TY - JOUR TI - Experimental evidence that chronic outgroup conflict reduces reproductive success in a cooperatively breeding fish AU - Braga Goncalves, Ines AU - Radford, Andrew N A2 - Tung, Jenny A2 - Weigel, Detlef A2 - Dyble, Mark VL - 11 PY - 2022 DA - 2022/09/14 SP - e72567 C1 - eLife 2022;11:e72567 DO - 10.7554/eLife.72567 UR - https://doi.org/10.7554/eLife.72567 AB - Conflicts with conspecific outsiders are common in group-living species, from ants to primates, and are argued to be an important selective force in social evolution. However, whilst an extensive empirical literature exists on the behaviour exhibited during and immediately after interactions with rivals, only very few observational studies have considered the cumulative fitness consequences of outgroup conflict. Using a cooperatively breeding fish, the daffodil cichlid (Neolamprologus pulcher), we conducted the first experimental test of the effects of chronic outgroup conflict on reproductive investment and output. ‘Intruded’ groups received long-term simulated territorial intrusions by neighbours that generated consistent group-defence behaviour; matched ‘Control’ groups (each the same size and with the same neighbours as an Intruded group) received no intrusions in the same period. Intruded groups had longer inter-clutch intervals and produced eggs with increasingly less protein than Control groups. Despite the lower egg investment, Intruded groups provided more parental care and achieved similar hatching success to Control groups. Ultimately, however, Intruded groups had fewer and smaller surviving offspring than Control groups at 1-month post-hatching. We therefore provide experimental evidence that outgroup conflict can decrease fitness via cumulative effects on reproductive success, confirming the selective potential of this empirically neglected aspect of sociality. KW - Neolamprologus pulcher KW - fitness consequences KW - conspecific rivals KW - social evolution JF - eLife SN - 2050-084X PB - eLife Sciences Publications, Ltd ER -