PARTITIONING OF REPRODUCTION IN ANIMAL SOCIETIES

A key feature differentiating cooperative animal societies is the appo rtionment of reproduction among individuals. Only recently have studie s started to focus on intraspecific variability in the distribution of reproduction within animal societies, and the available data suggest that this variability might be greater than previously suspected. How can one account for intra- and interspecific variability in partitioni ng of reproduction? This is one of the most intriguing problems in the study of social behaviour, and understanding the factors underlying t his variability is one of the keys to understanding the properties of complex animal societies.