Breeding pair insect. True breeding pairs are rare in amphibians or reptiles, although the Australian Shingleback is one exception with long-term pair-bonds. Some fish form short term pairs and the French angelfish is thought to pair-bond over a long term. True breeding pairs are quite common in birds. Breeding pair arrangements are rare in mammals, where the prevailing patterns are either that the male and female only meet for copulation (e.g. brown bear) or that dominant males have a harem of females (e.g. walrus). Breeding pair Breeding pair is a pair of animals which cooperate over time to produce offspring with some
Cooperative breeding suggests specific helping costs, such as territory defense, is rooted to one sex. Cooperative breeding reduces the costs of many maternal investments for breeding members. Helpers aid the breeding females with provisioning, lactation stress, guarding of offspring and prenatal investment. Increasing the number of helpers enables a breeding female or male to maintain a healthier physique, higher fitness, increased lifespan and brood size. Female helpers can aid in lactation, but all helpers, male or female, can aid in food provisioning. Helper food provisioning reduces the need for the dominant breeding pair to return to the den, thus allowing them to