Partitioning of reproduction in animal societies
1Laurent Keller is at the Zoologisches Institut, Bern University, Ethologische Station Hasli, Wohlenstrasse 50a, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland, and Institut de Zoologie et d'Ecologie Animale, Bâtiment de Biologie, University of Lausanne, 1015 Lausanne, Switzerland.
Abstract:
A key feature differentiating cooperative animal societies Is the apportionment of reproduction among individuals. Only recently have studies started to focus on intraspecific variability in the distribution of reproduction within animal societies, and the available data suggest that this variability might be greater than previously suspected. How can one account for intra-and interspecific variability in partitioning of reproduction? This Is one of the most intriguing problems in the study of social behaviour, and understanding the factors underlying this variability is one of the keys to understanding the properties of complex animal societies.
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