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Robbins MM. Reflections on connections. Primates 2023; 64:191-197. [PMID: 36867278 PMCID: PMC9982802 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-023-01059-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2023] [Accepted: 02/18/2023] [Indexed: 03/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Martha M Robbins
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leizpig, Germany.
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All-You-Can-Eat: Influence of Proximity to Maize Gardens on the Wild Diet and the Forest Activities of the Sebitoli Chimpanzee Community in Kibale National Park. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12070806. [PMID: 35405796 PMCID: PMC8996920 DOI: 10.3390/ani12070806] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/08/2022] [Revised: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 03/18/2022] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Understanding the resilience of primate populations to the threat of agricultural expansion is critical for effective conservation. Based on individual monitoring from morning to evening of wild chimpanzees in and around a protected area, we showed that the availability of maize at the forest edge had little effect on their activity budget by less resting and no impact on their wild diet and energy expenditure. In this area, large, caloric wild fruits are available year-round, and we observed no behavioral or dietary changes regarding wild resource availability either. Thus, the chimpanzees consume maize opportunistically as a bonus treat in their diet, and the presence of this nutritious resource does not seem to affect their role in seed dispersal and forest regeneration. Abstract Frugivorous primates have developed several strategies to deal with wild fruit scarcity, such as modifying their activity budget or enlarging their diet. Agricultural expansion threatens primate habitats and populations (e.g., disease transmission, agrochemical exposure), but it also increases crop feeding opportunities. We aimed at understanding whether maize presence close to the natural habitat of chimpanzees, a threatened species, would lead to significant behavioral modifications. We monitored 20 chimpanzees over 37 months in Kibale National Park, Uganda, with maize gardens at the forest edge. Based on focal nest-to-nest data, we analyzed their diet, activity budget, and energy balance depending on wild fruit and maize availability. We found that the Sebitoli area is a highly nutritive habitat for chimpanzees, with large and caloric wild fruits available all year long. The chimpanzees opportunistically consume maize and exploit it by resting less during maize season. However, no significant variation was found in daily paths and energy expenditures according to maize availability. No behavioral or energy modification was observed regarding wild resources either. Despite the availability of nutritious domestic resources, chimpanzees still exploit wild fruits and do not limit their movements. Thus, their contribution to seed dispersal and forest regeneration in this area is not affected.
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Dehnen T, Arbon JJ, Farine DR, Boogert NJ. How feedback and feed-forward mechanisms link determinants of social dominance. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2022; 97:1210-1230. [PMID: 35150197 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12838] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/20/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/21/2022]
Abstract
In many animal societies, individuals differ consistently in their ability to win agonistic interactions, resulting in dominance hierarchies. These differences arise due to a range of factors that can influence individuals' abilities to win agonistic interactions, spanning from genetically driven traits through to individuals' recent interaction history. Yet, despite a century of study since Schjelderup-Ebbe's seminal paper on social dominance, we still lack a general understanding of how these different factors work together to determine individuals' positions in hierarchies. Here, we first outline five widely studied factors that can influence interaction outcomes: intrinsic attributes, resource value asymmetry, winner-loser effects, dyadic interaction-outcome history and third-party support. A review of the evidence shows that a variety of factors are likely important to interaction outcomes, and thereby individuals' positions in dominance hierarchies, in diverse species. We propose that such factors are unlikely to determine dominance outcomes independently, but rather form part of feedback loops whereby the outcomes of previous agonistic interactions (e.g. access to food) impact factors that might be important in subsequent interactions (e.g. body condition). We provide a conceptual framework that illustrates the multitude potential routes through which such feedbacks can occur, and how the factors that determine the outcomes of dominance interactions are highly intertwined and thus rarely act independently of one another. Further, we generalise our framework to include multi-generational feed-forward mechanisms: how interaction outcomes in one generation can influence the factors determining interaction outcomes in the next generation via a range of parental effects. This general framework describes how interaction outcomes and the factors determining them are linked within generations via feedback loops, and between generations via feed-forward mechanisms. We then highlight methodological approaches that will facilitate the study of feedback loops and dominance dynamics. Lastly, we discuss how our framework could shape future research, including: how feedbacks generate variation in the factors discussed, and how this might be studied experimentally; how the relative importance of different feedback mechanisms varies across timescales; the role of social structure in modulating the effect of feedbacks on hierarchy structure and stability; and the routes of parental influence on the dominance status of offspring. Ultimately, by considering dominance interactions as part of a dynamic feedback system that also feeds forward into subsequent generations, we will understand better the factors that structure dominance hierarchies in animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tobit Dehnen
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, TR10 9FE, U.K.,Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz, 78464, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland
| | - Josh J Arbon
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, TR10 9FE, U.K
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz, 78464, Germany.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, Zürich, 8057, Switzerland.,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz, 78464, Germany
| | - Neeltje J Boogert
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, TR10 9FE, U.K
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Dissecting the two mechanisms of scramble competition among the Virunga mountain gorillas. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021; 75:82. [PMID: 34776593 PMCID: PMC8550613 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03016-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2020] [Revised: 03/24/2021] [Accepted: 03/30/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Abstract Two mechanisms have been proposed to explain why scramble competition can increase the travel requirements of individuals within larger groups. Firstly, individuals in larger groups may be more likely to encounter food sites where other group members have already eaten, leading to greater asynchronous “individual” travel to find fresh sites. Secondly, when food sites are aggregated into patches, larger groups may need to visit more patches to obtain the same amount of food per capita, leading to greater synchronous “group” travel between patches. If the first mechanism can be mitigated by increasing group spread, then we expect the second mechanism to be more sensitive to group size. Here, we examine the individual travel and group travel of the Virunga mountain gorillas, along with potential implications for the two mechanisms of scramble competition. Asynchronous individual travel accounted for 67% of the total travel time, and the remainder arose from group travel. Group spread increased significantly for larger groups, but not enough to prevent an increase in individual travel. Contrary to expectations, group travel decreased with size among most groups, and we found only limited evidence of patch depletion that would cause the second mechanism of scramble competition. Collectively, our results illustrate how the influence of group size can differ for individual travel versus group travel, just as it differs among species for overall travel. Studies that distinguish between the two mechanisms of scramble competition may enhance our understanding of ecological constraints upon group size, including potential differences between frugivores and folivores. Significance statement Feeding competition provides insight into how group size can influence the foraging patterns of social animals, but two key mechanisms are not typically compared. Firstly, larger groups may visit more patches to access the same amount of food per capita (group travel). Secondly, their individuals may also need to move past more spots where another member has already eaten (individual travel). Contrary to expectations, we found that group travel decreased with size for most groups of mountain gorillas, which may reflect extra travel by smaller groups to avoid larger groups. Individual travel increased with size in most groups, even though gorillas in larger groups compensated by spreading out over a broader area. The two mechanisms revealed patterns that were not apparent in our previous study of overall travel. Our approach may help to explain potential differences between folivores and frugivores.
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Wright E, Galbany J, McFarlin SC, Ndayishimiye E, Stoinski TS, Robbins MM. Dominance rank but not body size influences female reproductive success in mountain gorillas. PLoS One 2020; 15:e0233235. [PMID: 32492071 PMCID: PMC7269200 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0233235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/09/2019] [Accepted: 04/30/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
According to life history theory, natural selection has shaped trade-offs for allocating energy among growth, reproduction and maintenance to maximize individual fitness. In social mammals body size and dominance rank are two key variables believed to influence female reproductive success. However, few studies have examined these variables together, particularly in long-lived species. Previous studies found that female dominance rank correlates with reproductive success in mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei), which is surprising given they have weak dominance relationships and experience seemingly low levels of feeding competition. It is not currently known whether this relationship is primarily driven by a positive correlation between rank and body size. We used the non-invasive parallel laser method to measure two body size variables (back breadth and body length) of 34 wild adult female mountain gorillas, together with long-term dominance and demography data to investigate the interrelationships among body size, dominance rank and two measures of female reproductive success (inter-birth interval N = 29 and infant mortality N = 64). Using linear mixed models, we found no support for body size to be significantly correlated with dominance rank or female reproductive success. Higher-ranking females had significantly shorter inter-birth intervals than lower-ranking ones, but dominance rank was not significantly correlated with infant mortality. Our results suggest that female dominance rank is primarily determined by factors other than linear body dimensions and that high rank provides benefits even in species with weak dominance relationships and abundant year-round food resources. Future studies should focus on the mechanisms behind heterogeneity in female body size in relation to trade-offs in allocating energy to growth, maintenance and lifetime reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edward Wright
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- * E-mail:
| | - Jordi Galbany
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, University of Barcelona, Barcelona, Spain
| | - Shannon C. McFarlin
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, United States of America
| | - Eric Ndayishimiye
- Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Tara S. Stoinski
- Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Atlanta, Georgia, United States of America
| | - Martha M. Robbins
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Ostrofsky KR, Robbins MM. Fruit-feeding and activity patterns of mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei) in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2020; 173:3-20. [PMID: 32274796 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24056] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/23/2019] [Revised: 02/14/2020] [Accepted: 03/21/2020] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Availability of fruit is an important factor influencing variation in great ape foraging strategies and activity patterns. This study aims to quantify how frugivory influences activity budgets across age-sex classes of mountain gorillas in Bwindi Impenetrable National Park, Uganda. MATERIALS AND METHODS Daily proportions of fruit-feeding and activity budgets were calculated using 6 years of observational data on four habituated groups. We fitted generalized linear mixed models to test for age-sex differences in the amount of fruit-feeding, and to test whether these factors influence the proportion of time spent feeding, resting, and traveling. RESULTS Bwindi mountain gorillas spent on average 15% of feeding time consuming fruit, with monthly variation ranging from 0 to 70%. Greater amounts of fruit-feeding were associated with more time feeding and traveling, and less time resting. Immatures tended to spend more feeding time on fruit than adults, but less overall time feeding and more time traveling. There were no significant differences in the amount of fruit-feeding and overall feeding time between adult females and silverback males, despite differences in body size. DISCUSSION This study confirms that gorillas are frugivorous, and only the Virunga mountain gorilla population can be characterized as highly folivorous. Along with other frugivorous great apes, Bwindi mountain gorillas alter their activity patterns in response to varying amounts of fruit in their diet. A better understanding of how variable ecological conditions can drive diversity even within a subspecies has important implications for understanding relationships between ecology, body size, and foraging strategies in great apes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kelly R Ostrofsky
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Martha M Robbins
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Furusaka S, Tochigi K, Yamazaki K, Naganuma T, Inagaki A, Koike S. Estimating the seasonal energy balance in Asian black bears and associated factors. Ecosphere 2019. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.2891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/05/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Shino Furusaka
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
| | - Kahoko Tochigi
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
| | - Koji Yamazaki
- Tokyo University of Agriculture 1‐1‐1 Sakuragaoka Setagaya Tokyo 156‐8502 Japan
| | - Tomoko Naganuma
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
| | - Akino Inagaki
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
| | - Shinsuke Koike
- Tokyo University of Agriculture and Technology 3‐5‐8 Saiwai‐Cho Fuchu Tokyo 183‐8509 Japan
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Grueter CC, Robbins AM, Abavandimwe D, Vecellio V, Ndagijimana F, Stoinski TS, Robbins MM. Quadratic relationships between group size and foraging efficiency in a herbivorous primate. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16718. [PMID: 30425319 PMCID: PMC6233200 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-35255-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/30/2018] [Accepted: 10/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
The effect of feeding competition on foraging efficiency is an important link between ecological factors and the social organization of gregarious species. We examined the effects of group size on daily travel distances, activity budgets, and energy intake of mountain gorillas in Rwanda. We measured daily travel distances of five groups, activity budgets of 79 gorillas in nine groups, and energy intake data for 23 adult females in three groups over a 16-month period. Travel distances and the proportion of time spent traveling increased with size for most groups, which would be expected if their foraging efficiency is limited by intragroup feeding competition. However, travel distances and times decreased for the largest group, which also had higher energy intake rates than intermediate sized groups. The improved foraging efficiency of the largest group may be explained by advantages in intergroup contest competition. The largest group had much lower home range overlap than the other study groups which may be due to groups avoiding one another as a result of male mating competition. Collectively, our results indicate that intermediate sized groups had the lowest foraging efficiency and provide a new twist on the growing evidence of non-linear relationships between group size and foraging efficiency in primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril C Grueter
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Atlanta, USA.
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, Australia.
| | - Andrew M Robbins
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | | | | | - Tara S Stoinski
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Atlanta, USA
- Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, USA
| | - Martha M Robbins
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Robbins MM, Robbins AM. Variation in the social organization of gorillas: Life history and socioecological perspectives. Evol Anthropol 2018; 27:218-233. [PMID: 30325554 DOI: 10.1002/evan.21721] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2018] [Revised: 07/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/06/2018] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Abstract
A focus of socioecological research is to understand how ecological, social, and life history factors influence the variability of social organization within and between species. The genus Gorilla exhibits variability in social organization with western gorilla groups being almost exclusively one-male, yet approximately 40% of mountain gorilla groups are multimale. We review five ultimate causes for the variability in social organization within and among gorilla populations: human disturbance, ecological constraints on group size, risk of infanticide, life history patterns, and population density. We find the most evidence for the ecological constraints and life history hypotheses, but an over-riding explanation remains elusive. The variability may hinge on variation in female dispersal patterns, as females seek a group of optimal size and with a good protector male. Our review illustrates the challenges of understanding why the social organization of closely related species may deviate from predictions based on socioecological and life history theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martha M Robbins
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Andrew M Robbins
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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10
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Grueter CC, Wright E, Abavandimwe D, Ortmann S, Mudakikwa A, Musana A, Uwingeli P, Ndagijimana F, Vecellio V, Stoinski TS, Robbins MM. Going to extremes for sodium acquisition: use of community land and high-altitude areas by mountain gorillas Gorilla beringei
in Rwanda. Biotropica 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12598] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Cyril C. Grueter
- School of Human Sciences; The University of Western Australia; Perth WA 6009 Australia
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology; School of Biological Sciences; The University of Western Australia; Perth WA 6009 Australia
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Deutscher Platz 6 04103 Leipzig Germany
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International; 800 Cherokee Avenue SE Atlanta GA 30315 USA
| | - Edward Wright
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Deutscher Platz 6 04103 Leipzig Germany
| | - Didier Abavandimwe
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International; 800 Cherokee Avenue SE Atlanta GA 30315 USA
| | - Sylvia Ortmann
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology; Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Alfred-Kowalke-Straße 17 10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Antoine Mudakikwa
- Tourism and Conservation; Rwanda Development Board (RDB); P.O. Box 6239 Kigali Rwanda
| | - Abel Musana
- Tourism and Conservation; Rwanda Development Board (RDB); P.O. Box 6239 Kigali Rwanda
| | - Propser Uwingeli
- Tourism and Conservation; Rwanda Development Board (RDB); P.O. Box 6239 Kigali Rwanda
| | - Felix Ndagijimana
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International; 800 Cherokee Avenue SE Atlanta GA 30315 USA
| | - Veronica Vecellio
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International; 800 Cherokee Avenue SE Atlanta GA 30315 USA
| | - Tara S. Stoinski
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International; 800 Cherokee Avenue SE Atlanta GA 30315 USA
| | - Martha M. Robbins
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Deutscher Platz 6 04103 Leipzig Germany
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Nurmi NO, Hohmann G, Goldstone LG, Deschner T, Schülke O. The “tolerant chimpanzee”—towards the costs and benefits of sociality in female bonobos. Behav Ecol 2018. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Niina O Nurmi
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, JFB Institute for Zoology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Germany
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
| | - Lucas G Goldstone
- Graduate School of Systemic Neurosciences, Ludwig Maximilians University, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Germany
| | - Oliver Schülke
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, JFB Institute for Zoology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Social Evolution in Primates, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
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12
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Multinomial analysis of behavior: statistical methods. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017; 71:138. [PMID: 28959087 PMCID: PMC5594044 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2363-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/22/2016] [Revised: 08/02/2017] [Accepted: 08/03/2017] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral ecologists frequently use observational methods, such as instantaneous scan sampling, to record the behavior of animals at discrete moments in time. We develop and apply multilevel, multinomial logistic regression models for analyzing such data. These statistical methods correspond to the multinomial character of the response variable while also accounting for the repeated observations of individuals that characterize behavioral datasets. Correlated random effects potentially reveal individual-level trade-offs across behaviors, allowing for models that reveal the extent to which individuals who regularly engage in one behavior also exhibit relatively more or less of another behavior. Using an example dataset, we demonstrate the estimation of these models using Hamiltonian Monte Carlo algorithms, as implemented in the RStan package in the R statistical environment. The supplemental files include a coding script and data that demonstrate auxiliary functions to prepare the data, estimate the models, summarize the posterior samples, and generate figures that display model predictions. We discuss possible extensions to our approach, including models with random slopes to allow individual-level behavioral strategies to vary over time and the need for models that account for temporal autocorrelation. These models can potentially be applied to a broad class of statistical analyses by behavioral ecologists, focusing on other polytomous response variables, such as behavior, habitat choice, or emotional states.
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13
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Dorning J, Harris S. Dominance, gender, and season influence food patch use in a group-living, solitary foraging canid. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx092] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/22/2023] Open
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14
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Michel E, Demarais S, Strickland B, Belant J, Millspaugh J. Quantifying dominance of adult female white-tailed deer in the presence of abundant food. BEHAVIOUR 2016. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-00003323] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Dominance is a behavioural mechanism that allows individuals to access and monopolize resources which should ultimately improve their fitness. Hierarchy strength should be strongest when resources are limited; however, this relationship is not consistent. We provided abundant food to assess whether hierarchy strength was consistent with resource abundance using 9 groups of captive female white-tailed deer (Odocoileus virginianus). We further assessed how body mass, age and testosterone levels were associated with rank position. Deer displayed a weak hierarchy with a mean linearity () of 0.39 (SD = 0.09) and a mean directional consistency index of 0.83 (SD = 0.06). Rank was related to body mass (, slope = 0.011), but not age or testosterone levels (). We demonstrate that hierarchy strength was weak in the presence of abundant food resources and suggest the possibility that dominance is a plastic behaviour that may vary with resource abundance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric S. Michel
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Deer Ecology and Management Laboratory, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Stephen Demarais
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Deer Ecology and Management Laboratory, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Bronson K. Strickland
- Department of Wildlife, Fisheries and Aquaculture, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Deer Ecology and Management Laboratory, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Jerrold L. Belant
- Carnivore Ecology Laboratory, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Joshua J. Millspaugh
- Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Sciences, University of Missouri, Columbia, MO, USA
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O'Malley RC, Stanton MA, Gilby IC, Lonsdorf EV, Pusey A, Markham AC, Murray CM. Reproductive state and rank influence patterns of meat consumption in wild female chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). J Hum Evol 2016; 90:16-28. [PMID: 26767956 PMCID: PMC4715263 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2015.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2015] [Revised: 09/12/2015] [Accepted: 09/15/2015] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
Abstract
An increase in faunivory is a consistent component of human evolutionary models. Animal matter is energy- and nutrient-dense and can provide macronutrients, minerals, and vitamins that are limited or absent in plant foods. For female humans and other omnivorous primates, faunivory may be of particular importance during the costly periods of pregnancy and early lactation. Yet, because animal prey is often monopolizable, access to fauna among group-living primates may be mediated by social factors such as rank. Wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) across Africa habitually consume insects and/or vertebrates. However, no published studies have examined patterns of female chimpanzee faunivory during pregnancy and early lactation relative to non-reproductive periods, or by females of different rank. In this study, we assessed the influence of reproductive state and dominance rank on the consumption of fauna (meat and insects) by female chimpanzees of Gombe National Park, Tanzania. Using observational data collected over 38 years, we tested (a) whether faunivory varied by reproductive state, and (b) if high-ranking females spent more time consuming fauna than lower-ranking females. In single-factor models, pregnant females consumed more meat than lactating and baseline (meaning not pregnant and not in early lactation) females, and high-ranking females consumed more meat than lower-ranking females. A two-factor analysis of a subset of well-sampled females identified an interaction between rank and reproductive state: lower-ranking females consumed more meat during pregnancy than lower-ranking lactating and baseline females did. High-ranking females did not significantly differ in meat consumption between reproductive states. We found no relationships between rank or reproductive state with insectivory. We conclude that, unlike insectivory, meat consumption by female chimpanzees is mediated by both reproductive state and social rank. We outline possible mechanisms for these patterns, relate our findings to meat-eating patterns in women from well-studied hunter-gatherer societies, and discuss potential avenues for future research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert C O'Malley
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, the George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
| | - Margaret A Stanton
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, the George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
| | - Ian C Gilby
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA.
| | - Elizabeth V Lonsdorf
- Department of Psychology and Biological Foundations of Behavior Program, Franklin & Marshall College, Lancaster, PA 17603, USA; Lester E. Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, Chicago, IL 60614, USA.
| | - Anne Pusey
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
| | - A Catherine Markham
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, the George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA; Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA.
| | - Carson M Murray
- Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, the George Washington University, Washington, DC 20052, USA.
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16
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Grueter CC, Robbins AM, Abavandimwe D, Vecellio V, Ndagijimana F, Ortmann S, Stoinski TS, Robbins MM. Causes, mechanisms, and consequences of contest competition among female mountain gorillas in Rwanda. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv212] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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17
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Wright E, Grueter CC, Seiler N, Abavandimwe D, Stoinski TS, Ortmann S, Robbins MM. Energetic responses to variation in food availability in the two mountain gorilla populations (Gorilla beringei beringei). AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2015; 158:487-500. [DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.22808] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/06/2014] [Revised: 06/22/2015] [Accepted: 06/22/2015] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Edward Wright
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig 04103 Germany
| | - Cyril C. Grueter
- School of Anatomy, Physiology and Human Biology, The University of Western Australia,Crawley; Perth WA 6009 Australia
| | - Nicole Seiler
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig 04103 Germany
| | - Didier Abavandimwe
- Karisoke Research Center, The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International; Musanze, North Province Rwanda
| | - Tara S. Stoinski
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International; Atlanta GA 30315 USA
| | - Sylvia Ortmann
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research; Berlin Germany
| | - Martha M. Robbins
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology; Leipzig 04103 Germany
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18
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Proximate mechanisms of contest competition among female Bwindi mountain gorillas (Gorilla beringei beringei). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2014. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-014-1788-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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