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Harmon IP, McCabe EA, Vergun MR, Weinstein J, Graves HL, Boldt CM, Bradley DD, Lee J, Maurice JM, Solomon-Lane TK. Multiple behavioral mechanisms shape development in a highly social cichlid fish. Physiol Behav 2024; 278:114520. [PMID: 38492910 DOI: 10.1016/j.physbeh.2024.114520] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2023] [Revised: 02/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/18/2024]
Abstract
Early-life social experiences shape adult phenotype, yet the underlying behavioral mechanisms remain poorly understood. We manipulated early-life social experience in the highly social African cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni to investigate the effects on behavior and stress axis function in juveniles. Juveniles experienced different numbers of social partners in stable pairs (1 partner), stable groups (6 fish; 5 partners), and socialized pairs (a novel fish was exchanged every 5 days; 5 partners). Treatments also differed in group size (groups vs. pairs) and stability (stable vs. socialized). We then measured individual behavior and water-borne cortisol to identify effects of early-life experience. We found treatment differences in behavior across all assays: open field exploration, social cue investigation, dominant behavior, and subordinate behavior. Treatment did not affect cortisol. Principal components (PC) analysis revealed robust co-variation of behavior across contexts, including with cortisol, to form behavioral syndromes sensitive to early-life social experience. PC1 (25.1 %) differed by social partner number: juveniles with more partners (groups and socialized pairs) were more exploratory during the social cue investigation, spent less time in the territory, and were more interactive as dominants. PC5 (8.5 %) differed by stability: socialized pairs were more dominant, spent less time in and around the territory, were more socially investigative, and had lower cortisol than stable groups or pairs. Observations of the home tanks provided insights into the social experiences that may underlie these effects. These results contribute to our understanding of how early-life social experiences are accrued and exert strong, lasting effects on phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | | | | | | | | | - June Lee
- Claremont McKenna College, Claremont, CA, USA
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2
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Sekizawa M, Kutsukake N. Pattern, function and constraint of infant handling in wild Japanese macaques. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13274] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maisa Sekizawa
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems The Graduate University for Advanced Studies SOKENDAI Kanagawa Japan
| | - Nobuyuki Kutsukake
- Department of Evolutionary Studies of Biosystems The Graduate University for Advanced Studies SOKENDAI Kanagawa Japan
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Trisilo S, Widayati K, Tsuji Y. Effect of infant pelage colour on infant caring by other group members: a case study of wild Javan lutungs (Trachypithecus auratus). BEHAVIOUR 2021. [DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
We observed interactions of group members with seven Javan lutungs (Trachypithecus auratus) infants from January to March 2018. Infants’ pelage colouration changed from bright yellow to black, and it took about 2.9 months (on average) until the yellowness disappeared, and about 6.1 months (on average) until the colouration change was completed. Infants with yellow pelage spent more time being held and screaming, while infants with black pelage spent more time moving and feeding. The number of neighbouring animals decreased as the infants’ pelage became black, which implied that group members are attracted to the yellowness of infants. As the pelage became black and the infant aged, the neighbouring animals exhibited more social behaviour. Our results implied that bright yellow pelage colour triggers their parental instincts. The bright pelage colour would benefit infants because group members protect them from unfamiliar males and predators.
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Affiliation(s)
- S.P. Trisilo
- Department of Biology, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB University), Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - K.A. Widayati
- Department of Biology, Bogor Agricultural University (IPB University), Bogor, West Java, Indonesia
| | - Y. Tsuji
- Primate Research Institute, Kyoto University, Inuyama, Aichi, Japan
- Department of Biosciences, Ishinomaki Senshu University, Ishinomaki, Miyagi, Japan
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Wang X, Xia DP, Sun L, Garber PA, Kyes RC, Sheeran LK, Sun BH, Li BW, Li JH. Infant attraction: why social bridging matters for female leadership in Tibetan macaques. Curr Zool 2020; 66:635-642. [PMID: 33391362 PMCID: PMC7769585 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2020] [Accepted: 05/25/2020] [Indexed: 01/28/2023] Open
Abstract
Leadership is a key issue in the study of collective behavior in social animals. Affiliation–leadership models predict that dyadic partner preferences based on grooming relationships or alliance formation positively affect an individual’s decision to follow or support a conspecific. In the case of many primate species, females without young infants are attracted to mother–infant dyads. However, the effects of mother–infant–female associations on affiliation–leadership models remain less clear. In free-ranging Tibetan macaques Macaca thibetana, we used social network analysis to examine the importance of “mother-infant-adult female” social bridging events as a predictor of who leads and who follows during group movement. Social bridging is a common behavior in Tibetan macaques and occurs when 2 adults, generally females, engage in coordinated infant handling. Using eigenvector centrality coefficients of social bridging as a measure of social affiliation, we found that among lactating females, initiating bridging behavior with another female played a significant role in leadership success, with the assisting female following the mother during group movement. Among nonlactating females, this was not the case. Our results indicate that infant attraction can be a strong trigger in collective action and directing group movement in Tibetan macaques and provides benefits to mothers who require helpers and social support in order to ensure the safety of their infants. Our study provides new insights into the importance of the third-party effect in rethinking affiliation–leadership models in group-living animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Wang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China.,International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral Ecology, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Dong-Po Xia
- International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral Ecology, Hefei 230601, China.,School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Lixing Sun
- Department of Biological Sciences, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA
| | - Paul A Garber
- Department of Anthropology and Program in Ecology, Evolution, and Conservation Biology, University of Illinois, Urbana, IL 61801, USA
| | - Randall C Kyes
- Center for Global Field Study, Departments of Psychology and Global Health, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA.,Washington National Primate Research Center, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Lori K Sheeran
- Department of Anthropology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, WA 98926, USA
| | - Bing-Hua Sun
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China.,International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral Ecology, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Bo-Wen Li
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China.,International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral Ecology, Hefei 230601, China
| | - Jin-Hua Li
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei 230601, China.,International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral Ecology, Hefei 230601, China.,Hefei Normal University, Hefei 230601, China
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Grueter CC, Hale J, Jin R, Judge D, Stoinski T. Infant handling by female mountain gorillas: Establishing its frequency, function, and (ir)relevance for life history evolution. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2019; 168:744-749. [PMID: 30706446 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.23791] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2019] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Infant handling describes cases in which youngsters are temporarily removed from the care of their mothers and "taken care of" (held, carried, etc.) by other conspecifics. Handlers may gain indirect fitness benefits from these actions and can practice mothering skills, thereby improving the odds of survival of their own infants. Great apes are notable for displaying little infant handling. Apart from anecdotal observations, no published data exist on infant handling in wild mountain gorillas. We tested two of the most pertinent explanations ("kin selection" and "learning to mother") in a wild population of mountain gorillas in Rwanda. We predicted that (a) nulliparous females would exhibit infant handling (i.e., carrying) more than parous females and (b) maternal kin would exhibit more infant handling than nonkin. METHODS We collated 8 years of data on infant carrying behavior collected in 13 groups monitored by the Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund's Karisoke Research Center. RESULTS Infant handling is an infrequent behavior (1,783 instances over 25,600 observation hours). A strong positive effect of relatedness and handler parity on the frequency of infant handling emerged. CONCLUSIONS While the nature of handler-infant interactions (affiliative, abusive, etc.) remains unstudied, they could constitute alloparental care and could therefore attenuate maternal energetic burden and ultimately allow increased birth rates. However, the rarity of this behavior makes it an unlikely contributor to mountain gorillas' relatively short interbirth intervals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril C Grueter
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia.,Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Jennifer Hale
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Ruibing Jin
- Confucius Institute, The University of Western Australia, Claremont, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Debra Judge
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Crawley, Western Australia, Australia
| | - Tara Stoinski
- The Dian Fossey Gorilla Fund International, Atlanta, Georgia.,Zoo Atlanta, Atlanta, Georgia
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Zhang D, Xia DP, Wang X, Zhang QX, Sun BH, Li JH. Bridging may help young female Tibetan macaques Macaca thibetana learn to be a mother. Sci Rep 2018; 8:16102. [PMID: 30389970 PMCID: PMC6214923 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-34406-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2017] [Accepted: 09/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Attraction to infants is a common feature of non-human primates. Frequent affiliative male-infant interactions have been observed in many multimale, multifemale groups of macaques, including a behaviour termed 'bridging' in which two male macaques simultaneously lift an infant. This behaviour has been suggested to serve as a positive affiliative interaction between the adult or subadult males. Female macaques display bridging in the same manner as males, but the function of this behaviour to females remains unknown. In this study, we examined evidence for the function and evolution of bridging in female Tibetan macaques within the framework of three hypotheses: the learning to mother, a side-effect of selection for appropriate maternal care, and alliance formation hypotheses. Our results showed that subadult females initiated more bridging than adult females. Females preferred to use infants for bridging when the infants were less than four weeks old. Female frequency of received bridging with higher-ranking females was not significantly different from their frequency of received bridging with lower-ranking females. Bridging frequency was not significantly different between dyads composed of related and unrelated females. Additionally, post-bridging grooming frequency was significantly higher than nonbridging grooming interactions, suggesting a social function for bridging. The results of our study supported the 'learning to mother' hypothesis, suggesting that bridging among female intrasexual dyads is a multi-functional, complex and differential evolutionary process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dao Zhang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Dong-Po Xia
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Xi Wang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Qi-Xin Zhang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Bing-Hua Sun
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China
| | - Jin-Hua Li
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China.
- School of Life Sciences, Hefei Normal University, Hefei, 230601, Anhui, China.
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Wang W, Yao M. Fine-scale genetic structure analyses reveal dispersal patterns in a critically endangered primate, Trachypithecus leucocephalus. Am J Primatol 2017; 79. [PMID: 28100010 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22635] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/09/2016] [Revised: 12/11/2016] [Accepted: 12/15/2016] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Dispersal is a critically important life history trait of social organisms that has a major impact on the population genetic structure and social relationships within groups. Primates exhibit highly diversified dispersal and philopatry patterns, but knowledge of these patterns is difficult to obtain and usually limited to observations of a small number of focal social groups or individuals. Here, we investigated the dispersal pattern of a critically endangered colobine monkey, the white-headed langur (Trachypithecus leucocephalus), using molecular approaches, and sex-specific population genetic structure analyses at fine geographical scales. We non-invasively collected 403 fecal samples from 41 social groups across 90% of the langur's range in Fusui (FS) and Chongzuo (CZ) in southwestern Guangxi Province, China. We identified 214 unique individuals from the samples by genotyping 15 polymorphic autosomal microsatellite loci, a sex-specific marker, and sequencing the mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) hypervariable region I (HVRI). We found higher intragroup than intergroup genetic relatedness in males and females in both populations. A significant positive correlation between genetic distance and geographical distance, that is a pattern of isolation-by-distance, was detected in females from the FS population, but not in males. Spatial autocorrelation analyses revealed high within-group relatedness in both sexes and populations, as well as an additional positive correlation at the 0.5-km distance class in females from the FS population. Furthermore, we inferred first-generation migrants using genetic assignment tests. Our results suggest that male T. leucocephalus disperse at random distances within habitat areas, whereas dispersal of females may mainly occur among adjacent groups near their home site. Our study provides the first genetic evidence for sex-biased dispersal in T. leucocephalus, which has important management and conservation implications for the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Weiran Wang
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China.,Beijing National Day School, Beijing, China
| | - Meng Yao
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Seasonal Variation in the Activity and Dietary Budgets of Cat Ba Langurs (Trachypithecus poliocephalus). INT J PRIMATOL 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s10764-016-9923-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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9
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Birth intervention and non-maternal infant-handling during parturition in a nonhuman primate. Primates 2014; 55:483-8. [DOI: 10.1007/s10329-014-0427-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2014] [Accepted: 04/17/2014] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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