Infant care in callitrichids: cooperation and competition

ABSTRACT

In this paper I examine parental care in cooperativebreeding callitrichid monkeys, with particular attention to Callithrix jacchus, considering the breeding strategies adopted by females, and comparing callitrichid communal breeders with the most extensively studied cooperative birds. Cooperative breeding describessituations in which adult individuals, in addition to the genetic parents, aid in the rearing of the young. This rearing system was first described in a few bird species and since then in many other bird and mammal species. Among these are the callitrichids, in which femalesexhibit energetically demanding reproduction. I examine helping patterns, potential benefits and costs to helpers, variables that influence helping behavior in callitrichids and differences between genera. Females in such cooperative systems compete for breeding opportunities, and I review published data to analyze which of the two models, the limited control or theoptimal skew model, better explains this issue. Finally, I briefly compare cooperative breeding systems in birds and callitrichids