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Science 12 July 2002:
Vol. 297. no. 5579, pp. 253 - 256
DOI: 10.1126/science.1071412
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Reports

Evolution and Development of Sex Differences in Cooperative Behavior in Meerkats

T. H. Clutton-Brock,1* A. F. Russell,1 L. L. Sharpe,2 A. J. Young,1 Z. Balmforth,3 G. M. McIlrath3

In cooperatively breeding birds, where helpers of both sexes assist with the provisioning and upbringing of offspring who are not their own, males tend to contribute more than females to rearing young. This sex difference has been attributed to paternity uncertainty, but could also occur because males contribute more where they are likely to remain and breed in their group of origin. In contrast to most birds, female meerkats (Suricata suricatta) are more likely to breed in their natal group than males. We show that female meerkat helpers contribute more to rearing young than males and that female helpers feed female pups more frequently than males. Our results suggest that sex differences in cooperative behavior are generated by sex differences in philopatry and occur because females derive greater direct benefits than males from raising recruits to their natal group. These findings support the view that direct, mutualistic benefits are important in the evolution of specialized cooperative behavior.

1 Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.
2 Department of Zoology, University of Stellenbosch, Matieland 7602, Republic of South Africa.
3 Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, 0002 Pretoria, Republic of South Africa.
*   To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: thcb{at}hermes.cam.ac.uk

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