Helpers at the Nest Improve Late-Life Offspring Performance: Evidence from a Long-Term Study and a Cross-Foster Experiment

Lyanne Brouwer; David S. Richardson; Jan Komdeur

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0033167

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Open Access

Peer-reviewed

Research Article

Helpers at the Nest Improve Late-Life Offspring Performance: Evidence from a Long-Term Study and a Cross-Foster Experiment

Lyanne Brouwer ,

* E-mail: L.Brouwer@MyScience.eu

Affiliations Animal Ecology group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia
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David S. Richardson,

Affiliations Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom, Nature Seychelles, Mahé, Republic of Seychelles
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Jan Komdeur

Affiliations Animal Ecology group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, Behavioural Ecology and Self-organisation, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
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Helpers at the Nest Improve Late-Life Offspring Performance: Evidence from a Long-Term Study and a Cross-Foster Experiment

Lyanne Brouwer,
David S. Richardson,
Jan Komdeur

Published: April 4, 2012
https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0033167

About the Authors

Lyanne Brouwer

* E-mail: L.Brouwer@MyScience.eu

Affiliations Animal Ecology group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, Evolution, Ecology and Genetics, Research School of Biology, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia

David S. Richardson

Affiliations Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Conservation, School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, United Kingdom, Nature Seychelles, Mahé, Republic of Seychelles

Jan Komdeur

Affiliations Animal Ecology group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands, Behavioural Ecology and Self-organisation, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands

Competing Interests

The authors have declared that no competing interests exist.

Author Contributions

Analyzed the data: LB. Contributed reagents/materials/analysis tools: LB DSR. Wrote the paper: LB. Conceived and designed the cross-foster experiment: DSR JK. Performed the cross-foster experiment: DSR. Collected field data: LB DSR JK.

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Birds
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Animal sexual behavior
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Bird eggs
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Nesting habits
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Seychelles
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Genetics
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Islands
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Reproductive success
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