Lukas Dieter, Clutton-Brock Tim
Department of Zoology , University of Cambridge , Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ , UK.
R Soc Open Sci. 2017 Jan 18;4(1):160897. doi: 10.1098/rsos.160897. eCollection 2017 Jan.
Cooperative breeding systems, in which non-breeding individuals provide care for the offspring of dominant group members, occur in less than 1% of mammals and are associated with social monogamy and the production of multiple offspring per birth (polytocy). Here, we show that the distribution of alloparental care by non-breeding subordinates is associated with habitats where annual rainfall is low. A possible reason for this association is that the females of species found in arid environments are usually polytocous and this may have facilitated the evolution of alloparental care.
合作繁殖系统是指非繁殖个体为优势群体成员的后代提供照料，这种情况在不到1%的哺乳动物中出现，并且与社会一夫一妻制以及每胎产多仔（多胎）有关。在此，我们表明非繁殖从属个体的异亲照料分布与年降水量低的栖息地有关。这种关联的一个可能原因是，在干旱环境中发现的物种的雌性通常是多胎的，这可能促进了异亲照料的进化。
