Task allocation in a cooperative breeder reflects current needs, not early-life experience

TL;DR

In cooperative cichlids, current needs determine task roles, not early-life experiences, showing flexibility in social behavior.

Contribution

Demonstrates that task allocation in cooperative breeders is driven by present needs rather than early-life experiences.

Findings

Early-life experiences with predator defense or territory maintenance did not influence later task performance.

Current needs like egg care and territory maintenance directly affect task allocation in helpers.

Cooperative breeders prioritize immediate group demands over past experiences when assigning tasks.

Abstract

Division of labour is often perceived as one of the major evolutionary transitions in social groups. Specialisation of individuals in different tasks performed in a territory can increase group efficiency in cooperative breeders and eusocial insects. Nevertheless, environmental unpredictability should select for the presence of generalist individuals, which can flexibly perform all tasks in the territory. Whether individuals should develop as specialists or generalists has been intensively studied to understand ecological influences on the evolution of complex societies. Experiences occurring during early life are crucial for the acquisition of appropriate behaviours in a social context. We examined later-life task performance of helpers of the cooperatively breeding cichlid Neolamprologus pulcher, which had received different early life experiences of helping needs. We demonstrated that neither repeated early life experience with the need to defend against a predator, nor the need for territory maintenance influenced current task performance. Instead, the current needs for help, such as for egg care, predator defence, and territory maintenance influenced task performance of helpers. Therefore, our results suggest that prioritising present requirements over early life experiences shapes task distribution among cooperative breeders.

The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1038/s41598-025-20618-1.

Figures