Cornwallis, C. K. et al., Cooperation facilitates the colonization of harsh environments. Nat. Ecol. Evol. 1, 0057, (2017).
Why are animals, such as these White-fronted bee-eaters, Merops bullockoides, which live in hot and unpredictable environments more likely to breed cooperatively? Research shows that cooperative breeding in birds has enabled the invasion of ecological niches inhospitable to independent breeders. Photo by Derek Keats.