Research Information System
Animal Behaviour, vol.208, pp.91-109, 2024 (SCI-Expanded)
Evolution towards complex forms of sociality is dependent on overcoming conflicts of interest between prospective social partners. Competition for limited resources is a key aspect of such conflicts. Behaviour that results in conflict resolution without termination of the social relationship is thus predicted to be more prevalent in more social species. We here tested this hypothesis by staging contests between conspecifics over a crucial resource, using three lamprologine cichlid species that differ in their sociality. The cooperatively breeding species (Neolamprologus pulcher) indeed demonstrated improved conflict resolution, showing more egalitarian sharing of the resource and establishing mutually tolerant relationships more often compared to the pair-bonded species (Variabilichormis moorii) and the mostly solitary species (Lepidiolamprologus elongatus). We suggest that this is the result of behavioural differences between these cichlids: N. pulcher already showed more de-escalating behaviour during the earliest stages of the contests and increased rates of de-escalating behaviours more in response to heightened levels of aggression. Our results thus provide comparative support for the notion that socially competent behaviour, resolving conflicts while maintaining social relations, is a key behavioural aspect of evolutionary transitions to complex societies.