Clutton-Brock T H, Gaynor D, Kansky R, MacColl A D, McIlrath G, Chadwick P, Brotherton P N, O'Riain J M, Manser M, Skinner J D
Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, UK.
Proc Biol Sci. 1998 Feb 7;265(1392):185-90. doi: 10.1098/rspb.1998.0281.
Functional interpretations of helping behaviour suggest that it has evolved because helpers increase their direct or indirect fitness by helping. However, recent critiques have suggested that helping may be an unselected extension of normal parental behaviour, pointing to evidence that all mature individuals commonly respond to begging young (whether they are parents, relatives or non-relatives) as well as to the lack of evidence that cooperative activities have appreciable costs to helpers. Here we provide an example of one form of cooperative behaviour that is seldom performed by parents and has substantial energetic costs to helpers. In the cooperative mongoose, Suricata suricatta, non-breeding adults commonly babysit young pups at the natal burrow for a day at a time, foregoing feeding for 24 hours. Parents rarely contribute to babysitting, and babysitting has substantial energetic costs to helpers. Members of small groups compensate for the reduced number of participants by babysitting more frequently, and neither the proportion of time that babysitters are present nor the survival of litters vary with group size.
对帮助行为的功能解读表明，它之所以进化是因为帮助者通过帮助行为提高了自身的直接或间接适合度。然而，最近的批评意见指出，帮助行为可能是正常亲代行为未经选择的延伸，并指出证据表明，所有成年个体通常都会对乞食的幼崽（无论它们是亲代、亲属还是非亲属）做出反应，而且缺乏证据表明合作活动对帮助者有可观的成本。在此，我们提供了一个合作行为的例子，这种行为很少由亲代执行，并且对帮助者有巨大的能量消耗成本。在合作性的狐獴（Suricata suricatta）中，非繁殖期的成年个体通常会在巢穴一次照顾幼崽一整天，放弃进食24小时。亲代很少参与照顾幼崽，并且照顾幼崽对帮助者有巨大的能量消耗成本。小群体的成员通过更频繁地照顾幼崽来弥补参与者数量的减少，照顾者在场的时间比例和窝仔的存活率都不会随群体大小而变化。
