Despite the widespread occurrence of communal breeding in animal societies, the fitness consequences for mothers are poorly understood. One factor that may have an important influence on the net benefits mothers gain from breeding communally is the competitive ability of their offspring, as mothers are likely to gain substantial advantages from producing young who can outcompete the offspring of other females for access to resources. Here, we investigate the factors that influence offspring competition in the communally breeding banded mongoose (Mungos mungo). We show that heavy offspring are more likely to win competitive interactions with their littermates. Heavy offspring also receive more care and are more likely to survive to independe...
Competition between young of the same brood or litter is of particular interest in the fields of beh...
Social instability frequently arises in group-living species, but the potential costs have rarely be...
International audience1. Kin competition often reduces-and sometimes entirely negates-the benefits o...
Female intrasexual competition is intense in cooperatively breeding species where offspring compete ...
Social species show considerable variation in the extent to which dominant females suppress subordin...
Research in medicine and evolutionary biology suggests that the sequencing of parental investment ha...
When breeding females compete for limited resources, the intensity of this reproductive conflict can...
Females of many animal species seek mating opportunities with multiple males, despite being able to ...
Dwarf mongooses are small, social carnivores, distributed throughout woodland and savanna regions of...
Kin selection theory defines the conditions for which altruism or ‘helping’ can be favoured by natur...
With limiting resources and large demands for resources to breed, this can result in reproductive co...
Within animal societies, individuals often differ greatly in their level of investment in cooperativ...
Why breed communally? Factors affecting fecundity in a communal breeding mammal: the banded mongoose...
Individual differences in contributions to cooperation can be strikingly consistent over time giving...
Inbreeding and inbreeding avoidance are key factors in the evolution of animal societies, influencin...
Competition between young of the same brood or litter is of particular interest in the fields of beh...
Social instability frequently arises in group-living species, but the potential costs have rarely be...
International audience1. Kin competition often reduces-and sometimes entirely negates-the benefits o...
Female intrasexual competition is intense in cooperatively breeding species where offspring compete ...
Social species show considerable variation in the extent to which dominant females suppress subordin...
Research in medicine and evolutionary biology suggests that the sequencing of parental investment ha...
When breeding females compete for limited resources, the intensity of this reproductive conflict can...
Females of many animal species seek mating opportunities with multiple males, despite being able to ...
Dwarf mongooses are small, social carnivores, distributed throughout woodland and savanna regions of...
Kin selection theory defines the conditions for which altruism or ‘helping’ can be favoured by natur...
With limiting resources and large demands for resources to breed, this can result in reproductive co...
Within animal societies, individuals often differ greatly in their level of investment in cooperativ...
Why breed communally? Factors affecting fecundity in a communal breeding mammal: the banded mongoose...
Individual differences in contributions to cooperation can be strikingly consistent over time giving...
Inbreeding and inbreeding avoidance are key factors in the evolution of animal societies, influencin...
Competition between young of the same brood or litter is of particular interest in the fields of beh...
Social instability frequently arises in group-living species, but the potential costs have rarely be...
International audience1. Kin competition often reduces-and sometimes entirely negates-the benefits o...