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To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2010.07.011 Byline: Hannah L. Dugdale (a)(b), Stephen A. Ellwood (a), David W. Macdonald (a) Abstract: Cooperative-breeding studies tend to focus on a few alloparental behaviours in highly cooperative species exhibiting high reproductive skew and the associated short-term, but less frequently long-term, fitness costs. We analysed a suite of alloparental behaviours (assessed via filming) in a kin-structured, high-density population of plurally breeding European badgers, Meles meles, which are not highly cooperative. Group members, other than mothers, performed alloparental behaviour; however, this was not correlated with their relatedness to within-group young. Furthermore, mothers babysat, allogroomed cubs without reciprocation, and allomarked cubs more than other members of the group (controlling for observation time). For welfare reasons, we could not individually mark cubs; however, the number observed pre-independence never exceeded that trapped. All 24 trapped cubs, in three filmed groups, were assigned both parents using 22 microsatellites. Mothers may breed cooperatively, as the time they babysat their assigned, or a larger, litter size did not differ. Furthermore, two mothers probably allonursed, as they suckled more cubs than their assigned litter size. An 18-year genetic pedigree, however, detected no short-term (litter size; maternal survival to the following year) or long-term (offspring breeding probability; offspring lifetime breeding success) fitness benefits with more within-group mothers or other members of the group. Rather, the number of other members of the group (excluding mothers) correlated negatively with long-term fitness. Mothers may tolerate other members of the group, as nonbreeders undertook more digging. Our study highlights that alloparental care varies on a continuum from that seen in this high-density badger population, where alloparenting behaviour is minimal, through to species where alloparental care is common and provides fitness benefits. Author Affiliation: (a) Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, U.K. (b) Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, U.K. Article History: Received 19 March 2010; Revised 25 May 2010; Accepted 13 July 2010 Article Note: (miscellaneous) MS. number: 10-00201

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.12.016 Byline: Stephanie Periquet (a)(b), Marion Valeix (a)(b), Andrew J. Loveridge (b), Hillary Madzikanda (c), David W. Macdonald (b), Herve Fritz (a) Abstract: Perceived risk of predation is considered to influence individual prey vigilance, but little is known about the extent to which the context (e.g. distance to cover, group size) and the immediate presence of predators determine individual prey vigilance. We combined behavioural data on individual vigilance of herbivores at waterholes with fine-scale spatiotemporal data from 27 African lions, Panthera leo, fitted with GPS radiocollars to test whether individual prey vigilance increases when predators are in the vicinity and whether this relationship is influenced by group size and presence of other herbivores. The study was conducted on giraffe, Giraffa camelopardalis, greater kudu, Tragelaphus strepsiceros, and plains zebra, Equus quagga, in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe, between mid-September and mid-November 2008. Kudu was the only species to adjust its vigilance level significantly in the presence of lions, arguably owing to its higher contribution to lion diet in Hwange. Kudu devoted a significantly higher proportion of time to vigilance when lions were in the vicinity. Furthermore, the proportion of time spent on individual vigilance decreased as group size increased during the approach and drinking phases, particularly when lions were in the vicinity. Finally, the presence of other herbivores at the waterhole enabled kudu to spend less time vigilant while drinking. These adjustments involved changes in the length of vigilance bouts, but not in their frequency. Our study suggests that the interplay between the context (group size, presence of other prey) and the immediate presence of predators determines the level of vigilance in prey. Author Affiliation: (a) CNRS Universite Claude Bernard Lyon 1 UMR 5558, Laboratoire Biometrie et Biologie Evolutive, Universite de Lyon, France (b) Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department, Oxford University, U.K. (c) Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Zimbabwe Article History: Received 9 September 2009; Revised 16 October 2009; Accepted 24 November 2009 Article Note: (miscellaneous) MS. number: 09-00584

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2009.11.021 Byline: Markus Gusset, David W. Macdonald Abstract: In groups of cooperative breeders, individual fitness can increase as a direct consequence of group size, whereby the extent of these benefits is likely to depend, to a degree that is largely unknown, on the prevailing ecological conditions. We examined the effect of group size on pup production and survival across age classes in cooperatively breeding African wild dogs, Lycaon pictus, across 12 quasiexperimental sites in South Africa varying in ecological conditions. In this sample spanning over 43 pack-years, group size had a significantly positive effect on litter size after emergence from the den, but not on number of pups surviving to 1 year of age or survival rates for pups, yearlings and adults. Stronger relationships between these variables have been reported in other samples, so these results might be explained by low competitor density and high prey availability in our study areas. This explanation is supported by the finding that neither of these variables had any significant effect on pup production and survival across age classes in the present study. The results of our quasiexperimental study suggest that varying ecological conditions represent an important source of intraspecific variation in the impact of helpers in cooperative breeders. Author Affiliation: Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, U.K. Article History: Received 17 May 2009; Revised 20 July 2009; Accepted 2 November 2009 Article Note: (miscellaneous) MS. number: 09-00319R

To link to full-text access for this article, visit this link: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.anbehav.2008.09.022 Byline: Stacey E. Hewitt (a), David W. Macdonald (a), Hannah L. Dugdale (a)(b) Abstract: A social hierarchy is generally assumed to exist in those mammalian societies in which the costs and benefits of group living are distributed unevenly among group members. We analysed infrared closed-circuit television footage, collected over 3 years in Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, to test whether social groups of European badgers have dominance hierarchies. Analysis of directed aggression between dyads revealed linear dominance hierarchies in three social-group-years, but patterns within social groups were not consistent across years. Dominance hierarchies were significantly steeper than random in five out of six social-group-years. In those social-group-years where a linear hierarchy was determined, there was an effect of sex on dominance rank, with females gaining significantly higher rank than males in two social-group-years. Overall, rank was not related to age, nor did it appear to affect the likelihood of an individual being wounded, or an individual's breeding status. The latter resulted from nonorthogonality between sex and breeding status, as there were only two breeding males. Overall, hierarchies were primarily dominated by breeding females, and may occur when breeding competition arises. Relatedness, unreciprocated allogrooming and sequential allomarking were not consistently related to levels of directed aggression across social-group-years. We suggest that dominance structures within European badger groups may be context dependent, with future study required to complete our understanding of where, and when, they arise. Author Affiliation: (a) Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, U.K. (b) NERC Molecular Genetics Facility, Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, U.K. Article History: Received 11 June 2008; Revised 7 July 2008; Accepted 19 September 2008 Article Note: (miscellaneous) MS. number: 08-00393

Research shows that field voles and bank voles reduce their activity when exposed to the odour of terrestrial mammal predators, but no testing has been done on water voles whose predators include weasels, otters and polecats. A new study investigates water vole response to the odours of predators. Water voles exposed to odours from brown rats and the American mink avoided the brown rat's odour less than the mink's odour. It is suggested that the water voles' response to mink odours, to which they had no previous exposure, is innate.

A study was conducted to determine the functions of the individual badger Meles meles in the den maintenance activities of digging and bedding at their communal setts. Results show that 60-90% of the digging and bedding tasks were done by both adult and yearling Eurasian badgers. It was also observed that male badgers do more digging and collect more bedding as compared to their female counterparts.

The monogamous behavior of Blanford's foxes (Vulpes cana) is investigated. Results show that polygyny is rarely practiced by Vulpes cana, and this is due to habitat adaptation rather than body size. Moreover, physiological corollaries of body size result in allometries that dictate interspecific differences in requirements for post-partum care, and therefore determine rearing systems.