Limits to social competence across opposing social roles in a cooperatively breeding cichlid

Abstract

Species in stable social groups engage in diverse social interactions, where social competence - the ability to adjust behaviour using social information - can influence fitness. Yet, whether adaptive behavioural flexibility is expressed across contexts within individuals remains relatively untested. To address this, we exposed cooperatively breeding cichlids (Neolamprologus pulcher) to a role-reversal paradigm. In this species, the early social environment shapes social competence, with more competent individuals adjusting behaviour flexibly to social challenges, while individuals also show consistent differences in traits such as aggression. In the present study, individuals were successively assigned to two contrasting roles, smaller territory owners (TOs) and larger intruders (INTs). We predicted role-specific social competence metrics based on behaviours facilitating shelter acquisition. Social competence metrics correlated within, but not across the two roles. Competent TOs showed shorter latencies to submit, more submissive responses to received aggression, and low aggression after initial submission. Competent INTs escalated quickly and relied more on overt aggression rather than displays, allowing faster shelter acquisition. Across roles, individuals competent as TOs were not competent as INTs, and vice versa. This role-specific competence instead appears to be related to aggression across the two roles hinting at the existence of stable behavioural tendencies, which may constrain how social competence shapes behavioural strategies.