultimate factors underlying each route to independent breeding highlight the need for simultaneous consideration when studying the evolution of delayed dispersal.
Data from: Rearing group size determines social competence and brain structure in a cooperatively breeding cichlid
Social animals can greatly benefit from well-developed social skills. Because the frequency and diversity of social interactions often increase with the size of social groups, the benefits of advanced social skills can be expected to increase with group size. Variation in social skills often arises during ontogeny, depending on early social experience. Whether variation of social-group sizes affects development of social skills and related changes in brain structures remains unexplored. We investigated whether, in a cooperatively breeding cichlid, early group size (1) shapes social behavior and social skills and (2) induces lasting plastic changes in gross brain structures and (3) whether the development of social skills is confined to a sensitive ontogenetic period. Rearing-group size and the time juveniles spent in these groups interactively influenced the development of social skills and the relative sizes of four main brain regions. We did not detect a sensitive developmental period for the shaping of social behavior within the 2-month experience phase. Instead, our results suggest continuous plastic behavioral changes over time. We discuss how developmental effects on social behavior and brain architecture may adaptively tune phenotypes to their current or future environments.
Data from: Reproductive sharing in relation to group and colony-level attributes in a cooperative breeding fish
The degree to which group members share reproduction is dictated by both within-group (e.g. group size and composition) and between-group (e.g. density and position of neighbours) characteristics. While many studies have investigated reproductive patterns within social groups, few have simultaneously explored how within-group and between-group social structure influence these patterns. Here, we investigated how group size and composition, along with territory density and location within the colony, influenced parentage in 36 wild groups of a colonial, cooperatively breeding fish Neolamprologus pulcher. Dominant males sired 76% of offspring in their group, whereas dominant females mothered 82% of offspring in their group. Subordinate reproduction was frequent, occurring in 47% of sampled groups. Subordinate males gained more paternity in groups located in high-density areas and in groups with many subordinate males. Dominant males and females in large groups and in groups with many reproductively mature subordinates had higher rates of parentage loss, but only at the colony edge. Our study provides, to our knowledge, the first comprehensive quantification of reproductive sharing among groups of wild N. pulcher, a model species for the study of cooperation and social behaviour. Further, we demonstrate that the frequency of extra-pair parentage differs across small social and spatial scales.
Data from: Re-evaluating the distribution of cooperative breeding in birds: is it tightly linked with altriciality?
The evolution of cooperative breeding (CB) in birds has aroused intensive interest for decades, largely due to the paradox that some adults forgo independent breeding to help others. While much effort has been directed at understanding the adaptive significance of CB behavior, much less effort has been spent on understanding its origin. Ligon and Burt argued that the evolution of altriciality played a key role in the origin of CB since CB occurs more frequently in altricial lineages than expected if developmental mode and CB evolved independently and that both traits arose early in the avian tree of life. We mapped presence or absence of CB, and precocial or altricial development on a recent phylogeny of all birds to re-evaluate their conclusions. Our results suggest altriciality may be more recently derived than previously thought, and that CB species clustered in a derived land bird clade (especially within Passeriformes) where we reconstructed many gains and losses. We did find a link between cooperative breeding and altriciality. However, since CB also occurs in precocial species, has not evolved in many altricial clades, and may have evolved prior to altriciality (based on some classifications of which species have CB), it is not clear whether altriciality is linked to other factors, such as benefits to group living, that are necessary for the acquisition of CB behavior, or whether altriciality may have been a driving force in the evolution of CB itself. The relative importance of these other factors versus altriciality for the origin of CB needs to be considered.
Winter is coming: harsh environments limit independent reproduction of cooperative-breeding queens in a socially polymorphic ant
<p><span>Animals that live in cooperative breeding groups frequently inhabit harsh environments. It is widely accepted that harsh environments hinder independent reproduction, and this constraint favours individuals staying in family groups. Yet the assumption that harsh ecological conditions reduce the success of members of cooperative breeding groups when breeding independently has not been experimentally tested. We addressed this shortcoming using the socially polymorphic Alpine silver ant, <i>Formica selysi</i>. This species has single-queen (independent breeders), and multiple-queen (cooperative breeders) colonies</span><span> coexisting within populations</span><span>. We placed newly mated queens emerging from each type of colony to breed alone in either a harsh or mild winter condition and recorded their </span>brood production and survival.<span> Queens emerging from single-queen colonies were unaffected by the winter condition and had higher survival and larger broods than queens from multiple-queen colonies. In contrast, queens from multiple-queen colonies had higher mortality after a harsh than after a mild winter. These results support the long-held assumption that harsh environments constrain independent reproduction of members of cooperative breeding groups. </span></p>
Data for: Nest cavity reuse by the cooperatively breeding Acorn Woodpecker
<p><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span><span>Although primary cavity-nesting species are capable of excavating new cavities, they often reuse old ones. To determine potential factors driving such reuse, we studied nest-cavity reuse in the Acorn Woodpecker (<i>Melanerpes formicivorus</i>), a cooperative breeding species that reuses old cavities for 57.2% of nests at Hastings Reservation in central coastal California, USA. We found no evidence for significant fitness costs or benefits of cavity reuse compared to using newly constructed cavities. In contrast, several lines of evidence supported a role for constraints on both cavity reuse and on new cavity construction. The main constraint on reuse was cavities failing to survive from one year to the next, usually because the limb fell apart, filled with water, or was usurped by another species. Evidence that constraints on new cavity construction may be important included more frequent cavity reuse when groups renested and use of artificial cavities when they were experimentally provided. Nest-cavity reuse in this population appears to be driven primarily by constraints, including the energetic costs and time required to excavate a new cavity, rather than fitness consequences, even though Acorn Woodpeckers regularly excavate small holes in trees for acorn storage and the energetic costs of new cavity construction are apparently insufficient to significantly depress reproductive success. Constraints play a significant role in cavity reuse and may affect both the intraspecific and interspecific frequency of cavity reuse among facultative excavating species.</span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></span></p>
Decline and Fall: the causes of group failure in cooperatively breeding meerkats
In many social vertebrates, variation in group persistence exerts an important effect on individual fitness and population demography. However, few studies have been able to investigate the failure of groups or the causes of the variation in their longevity. We use data from a long-term study of cooperatively breeding meerkats, Suricata suricatta, to investigate the different causes of group failure and the factors that drive these processes. Many newly formed groups failed within a year of formation and smaller groups were more likely to fail due to collapse. Groups that breed successfully and increase their size, could persist for several years, even decades. For long lived groups, the principal cause of failure for was infection with tuberculosis, Mycobacterium suricattae, a fatal disease that commonly spread throughout the group and killing group members. Infection risk was higher in groups with mobile individuals, that were small or experienced immigration.
Would you detour with me? Association between functional breed selection and social learning in dogs sheds light on elements of dog-human cooperation
<p>Raw dataset for the research article.</p> <p>Dog Owner Consent form</p>
Winter is coming: harsh environments limit independent reproduction of cooperative-breeding queens in a socially polymorphic ant
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Task-dependent workload adjustment of female breeders in a cooperatively breeding fish
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Big groups attract bad eggs: brood parasitism correlates with but does not cause cooperative breeding
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Maternal allocation in eggs when counting on helpers in a cooperatively breeding bird
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Data from: Reverse audience effects on helping in cooperatively breeding marmoset monkeys
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
Decline and Fall: the causes of group failure in cooperatively breeding meerkats
Open the record for dataset details and reuse information.
ScienceDex guides
Understand access before you commit
These curated guides explain access requirements, typical timelines, costs, and reuse considerations for widely used research datasets.
Allen Brain Atlas
Allen Brain Atlas is an Allen Institute collection of brain map atlases, datasets, APIs, and analysis tools covering mouse, human, and non-human primate brain resources.
Annotated Behaviour and Observability Dataset (ABODe)
ABODe is a University of Edinburgh DataShare dataset for behavior classification in group-housed mice using home-cage video, identities, bounding boxes, ground-plate positions, and annotator labels.
DANDI Archive for NWB datasets
DANDI is a BRAIN Initiative archive for publishing and sharing neurophysiology data, including electrophysiology, optophysiology, and behavioral data packaged as NWB and related standards.
International Brain Laboratory public data
The International Brain Laboratory public data releases expose standardized mouse decision-making experiments, including Neuropixels recordings, widefield calcium imaging, behavior, and session metadata accessed through the ONE API.
OpenNeuro
OpenNeuro is a free, open platform for sharing neuroimaging datasets, with public search, dataset pages, and download paths for web, S3, DataLad, and the OpenNeuro CLI.