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Arseneau-Robar TJ, Teichroeb JA, Macintosh AJJ, Saj TL, Glotfelty E, Lucci S, Sicotte P, Wikberg EC. When population growth intensifies intergroup competition, female colobus monkeys free-ride less. Sci Rep 2024; 14:14363. [PMID: 38906888 PMCID: PMC11192885 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-64188-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2024] [Indexed: 06/23/2024] Open
Abstract
Intergroup aggression often results in the production of public goods, such as a safe and stable social environment and a home range containing the resources required to survive and reproduce. We investigate temporal variation in intergroup aggression in a growing population of colobus monkeys (Colobus vellerosus) to ask a novel question: "Who stepped-up to produce these public goods when doing so became more difficult?". Both whole-group encounters and male incursions occurred more frequently as the population grew. Males and females were both more likely to participate in whole-group encounters when monopolizable food resources were available, indicating both sexes engaged in food defence. However, only females increasingly did so as the population grew, suggesting that it was females who increasingly produced the public good of home range defence as intergroup competition intensified. Females were also more active in male incursions at high population densities, suggesting they increasingly produced the public good of a safe and stable social environment. This is not to say that males were chronic free-riders when it came to maintaining public goods. Males consistently participated in the majority of intergroup interactions throughout the study period, indicating they may have lacked the capacity to invest more time and effort.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Julie A Teichroeb
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto Scarborough, Toronto, Canada
| | | | - Tania L Saj
- Department of Anthropology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Canada
| | - Emily Glotfelty
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, USA
| | - Sara Lucci
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, USA
| | - Pascale Sicotte
- Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montreal, QC, Canada
| | - Eva C Wikberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas San Antonio, San Antonio, USA.
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2
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Jacobson OT, Barrett BJ, Perry SE, Finerty GE, Tiedeman KM, Crofoot MC. A new approach to geostatistical synthesis of historical records reveals capuchin spatial responses to climate and demographic change. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14443. [PMID: 38803140 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Revised: 04/24/2024] [Accepted: 04/29/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024]
Abstract
Recent proliferation of GPS technology has transformed animal movement research. Yet, time-series data from this recent technology rarely span beyond a decade, constraining longitudinal research. Long-term field sites hold valuable historic animal location records, including hand-drawn maps and semantic descriptions. Here, we introduce a generalised workflow for converting such records into reliable location data to estimate home ranges, using 30 years of sleep-site data from 11 white-faced capuchin (Cebus imitator) groups in Costa Rica. Our findings illustrate that historic sleep locations can reliably recover home range size and geometry. We showcase the opportunity our approach presents to resolve open questions that can only be addressed with very long-term data, examining how home ranges are affected by climate cycles and demographic change. We urge researchers to translate historical records into usable movement data before this knowledge is lost; it is essential to understanding how animals are responding to our changing world.
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Affiliation(s)
- Odd T Jacobson
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Quantitative Behavioral Ecology and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Brendan J Barrett
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology, and Culture, Max Planck Institute of Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Susan E Perry
- Department of Anthropology, University of California-Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA
| | - Genevieve E Finerty
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Kate M Tiedeman
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Margaret C Crofoot
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute for Animal Behavior, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behavior, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
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3
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Nelson J, Woeste EM, Oba K, Bitterman K, Billings BK, Sacco J, Jacobs B, Sherwood CC, Manger PR, Spocter MA. Neuropil Variation in the Prefrontal, Motor, and Visual Cortex of Six Felids. BRAIN, BEHAVIOR AND EVOLUTION 2024; 99:25-44. [PMID: 38354714 DOI: 10.1159/000537843] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2023] [Accepted: 02/04/2024] [Indexed: 02/16/2024]
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Felids have evolved a specialized suite of morphological adaptations for obligate carnivory. Although the musculoskeletal anatomy of the Felidae has been studied extensively, the comparative neuroanatomy of felids is relatively unexplored. Little is known about how variation in the cerebral anatomy of felids relates to species-specific differences in sociality, hunting strategy, or activity patterns. METHODS We quantitatively analyzed neuropil variation in the prefrontal, primary motor, and primary visual cortices of six species of Felidae (Panthera leo, Panthera uncia, Panthera tigris, Panthera leopardus, Acinonyx jubatus, Felis sylvestris domesticus) to investigate relationships with brain size, neuronal cell parameters, and select behavioral and ecological factors. Neuropil is the dense, intricate network of axons, dendrites, and synapses in the brain, playing a critical role in information processing and communication between neurons. RESULTS There were significant species and regional differences in neuropil proportions, with African lion, cheetah, and tiger having more neuropil in all three cortical regions in comparison to the other species. Based on regression analyses, we find that the increased neuropil fraction in the prefrontal cortex supports social and behavioral flexibility, while in the primary motor cortex, this facilitates the neural activity needed for hunting movements. Greater neuropil fraction in the primary visual cortex may contribute to visual requirements associated with diel activity patterns. CONCLUSION These results provide a cross-species comparison of neuropil fraction variation in the Felidae, particularly the understudied Panthera, and provide evidence for convergence of the neuroanatomy of Panthera and cheetahs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob Nelson
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Erin M Woeste
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Ken Oba
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Kathleen Bitterman
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Brendon K Billings
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - James Sacco
- Ellis Pharmacogenomics Laboratory, College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences, Drake University, Des Moines, Iowa, USA
| | - Bob Jacobs
- Department of Psychology, Laboratory of Quantitative Neuromorphology, Neuroscience Program, Colorado College, Colorado Springs, Colorado, USA
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology and Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, District of Columbia, USA
| | - Paul R Manger
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
| | - Muhammad A Spocter
- Department of Anatomy, Des Moines University, West Des Moines, Iowa, USA
- School of Anatomical Sciences, Faculty of Health Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, South Africa
- Department of Biomedical Sciences, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, USA
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4
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Chege M, Bertola LD, De Snoo GR, Ngene S, Otieno T, Amoke I, van 't Zelfde M, Dolrenry S, Broekhuis F, Tamis W, De Iongh HH, Elliot NB. Effect of ecological and anthropogenic factors on grouping patterns in African lions across Kenya. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10982. [PMID: 38362173 PMCID: PMC10867360 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/20/2023] [Revised: 01/18/2024] [Accepted: 01/23/2024] [Indexed: 02/17/2024] Open
Abstract
Social carnivores frequently live in fission-fusion societies, where individuals that share a common territory or home range may be found alone, in subgroups, or altogether. Absolute group size and subgroup size is expected to vary according to resource distribution, but for species that are susceptible to anthropogenic pressures, other factors may be important drivers. African lions (Panthera leo) are the only truly social felid and lion prides are characterized by fission-fusion dynamics with social groups frequently splitting and reforming, and subgroup membership can change continuously and frequently. The number of individuals in a group can be reflective of social, ecological, and anthropogenic conditions. This dynamic behavior makes understanding lion grouping patterns crucial for tailoring conservation measures. The evolution of group living in lions has been the topic of numerous studies, and we drew on these to formulate hypotheses relating to group size and subgroup size variation. Based on data collected from 199 lion groups across eight sites in Kenya, we found that group sizes were smaller when lions were closer to human settlements, suggesting that edge effects are impacting lions at a national scale. Smaller groups were also more likely when they were far from water, and were associated with very low and very high levels of non-tree vegetation. We found significant differences between the study sites, with the Maasai Mara having the largest groups (mean ± SD = 7.7 ± 4.7, range = 1-19), and Amboseli conservation area the smallest (4.3 ± 3.5, range = 1-14). While long-term studies within a single site are well suited to thoroughly differentiate between absolute group size and subgroup size, our study provides unique insight into the correlates of grouping patterns in a vulnerable species at a national scale.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mumbi Chege
- Wildlife Research and Training InstituteNaivashaKenya
- Institute of Environmental Sciences CMLLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
| | | | - Geert R. De Snoo
- Institute of Environmental Sciences CMLLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
| | | | | | | | | | | | - Femke Broekhuis
- Wildlife Ecology and Conservation GroupWageningen University and ResearchWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Will Tamis
- Institute of Environmental Sciences CMLLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
| | - Hans H. De Iongh
- Institute of Environmental Sciences CMLLeiden UniversityLeidenThe Netherlands
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Department BiologyUniversity of AntwerpAntwerpenBelgium
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Dejeante R, Loveridge AJ, Macdonald DW, Madhlamoto D, Valeix M, Chamaillé-Jammes S. Counter-strategies to infanticide: The importance of cubs in determining lion habitat selection and social interactions. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:159-170. [PMID: 38174381 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2023] [Accepted: 12/01/2023] [Indexed: 01/05/2024]
Abstract
Animal social and spatial behaviours are inextricably linked. Animal movements are driven by environmental factors and social interactions. Habitat structure and changing patterns of animal space use can also shape social interactions. Animals adjust their social and spatial behaviours to reduce the risk of offspring mortality. In territorial infanticidal species, two strategies are possible for males: they can stay close to offspring to protect them against rivals (infant-defence hypothesis) or patrol the territory more intensively to prevent rival intrusions (territorial-defence hypothesis). Here, we tested these hypotheses in African lions (Panthera leo) by investigating how males and females adjust their social and spatial behaviours in the presence of offspring. We combined datasets on the demography and movement of lions, collected between 2002 and 2016 in Hwange National Park (Zimbabwe), to document the presence of cubs (field observations) and the simultaneous movements of groupmates and competitors (GPS tracking). We showed a spatial response of lions to the presence of offspring, with females with cubs less likely to select areas close to waterholes or in the periphery of the territory than females without cubs. In contrast, these areas were more selected by males when there were cubs in the pride. We also found social responses. Males spent more time with females as habitat openness increased but the presence of cubs in the pride did not influence the average likelihood of observing males with females. Furthermore, rival males relocated further after an encounter with pride males when cubs were present in the prides, suggesting that the presence of cubs leads to a more vigorous repulsion of competitors. Males with cubs in their pride were more likely to interact with male competitors on the edge of the pride's home range and far from the waterholes, suggesting that they are particularly assiduous in detecting and repelling rival males during these periods. In general, the strategies to avoid infanticide exhibited by male lions supported the territorial-defence hypothesis. Our study contributes to answer the recent call for a behavioural ecology at the spatial-social interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Romain Dejeante
- CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Andrew J Loveridge
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Biology, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Panthera, New York, New York, USA
| | - David W Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Department of Biology, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Daphine Madhlamoto
- Zimbabwe Parks and Wildlife Management Authority, Main Camp Research, Chiredzi, Zimbabwe
| | - Marion Valeix
- CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive UMR 5558, CNRS, Université de Lyon, Villeurbanne, France
- LTSER France, Zone Atelier 'Hwange', Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
| | - Simon Chamaillé-Jammes
- CEFE, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
- LTSER France, Zone Atelier 'Hwange', Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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Tarugara A, Clegg BW, Clegg SB. Factors influencing space-use and kill distribution of sympatric lion prides in a semi-arid savanna landscape. PeerJ 2024; 12:e16749. [PMID: 38282863 PMCID: PMC10821722 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.16749] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/30/2024] Open
Abstract
Understanding lions' (Panthera leo) space-use is important for the management of multi-species wildlife systems because lions can have profound impacts on ecosystem-wide ecological processes. Semi-arid savanna landscapes are typically heterogeneous with species space-use driven by the availability and distribution of resources. Previous studies have demonstrated that lions select areas close to water as encounter rates with prey are higher and hunting success is greater in these regions. Where multiple lion prides exist, landscape partitioning is expected to follow a despotic distribution in which competitively superior prides occupy high-quality areas while subordinates select poorer habitats. In this study, Global Positioning System collar data and logistic regression were used to investigate space-use and hunting success among 50% of lion prides at Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Zimbabwe. Our findings show that lion space-use was driven by surface water availability and that home range selection was socially hierarchical with the dominant pride occupying habitat in which water was most abundant. In addition, we found that the effect of shrub cover, clay content and soil depth on kill probability was area specific and not influenced by hierarchical dominance. Where multiple lion prides are studied, we recommend treating prides as individual units because pooling data may obscure site and pride specific response patterns.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allan Tarugara
- Research Department, Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Chiredzi, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
| | - Bruce W. Clegg
- Research Department, Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Chiredzi, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
| | - Sarah B. Clegg
- Research Department, Malilangwe Wildlife Reserve, Chiredzi, Masvingo, Zimbabwe
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7
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Das Bairagya J, Chakraborty S. Hostility prevents the tragedy of the commons in metapopulation with asymmetric migration: A lesson from queenless ants. Phys Rev E 2023; 108:064401. [PMID: 38243478 DOI: 10.1103/physreve.108.064401] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 11/08/2023] [Indexed: 01/21/2024]
Abstract
A colony of the queenless ant species, Pristomyrmex punctatus, can broadly be seen as consisting of small-body sized worker ants and relatively larger body-sized cheater ants. Hence, in the presence of intercolony migration, a set of constituent colonies act as a metapopulation exclusively composed of cooperators and defectors. Such a setup facilitates an evolutionary game-theoretic replication-selection model of population dynamics of the ants in a metapopulation. Using the model, we analytically probe the effects of territoriality induced hostility. Such hostility in the ant metapopulation proves to be crucial in preventing the tragedy of the commons, specifically, the workforce, a social good formed by cooperation. This mechanism applies to any metapopulation-not necessarily the ants-composed of cooperators and defectors where interpopulation migration occurs asymmetrically, i.e., cooperators and defectors migrate at different rates. Furthermore, our model validates that there is evolutionary benefit behind the queenless ants' behavior of showing more hostility towards the immigrants from nearby colonies than those from the far-off ones. In order to calibrate our model's parameters, we have extensively used the data available on the queenless ant species, P. punctatus.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joy Das Bairagya
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
| | - Sagar Chakraborty
- Department of Physics, Indian Institute of Technology Kanpur, Uttar Pradesh 208016, India
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8
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LeFlore EG, Fuller TK, Stein AB. Lion ( Panthera leo) movements in a multiuse area of the eastern Panhandle of the Okavango Delta, Botswana. J Mammal 2023; 104:1317-1328. [PMID: 38059009 PMCID: PMC10697412 DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyad090] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/01/2023] [Indexed: 12/08/2023] Open
Abstract
As global large carnivore populations continue to decline due to human actions, maintaining viable populations beyond protected area (PA) borders is critical. African lions (Panthera leo) ranging beyond PA borders regularly prey on domestic livestock causing humans to retaliate or even preemptively kill lions to minimize impacts of lost livestock. To understand how lions navigate high-conflict areas in human-dominated landscapes, lions were observed and monitored in the eastern Panhandle of the Okavango Delta between October 2014 and December 2016, and five lions were fitted with GPS satellite collars from August 2015 to December 2016. Lion prides and coalitions were small, with all prides having four or fewer females and all coalitions having two or fewer males. Home range size varied between the sexes but was not statistically different (males: x ¯ = 584 km2, n = 3; females: x ¯ = 319 km2, n = 2). There was considerable spatial overlap in home ranges as nonassociating, neighboring collared individuals utilized high levels of shared space (female-female overlap = 152 km2, representing 41-56% of respective home ranges; male-male overlap = 125-132 km2, representing 16-31% of respective home ranges). However, neighboring lions varied use of shared space temporally as evidenced by low coefficients of association (< 0.08), avoiding potentially costly interactions with neighboring individuals. Highest levels of overlap occurred during the wet and early dry seasons when flood waters minimized the amount of available land area. All collared individuals minimized time in close proximity (< 3 km) to human habitation, but some individuals were able to rely heavily on areas where unmonitored livestock grazed. While most lions exist within PAs, anthropogenic impacts beyond PA boundaries can impact critical populations within PAs. Studying systems beyond park boundaries with high levels of human-lion conflict while also establishing conservation programs that account for both ecological and sociocultural dimensions will better aid lion conservation efforts moving forward.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric G LeFlore
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
- Biology Department, Bates College, 45 Campus Avenue, Lewiston, Maine 04240, USA
- CLAWS Conservancy, P.O. Box 814, Northampton, Massachusetts 01061, USA
| | - Todd K Fuller
- Department of Environmental Conservation, University of Massachusetts Amherst, 160 Holdsworth Way, Amherst, Massachusetts 01003, USA
| | - Andrew B Stein
- CLAWS Conservancy, P.O. Box 814, Northampton, Massachusetts 01061, USA
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9
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Rafiq K, Jordan NR, Golabek K, McNutt JW, Wilson A, Abrahms B. Increasing ambient temperatures trigger shifts in activity patterns and temporal partitioning in a large carnivore guild. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231938. [PMID: 37935363 PMCID: PMC10645112 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1938] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 11/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Shifts in species' interactions are implicated as an important proximate cause underpinning climate-change-related extinction. However, there is little empirical evidence on the pathways through which climate conditions, such as ambient temperature, impact community dynamics. The timing of activities is a widespread behavioural adaptation to environmental variability, and temporal partitioning is a key mechanism that facilitates coexistence, especially within large carnivore communities. We investigated temperature impacts on community dynamics through its influence on the diel activity of, and temporal partitioning amongst, four sympatric species of African large carnivores: lions (Panthera leo), leopards (Panthera pardus), cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) and African wild dogs (Lycaon pictus). Activity of all species was shaped by a combination of light availability and temperature, with most species becoming more nocturnal and decreasing activity levels with increasing temperatures. A nocturnal shift was most pronounced in cheetahs, the most diurnal species during median temperatures. This shift increased temporal overlap between cheetahs and other carnivore species by up to 15.92%, highlighting the importance of considering the responses of interacting sympatric species when inferring climate impacts on ecosystems. Our study provides evidence that temperature can significantly affect temporal partitioning within a carnivore guild by generating asymmetrical behavioural responses amongst functionally similar species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kasim Rafiq
- Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-0005, USA
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Maun, Botswana
| | - Neil R. Jordan
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Maun, Botswana
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Taronga Conservation Society Australia, Sydney, Australia
| | - Krystyna Golabek
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Maun, Botswana
- Centre for Ecosystem Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | | | - Alan Wilson
- Structure and Motion Lab, Royal Veterinary College, London, UK
| | - Briana Abrahms
- Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle 98195-0005, USA
- Botswana Predator Conservation, Maun, Botswana
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10
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Hennessy J, Fonteneau J, Scanaill CN, McKeown S, O Donovan D, Killeen GF. Territorial vocalization patterns of captive Asiatic lions (Panthera leo persica) in the middle of winter at high latitude. Zoo Biol 2023; 42:605-615. [PMID: 37189254 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21778] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 01/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Wild lions, especially the males, spend much of their time performing various territorial advertising behaviors, the most obvious of which are loud vocalizations that can be heard several kilometers away. This study investigated whether a captive pride of three Asiatic lions at Fota Wildlife Park in Ireland exhibited typical patterns of territorial vocalizations and associated behaviors. A total of 705 bouts of territorial vocalization were noted over 1 month of near-continuous audio recording in the middle of winter in 2020. Also, complementary visual observations were performed during regular daytime visits to collect audio data and maintain recording equipment. These captive lions exhibited generally similar territorial urine spraying, scent rubbing and vocalization behaviors to their wild counterparts but differed in that they primarily vocalized during daylight hours, including afternoons and late mornings. While most roaring occurred during the day there was also a brief peak just before dawn, between 07:00 and 08:00, and another after dusk, between 17:00 and 18:00. Vocalization activity tailed off after 22:00 and became infrequent over the remaining hours of darkness. Although this contrasts starkly with the predominantly nocturnal activity patterns of wild lions, it is consistent with some reports from some other captive settings. Although the underlying reasons for this habit of roaring throughout the day remain unclear, it is fortuitous because the spectacular territorial vocalizations of these captive lions enrich visitor experiences and may hopefully stimulate interest in travel to the low and middle-income countries where tourist income is essential to sustain the conservation areas they and many other species depend on.
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Affiliation(s)
- Juliette Hennessy
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork City, Republic of Ireland
| | - Julien Fonteneau
- Fota Wildlife Park, Carrigtwohill, County Cork, Republic of Ireland
| | | | - Sean McKeown
- Fota Wildlife Park, Carrigtwohill, County Cork, Republic of Ireland
| | - Declan O Donovan
- Fota Wildlife Park, Carrigtwohill, County Cork, Republic of Ireland
| | - Gerry F Killeen
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork City, Republic of Ireland
- Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, North Mall, Cork, Republic of Ireland
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11
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Kao AB, Hund AK, Santos FP, Young JG, Bhat D, Garland J, Oomen RA, McCreery HF. Opposing Responses to Scarcity Emerge from Functionally Unique Sociality Drivers. Am Nat 2023; 202:302-321. [PMID: 37606948 DOI: 10.1086/725426] [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] [Indexed: 08/23/2023]
Abstract
AbstractFrom biofilms to whale pods, organisms across taxa live in groups, thereby accruing numerous diverse benefits of sociality. All social organisms, however, pay the inherent cost of increased resource competition. One expects that when resources become scarce, this cost will increase, causing group sizes to decrease. Indeed, this occurs in some species, but there are also species for which group sizes remain stable or even increase under scarcity. What accounts for these opposing responses? We present a conceptual framework, literature review, and theoretical model demonstrating that differing responses to sudden resource shifts can be explained by which sociality benefit exerts the strongest selection pressure on a particular species. We categorize resource-related benefits of sociality into six functionally distinct classes and model their effect on the survival of individuals foraging in groups under different resource conditions. We find that whether, and to what degree, the optimal group size (or correlates thereof) increases, decreases, or remains constant when resource abundance declines depends strongly on the dominant sociality mechanism. Existing data, although limited, support our model predictions. Overall, we show that across a wide diversity of taxa, differences in how group size shifts in response to resource declines can be driven by differences in the primary benefits of sociality.
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12
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Han S, Phillips BL, Elgar MA. Colony-level aggression escalates with the value of food resources. BMC Ecol Evol 2023; 23:18. [PMID: 37193951 DOI: 10.1186/s12862-023-02117-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/04/2023] [Accepted: 04/27/2023] [Indexed: 05/18/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Theory predicts that the level of escalation in animal contests is associated with the value of the contested resource. This fundamental prediction has been empirically confirmed by studies of dyadic contests but has not been tested experimentally in the collective context of group-living animals. Here, we used the Australian meat ant Iridomyrmex purpureus as a model and employed a novel field experimental manipulation of the value of food that removes the potentially confounding effects of nutritional status of the competing individual workers. We draw on insights from the Geometric Framework for nutrition to investigate whether group contests between neighbouring colonies escalate according to the value to the colony of a contested food resource. RESULTS First, we show that colonies of I. purpureus value protein according to their past nutritional intake, deploying more foragers to collect protein if their previous diet had been supplemented with carbohydrate rather than with protein. Using this insight, we show that colonies contesting more highly valued food escalated the contest, by deploying more workers and engaging in lethal 'grappling' behaviour. CONCLUSION Our data confirm that a key prediction of contest theory, initially intended for dyadic contests, is similarly applicable to group contests. Specifically, we demonstrate, through a novel experimental procedure, that the contest behaviour of individual workers reflects the nutritional requirements of the colony, rather than that of individual workers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaolin Han
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia.
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong SAR, China.
- Centre for Immunology & Infection, New Territories, Hong Kong SAR, China.
| | - Ben L Phillips
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
| | - Mark A Elgar
- School of Biosciences, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, VIC, 3010, Australia
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13
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Nams VO, Parker DM, Weise FJ, Patterson BD, Buij R, Radloff FGT, Vanak AT, Tumenta PN, Hayward MW, Swanepoel LH, Funston PJ, Bauer H, Power RJ, O'Brien J, O'Brien TG, Tambling CJ, de Iongh HH, Ferreira SM, Owen‐Smith N, Cain JW, Fattebert J, Croes BM, Spong G, Loveridge AJ, Houser AM, Golabek KA, Begg CM, Grant T, Trethowan P, Musyoki C, Menges V, Creel S, Balme GA, Pitman RT, Bissett C, Jenny D, Schuette P, Wilmers CC, Hunter LTB, Kinnaird MF, Begg KS, Owen CR, Steyn V, Bockmuehl D, Munro SJ, Mann GKH, du Preez BD, Marker LL, Huqa TJ, Cozzi G, Frank LG, Nyoni P, Stein AB, Kasiki SM, Macdonald DW, Martins QE, van Vuuren RJ, Stratford KJ, Bidner LR, Oriol‐Cotteril A, Maputla NW, Maruping‐Mzileni N, Parker T, van't Zelfde M, Isbell LA, Beukes OB, Beukes M. Spatial patterns of large African cats: a large‐scale study on density, home range size, and home range overlap of lions
Panthera leo
and leopards
Panthera pardus. Mamm Rev 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12309] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/08/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Vilis O. Nams
- Department of Plant, Food and Environmental Scienes, Faculty of Agriculture Dalhousie University Truro NS B2N 5E3 Canada
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
| | - Dan M. Parker
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
- School of Biology and Environmental Sciences University of Mpumalanga Nelspruit 1200 South Africa
| | - Florian J. Weise
- Centre for Wildlife Management University of Pretoria Pretoria 0002 South Africa
- CLAWS Conservancy, Pride in Our Prides Worcester MA 01608 USA
- N/a'an ku sê Research Programme P.O. Box 99292 Windhoek Namibia
| | - Bruce D. Patterson
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center Field Museum of Natural History Chicago IL 60605 USA
| | - Ralph Buij
- Animal Ecology Group Wageningen University & Research Droevendaalsesteeg 3A 6708 PB Wageningen The Netherlands
- The Peregrine Fund 5668 West Flying Hawk Lane Boise ID 83709 USA
| | - Frans G. T. Radloff
- Department of Conservation and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences Cape Peninsula University of Technology P.O. Box 652 Cape Town 8000 South Africa
| | - Abi Tamim Vanak
- Ashoka Trust for Research in Ecology and the Environment Bangalore 560064 India
- School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Durban 3629 South Africa
| | - Pricelia N. Tumenta
- Department of Forestry, Faculty of Agronomy and Agricultural Sciences University of Dschang P.O. Box 138 Yaounde Cameroon
- Regional Training Centre Specialized in Agriculture, Forestry‐wood and Environment (CRESA Foret Bois) University of Dschang P.O. Box 138 Yaounde Cameroon
| | - Matt W. Hayward
- Conservation Science Research Group, School of Environmental and Life Sciences, College of Engineering, Science and the Environment University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW 2308 Australia
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute University of Pretoria Pretoria 0002 South Africa
| | | | - Paul J. Funston
- Department of Nature Conservation Tshwane University of Technology Private Bag X680 Pretoria 0001 South Africa
- Panthera New York NY 10018 USA
| | - Hans Bauer
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department University of Oxford, The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney Abingdon OX13 5QL UK
| | - R. John Power
- Department of Economic Development, Environment, Conservation and Tourism North West Provincial Government Mahikeng 2735 South Africa
| | - John O'Brien
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
| | - Timothy G. O'Brien
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Programs 2300 Southern Blvd. Bronx NY 10460 USA
| | - Craig J. Tambling
- Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Fort Hare Alice Eastern Cape 5700 South Africa
- Department of Zoology and Entomology University of Pretoria Pretoria 0028 South Africa
| | - Hans H. de Iongh
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department Biology University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk, Building D 132 Antwerpen Belgium
- Institute of Environmental Sciences Leiden University Einsteinweg 2, P.O. Box 9518 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Sam M. Ferreira
- Scientific Services, SANParks Private Bag x 402 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
| | - Norman Owen‐Smith
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Private Bag 3 Wits 2050 South Africa
| | - James W. Cain
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences University of the Witwatersrand Private Bag 3 Wits 2050 South Africa
| | - Julien Fattebert
- Panthera New York NY 10018 USA
- Centre for Functional Biodiversity, School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Durban 4000 South Africa
| | - Barbara M. Croes
- Institute of Environmental Sciences Leiden University Einsteinweg 2, P.O. Box 9518 2300 RA Leiden The Netherlands
| | - Goran Spong
- Forestry and Environmental Resources College of Natural Resources, NCSU Raleigh 27695 USA
- Molecular Ecology Group Wildlife, Fish, & Environmental Studies, SLU 90183 Umeå Sweden
| | - Andrew J. Loveridge
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department University of Oxford, The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney Abingdon OX13 5QL UK
| | - Ann Marie Houser
- Cheetah Conservation Botswana Private Bag 0457 Gaborone Botswana
| | | | - Colleen M. Begg
- Niassa Carnivore Project Private Bag X18 Rondebosch South Africa
| | - Tanith Grant
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
| | - Paul Trethowan
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department University of Oxford, The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney Abingdon OX13 5QL UK
| | | | - Vera Menges
- Department Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred‐Kowalke‐Str. 17 D‐10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Scott Creel
- Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman MT 59717 USA
| | - Guy A. Balme
- Panthera New York NY 10018 USA
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Private Bag X3 Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
| | - Ross T. Pitman
- Panthera New York NY 10018 USA
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa University of Cape Town Private Bag X3 Rondebosch 7701 South Africa
| | - Charlene Bissett
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
- Scientific Services, SANParks Private Bag x 402 Skukuza 1350 South Africa
| | - David Jenny
- Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques 17 Rte de Dabou, Abidjan Ivory Coast
- Zoologisches Institut Universität Bern Baltzerstrasse 6 Bern 3012 Switzerland
| | - Paul Schuette
- Department of Ecology Montana State University Bozeman MT 59717 USA
| | | | - Luke T. B. Hunter
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Global Conservation Programs 2300 Southern Blvd. Bronx NY 10460 USA
- School of Biological and Conservation Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal, Westville Campus Private Bag X54001 Durban 4000 South Africa
| | | | - Keith S. Begg
- Niassa Carnivore Project Private Bag X18 Rondebosch South Africa
| | - Cailey R. Owen
- School of Life Sciences University of KwaZulu‐Natal Durban 3629 South Africa
| | - Villiers Steyn
- Department of Nature Conservation Tshwane University of Technology Private Bag X680 Pretoria 0001 South Africa
| | - Dirk Bockmuehl
- Department Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Alfred‐Kowalke‐Str. 17 D‐10315 Berlin Germany
| | - Stuart J. Munro
- N/a'an ku sê Research Programme P.O. Box 99292 Windhoek Namibia
| | - Gareth K. H. Mann
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
- Panthera New York NY 10018 USA
- Department of Biological Sciences University of Cape Town Cape Town 7701 South Africa
- The Cape Leopard Trust Cape Town 7806 South Africa
| | - Byron D. du Preez
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department University of Oxford, The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney Abingdon OX13 5QL UK
| | | | - Tuqa J. Huqa
- Kenya Wildlife Service P.O. Box 40241 00100 Nairobi Kenya
| | - Gabriele Cozzi
- Botswana Predator Conservation Trust Private Bag 13 Maun Botswana
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies Zurich University Winterthurerstr. 190 Zürich 8057 Switzerland
| | - Laurence G. Frank
- Living with Lions, Mpala Research Centre P.O. Box 555 Nanyuki 10400 Kenya
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology University of California Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Phumuzile Nyoni
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
- Debshan Ranch PO Box 24 Shagani Zimbabwe
| | - Andrew B. Stein
- CLAWS Conservancy, Pride in Our Prides Worcester MA 01608 USA
- Department of Environmental Conservation University of Massachusetts Amherst MA 01003 USA
- Landmark College Putney VT 05346 USA
| | | | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department University of Oxford, The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney Abingdon OX13 5QL UK
| | - Quinton E. Martins
- The Cape Leopard Trust Cape Town 7806 South Africa
- True Wild LLC Glen Ellen CA USA
| | | | - Ken J. Stratford
- Ongava Research Centre 102A Nelson Mandela Avenue Windhoek Namibia
| | | | - Alayne Oriol‐Cotteril
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, Zoology Department University of Oxford, The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre Tubney House, Abingdon Road, Tubney Abingdon OX13 5QL UK
- Living With Lions, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California Berkeley CA 94720 USA
| | - Nakedi W. Maputla
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute University of Pretoria Pretoria 0002 South Africa
| | - Nkabeng Maruping‐Mzileni
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, Mammal Research Institute University of Pretoria Pretoria 0002 South Africa
| | - Tim Parker
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology & Entomology Rhodes University P.O. Box 94 Grahamstown 6140 South Africa
| | - Maarten van't Zelfde
- Evolutionary Ecology Group, Department Biology University of Antwerp Universiteitsplein 1, Wilrijk, Building D 132 Antwerpen Belgium
| | - Lynne A. Isbell
- Mpala Research Centre P.O. Box 555 Nanyuki 10400 Kenya
- Department of Anthropology University of California Davis CA 95616 USA
| | - Otto B. Beukes
- Department of Conservation and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences Cape Peninsula University of Technology P.O. Box 652 Cape Town 8000 South Africa
| | - Maya Beukes
- Department of Conservation and Marine Sciences, Faculty of Applied Sciences Cape Peninsula University of Technology P.O. Box 652 Cape Town 8000 South Africa
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Péron G. Reproductive skews of territorial species in heterogeneous landscapes. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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15
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Collaborative behaviour and coalitions in male jaguars (Panthera onca)—evidence and comparison with other felids. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03232-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Most large felids are classified as solitary species, with only lions (Panthera leo) and cheetahs (Acinonyx jubatus) exhibiting social, collaborative behaviours. Herein, we present evidence of the formation of male coalitions by jaguars (Panthera onca), based on data from five studies conducted with camera trapping, GPS telemetry, and direct observations in the Venezuelan Llanos and Brazilian Pantanal. Out of 7062 male records obtained with camera traps or visual observations, we detected 105 cases of male-male interactions, of which we classified 18 as aggression, nine as tolerance, 70 as cooperation/coalition, and eight as unidentified. In two studies, two male jaguars formed stable coalitions lasting over 7 years each. In the Llanos, each coalition male paired and mated with several females. For male jaguar coalitions, we documented similar behaviours as recorded earlier in lions or cheetahs, which included patrolling and marking territory together, invading territories of other males, collaborative chasing and killing other jaguars, and sharing prey. However, different from lions or cheetahs, associated male jaguars spent less time together, did not cooperate with females, and did not hunt cooperatively together. Our analysis of literature suggested that male jaguar coalitions were more likely to form when females had small home range size, a proxy of females’ concentration, while in lions, the male group size was directly correlated with the female group size. Similarly, locally concentrated access to females may drive formation of male coalitions in cheetahs. We conclude that high biomass and aggregation of prey are likely drivers of sociality in felids.
Significance statement
The division into social and solitary species in large felids has so far seemed unambiguous, with only lions and cheetahs classified as social species, in which male coalitions also occurred. Our data show that, under certain conditions, male coalitions may also form in jaguar populations. Factors that drive formation of male coalitions in lions and cheetahs, but not in other species of large cats, have not been clear until now. Our analyses indicate that in jaguars, lions, and cheetahs, the concentration of females likely plays the most important role. In jaguars, the probability of male coalition occurrence is highest in populations with the smallest mean female home range size (and thus likely high local density of females), while in lions, male group size is most strongly correlated with female group size.
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16
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Crouse KN, Desai NP, Cassidy KA, Stahler EE, Lehman CL, Wilson ML. Larger territories reduce mortality risk for chimpanzees, wolves, and agents: Multiple lines of evidence in a model validation framework. Ecol Modell 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2022.110063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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17
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Felix N, Kissui BM, Munishi L, Treydte AC. Retaliatory killing negatively affects African lion (Panthera leo) male coalitions in the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem, Tanzania. PLoS One 2022; 17:e0272272. [PMID: 36044410 PMCID: PMC9432698 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0272272] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2021] [Accepted: 07/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In landscapes where people and lions coexist, conflicts are common due to livestock predation and threats to human safety. Retaliatory lion killing by humans is often a consequence and is one of the leading causes of lion population declines across Africa. We assessed the effects of retaliatory lion killing on male lion coalitions in the Tarangire-Manyara Ecosystem (TME) using a long-term dataset of lion monitoring for ten lion prides, spanning over a fourteen year-period from 2004–2018. We also interviewed 214 respondents about their attitudes and awareness of the effects of retaliatory killing on lions. We found that male lion coalitions were larger and lasted for a longer tenure period in locations with low risk of retaliatory killing, as well as far away from active hunting blocks. Further, young people (18–35 years old) had a more positive attitude towards lion existence and conservation compared to older age classes. Surprisingly, people with primary or secondary level of education were more likely to having lions killed if they attack livestock compared to people with no formal education, although the former supported lion presence for tourism in protected areas. We conclude that retaliatory killing has a large effect on long-term lion coalition dynamics and, thus, survival. Community awareness on retaliation effect varies widely, and we recommend implementing better education and policy strategies at TME to protect the declining carnivore populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nancy Felix
- Department of Sustainable Agriculture, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania
- * E-mail:
| | - Bernard M. Kissui
- School for Field Studies, Center for Wildlife Management Studies, Karatu, Tanzania
- Tarangire Lion Project, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Linus Munishi
- Department of Sustainable Agriculture, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania
| | - Anna C. Treydte
- Department of Sustainable Agriculture, Biodiversity and Ecosystem Management, The Nelson Mandela African Institution of Science and Technology, Arusha, Tanzania
- Department of Physical Geography, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
- Ecology of Tropical Agricultural Systems, Hohenheim University, Stuttgart, Germany
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Home Range and Movement Patterns of Reintroduced White Lions (Panthera leo melanochaita) in the Kruger to Canyons Biosphere Reserve, South Africa. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12152003. [PMID: 35953993 PMCID: PMC9367277 DOI: 10.3390/ani12152003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2022] [Revised: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 08/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary White lions are a natural colour variant of the African lion found within certain lion prides in the Greater Kruger Park Region of South Africa. Human factors led to their absence until white lions were reintroduced in 2006. This study provides the first assessment of home range and movement behaviour of white lions as an index of reintroduction success. Home range is the area where an animal spends its time and encompasses all the resources the animal requires to survive and reproduce. The home range size and average distance walked in a day were compared seasonally (wet compared to dry season) and between sexes (male compared to female) for a pride of white lions and a pride consisting of white and tawny (nonwhite) lions. Both prides had similar sized home ranges, walked a comparable average distance, and preferred similar types of vegetation among which to spend their time (dense woodland compared to open grassland). The white lions from both prides showed natural behaviour, similar to wild lions in terms of how they established and made use of their home ranges, suggesting that white lions can be successfully reintroduced into the wild. Abstract White lions are a colour variant of the African lion Panthera leo melanochaita and disappeared from the wild due to anthropogenic factors until their reintroduction to the Greater Kruger Park Region of South Africa in 2006. Natural home range behaviour is an index of reintroduction success. Therefore, the home range and movement of a pride of reintroduced white lions and a constructed pride consisting of reintroduced white lions and translocated wild tawny lionesses in small, fenced reserves was assessed. GPS data from collared adults were collected for the white lion pride between 2010–2011 and 2018–2020 for the constructed pride. Home ranges were estimated using kernel density estimation and minimum convex polygon, with minimum daily distance tested for differences between sex, season, and pride. Home ranges were small and average daily movements restricted for both prides (white lion pride: 5.41 km2 and 10.44 ± 4.82 km; constructed pride: 5.50 km2, 11.37 ± 4.72 km) due to the small reserve size of 7 km2. There was no difference between prides for annual and seasonal home range size, male and female home ranges, minimum daily distance travelled, or habitat selection. White lions from both prides established territories and displayed natural home ranging behaviour, suggesting that their reintroduction was successful, in the absence of anthropogenic threats.
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Assessing the Social Cohesion of a Translocated Pride of White Lions Integrated with Wild Tawny Lions in South Africa, Using Social Network Analysis. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12151985. [PMID: 35953975 PMCID: PMC9367506 DOI: 10.3390/ani12151985] [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: 06/13/2022] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
In South Africa, lions are protected in national parks and smaller fenced reserves. Translocating lions between fenced reserves, whilst necessary to maintain genetic diversity, is disruptive and can impact survivorship and pride cohesion. Critical to translocation success is pride cohesion. White lions are a natural colour variant occurring in the Greater Kruger Park Region, where anthropogenic threats eliminated this population until reintroduction in 2006. Through social network analysis (SNA), the sociality of a released pride of captive-origin white and wild tawny lions was compared to two captive-origin and wild prides of tawny lions. Social interactions and pride dynamics were recorded for each pride. For all prides, cubs and subadults were central to the play network, while adults received the most social interactions. White and wild tawny adult males initiated more social interactions than captive-origin tawny males, whilst a keystone adult female was identified in each pride. For the constructed pride, social interactions were more evenly distributed, suggesting a high level of connectedness and cohesion. This is the first study to demonstrate that captive-origin white and wild tawny lions can form a socially functional pride, suggesting that white lions would survive in the wild in the absence of anthropogenic threats.
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20
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Braga Goncalves I, Radford AN. Intraspecific variation in audience effects during outgroup conflict in a cooperatively breeding fish. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.05.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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21
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Braga Goncalves I, Morris-Drake A, Kennedy P, Radford AN. Fitness consequences of outgroup conflict. eLife 2022; 11:e74550. [PMID: 35833830 PMCID: PMC9282852 DOI: 10.7554/elife.74550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 06/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
In social species across the animal kingdom, conspecific outsiders threaten the valuable resources of groups and their members. This outgroup conflict is recognised as a powerful selection pressure, but we argue that studies explicitly quantifying the fitness consequences need to be broader in scope: more attention should be paid to delayed, cumulative, and third-party fitness consequences, not just those arising immediately to group members involved in physical contests. In the first part of this review, we begin by documenting how single contests can have survival and reproductive consequences either immediately or with a delay. Then, we step beyond contests to describe fitness consequences that can also result from interactions with cues of rival presence and the general landscape of outgroup threat, and beyond single interactions to describe cumulative effects of territorial pressure and elevated outgroup-induced stress. Using examples from a range of taxa, we discuss which individuals are affected negatively and positively, considering both interaction participants and third-party group members of the same or the next generation. In the second part of the review, we provide suggestions about how to move forward. We highlight the importance of considering how different types of outgroup conflict can generate different selection pressures and of investigating variation in fitness consequences within and between species. We finish by discussing the value of theoretical modelling and long-term studies of natural populations, experimental manipulations, and meta-analyses to develop further our understanding of this crucial aspect of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Amy Morris-Drake
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
| | - Patrick Kennedy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of BristolBristolUnited Kingdom
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Fighting force and experience combine to determine contest success in a warlike mammal. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2119176119. [PMID: 35700363 PMCID: PMC9231503 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2119176119] [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] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Intergroup conflict has been proposed as a major influence in social evolution. Understanding how intergroup contests exert selection on group living requires determining what properties of groups and their members drive contest success. We analyzed 19 y of data on intergroup fighting in wild banded mongooses to disentangle the factors that determine victory. Two factors, the number of males in the group and the age of the oldest “senior” male, most strongly influence the probability of victory. Senior males may be a benefit because of their disproportionate fighting experience. As in human societies, strength in numbers and the presence of key individuals are critical for success in violent intergroup contests, perhaps influencing selection on individual life history and social behavior. Conflicts between social groups or “intergroup contests” are proposed to play a major role in the evolution of cooperation and social organization in humans and some nonhuman animal societies. In humans, success in warfare and other collective conflicts depends on both fighting group size and the presence and actions of key individuals, such as leaders or talismanic warriors. Understanding the determinants of intergroup contest success in other warlike animals may help to reveal the role of these contests in social evolution. Using 19 y of data on intergroup encounters in a particularly violent social mammal, the banded mongoose (Mungos mungo), we show that two factors, the number of adult males and the age of the oldest male (the “senior” male), have the strongest impacts on the probability of group victory. The advantage conferred by senior males appears to stem from their fighting experience. However, the galvanizing effect of senior males declines as they grow old until, at very advanced ages, senior males become a liability rather than an asset and can be evicted. As in human conflict, strength in numbers and the experience of key individuals combine to determine intergroup contest success in this animal society. We discuss how selection arising from intergroup contests may explain a suite of features of individual life history and social organization, including male eviction, sex-assortative alloparental care, and adult sex ratio.
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Massaro AP, Gilby IC, Desai N, Weiss A, Feldblum JT, Pusey AE, Wilson ML. Correlates of individual participation in boundary patrols by male chimpanzees. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210151. [PMID: 35369753 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Abstract
Group territory defence poses a collective action problem: individuals can free-ride, benefiting without paying the costs. Individual heterogeneity has been proposed to solve such problems, as individuals high in reproductive success, rank, fighting ability or motivation may benefit from defending territories even if others free-ride. To test this hypothesis, we analysed 30 years of data from chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the Kasekela community, Gombe National Park, Tanzania (1978-2007). We examined the extent to which individual participation in patrols varied according to correlates of reproductive success (mating rate, rank, age), fighting ability (hunting), motivation (scores from personality ratings), costs of defecting (the number of adult males in the community) and gregariousness (sighting frequency). By contrast to expectations from collective action theory, males participated in patrols at consistently high rates (mean ± s.d. = 74.5 ± 11.1% of patrols, n = 23 males). The best predictors of patrol participation were sighting frequency, age and hunting participation. Current and former alpha males did not participate at a higher rate than males that never achieved alpha status. These findings suggest that the temptation to free-ride is low, and that a mutualistic mechanism such as group augmentation may better explain individual participation in group territorial behaviour. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony P Massaro
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55414, USA
| | - Ian C Gilby
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA.,Institute of Human Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Nisarg Desai
- Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA
| | - Alexander Weiss
- National Evolutionary Synthesis Center, Durham, NC 27705, USA.,Department of Psychology, School of Philosophy, Psychology and Language Sciences, University of Edinburgh, 7 George Square, Edinburgh EH8 9JZ, UK
| | - Joseph T Feldblum
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA.,Society of Fellows, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Anne E Pusey
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Michael L Wilson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55414, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN 55414, USA.,Institute on the Environment, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55414, USA
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24
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Morris-Drake A, Kennedy P, Braga Goncalves I, Radford AN. Variation between species, populations, groups and individuals in the fitness consequences of out-group conflict. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210148. [PMID: 35369741 PMCID: PMC8977661 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Out-group conflict is rife in the natural world, occurring from primates to ants. Traditionally, research on this aspect of sociality has focused on the interactions between groups and their conspecific rivals, investigating contest function and characteristics, which group members participate and what determines who wins. In recent years, however, there has been increasing interest in the consequences of out-group conflict. In this review, we first set the scene by outlining the fitness consequences that can arise immediately to contest participants, as well as a broader range of delayed, cumulative and third-party effects of out-group conflict on survival and reproductive success. For the majority of the review, we then focus on variation in these fitness consequences of out-group conflict, describing known examples both between species and between populations, groups and individuals of the same species. Throughout, we suggest possible reasons for the variation, provide examples from a diverse array of taxa, and suggest what is needed to advance this burgeoning area of social evolution. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Morris-Drake
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Patrick Kennedy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Ines Braga Goncalves
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Andrew N Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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25
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Lemoine SRT, Samuni L, Crockford C, Wittig RM. Parochial cooperation in wild chimpanzees: a model to explain the evolution of parochial altruism. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210149. [PMID: 35369746 PMCID: PMC8977654 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Parochial altruism, taking individual costs to benefit the in-group and harm the out-group, has been proposed as one of the mechanisms underlying the human ability of large-scale cooperation. How parochial altruism has evolved remains unclear. In this review paper, we formulate a parochial cooperation model in small-scale groups and examine the model in wild chimpanzees. As suggested for human parochial altruism, we review evidence that the oxytocinergic system and in-group cooperation and cohesion during out-group threat are integral parts of chimpanzee collective action during intergroup competition. We expand this model by suggesting that chimpanzee parochial cooperation is supported by the social structure of chimpanzee groups which enables repeated interaction history and established social ties between co-operators. We discuss in detail the role of the oxytocinergic system in supporting parochial cooperation, a pathway that appears integral already in chimpanzees. The reviewed evidence suggests that prerequisites of human parochial altruism were probably present in the last common ancestor between Pan and Homo. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain R. T. Lemoine
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Liran Samuni
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, CNRS/University of Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Roman M. Wittig
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, CNRS/University of Lyon, Bron, France
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26
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García MG, de Guinea M, Bshary R, van de Waal E. Drivers and outcomes of between-group conflict in vervet monkeys. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210145. [PMID: 35369750 PMCID: PMC8977665 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0145] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Neighbouring groups compete over access to resources and territories in between-group encounters, which can escalate into between-group conflicts (BGCs). Both the ecological characteristics of a territory and the rival's fighting ability shape the occurrence and outcome of such contests. What remains poorly understood, however, is how seasonal variability in the ecological value of a territory together with fighting ability related to the likelihood of between-group encounters and the extent to which these escalate into conflicts. To test this, we observed and followed four vervet monkey groups in the wild, and recorded the group structure (i.e. size, composition), the locations and the outcomes of 515 BGCs. We then assessed key ecological measures at these locations, such as vegetation availability (estimated from Copernicus Sentinel 2 satellite images) and the intensity of usage of these locations. We tested to what extent these factors together influenced the occurrence and outcomes of BGCs. We found that the occurrence of BGCs increased at locations with higher vegetation availability relative to the annual vegetation availability within the group's home territory. Also, groups engaging in a BGC at locations far away from their home territory were less likely to win a BGC. Regarding group structure, we found that smaller groups systematically won BGCs against larger groups, which can be explained by potentially higher rates of individual free-riding occurring in larger groups. This study sheds light on how the ecology of encounter locations in combination with a group's social characteristics can critically impact the dynamics of BGCs in a non-human primate species. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Intergroup conflict across taxa’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miguel Gareta García
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal 3115, South Africa.,Department of Eco-Ethology, Faculty of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile Argand 11, Neuchâtel 2000, Switzerland
| | - Miguel de Guinea
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Alexander Silverman Institute of Life Sciences, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Redouan Bshary
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal 3115, South Africa.,Department of Eco-Ethology, Faculty of Biology, University of Neuchâtel, Rue Emile Argand 11, Neuchâtel 2000, Switzerland
| | - Erica van de Waal
- Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal 3115, South Africa.,Department of Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology and Medicine, University of Lausanne, Lausanne 1015, Switzerland
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Oxytocin promotes social proximity and decreases vigilance in groups of African lions. iScience 2022; 25:104049. [PMID: 35496998 PMCID: PMC9042884 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.104049] [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: 09/03/2021] [Revised: 12/07/2021] [Accepted: 03/08/2022] [Indexed: 11/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Oxytocin modulates mammalian social behavior; however, behavioral responses to intranasal oxytocin can vary across species and contexts. The complexity of social interactions increases with group dynamics, and the impacts of oxytocin on both within- and between-group contexts are unknown. We tested the effects of intranasal administration of oxytocin on social and non-social behaviors within in-group and out-group contexts in African lions. We hypothesized that, post intranasal oxytocin administration, lions would be in closer proximity with fellow group members, whereas out-group stimuli could either produce a heightened vigilance response or an attenuated one. Compared to control trials, post oxytocin administration, lions increased their time spent in close proximity (reducing their distance to the nearest neighbor) and decreased vigilance toward out-group intruders (reducing their vocalizations following a roar-playback). These results not only have important implications for understanding the evolution of social circuitry but may also have practical applications for conservation efforts. We administered oxytocin to groups of African lions Relative to control conditions, oxytocin administration enhanced social proximity Oxytocin administration decreased vigilance (roars following roar playback)
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28
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Sells SN, Mitchell MS, Podruzny KM, Ausband DE, Emlen DJ, Gude JA, Smucker TD, Boyd DK, Loonam KE. Competition, prey, and mortalities influence gray wolf group size. J Wildl Manage 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22193] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Sarah N. Sells
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, 205 Natural Sciences Building University of Montana, Missoula Montana 59812 USA
| | - Michael S. Mitchell
- U.S. Geological Survey, Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, 205 Natural Sciences Building University of Montana Missoula Montana 59812 USA
| | | | - David E. Ausband
- U.S. Geological Survey, Idaho Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, 875 Perimeter Drive MS 1141 University of Idaho Moscow Idaho 83844 USA
| | - Douglas J. Emlen
- Division of Biological Sciences University of Montana Missoula Montana 59812
| | - Justin A. Gude
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 1420 E. 6th St. Helena MT 59620
| | - Ty D. Smucker
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 4600 Giant Springs Road Great Falls MT 59405
| | - Diane K. Boyd
- Montana Fish, Wildlife and Parks 490 North Meridian Road Kalispell MT 59901
| | - Kenneth E. Loonam
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Wildlife Biology Program, 205 Natural Sciences Building University of Montana, Missoula Montana 59812 USA
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29
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Wang X, Lu Y, Shi L, Park J. The effect of territorial awareness in a three-species cyclic predator-prey model. Sci Rep 2022; 12:1821. [PMID: 35110669 PMCID: PMC8810777 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-022-05845-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2021] [Accepted: 01/19/2022] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Recognizing territories is essential to decide behavior of population either human or animals, and interaction between groups or individuals according to the territorial awareness is universal. Understanding various mechanisms which affect on such species behaviors can be possible by evolutionary games, and in particular, the rock–paper–scissors (RPS) game has been played a key role as a paradigmatic model to explore biodiversity from microbiota to societies. Among paramount mechanisms in systems of RPS, the role of intraspecific interaction has been recently noted in terms of promoting biodiversity. Since intraspecific interaction is defined by an invasive reaction between individuals in the same group, the interaction may be also sensitive to the territorial awareness. To explore how territorial awareness-based intraspecific interaction can affect species biodiversity, we endow species with the mechanism in the classic RPS game. By means of the Monte-Carlo method, we find the phenomenon that the presence of species’ territorial awareness has an impact on intraspecific interaction which ultimately affects species biodiversity. At the same time, we also find that territorial awareness can play a significant role to the average waiting time for extinction which is numerically elucidated by exploiting the quantity: interface width statistic. Unlike prior research that concentrated solely on the relationship between interaction frequency and species diversity, our results shed lights on the important role of territorial awareness in models of RPS, and they reveal fascinating evolutionary outcomes in structured populations that are a unique consequence of such awareness behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiaoyue Wang
- School of Statistics and Mathematics, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming, 650221, Yunnan, China
| | - Yikang Lu
- School of Statistics and Mathematics, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming, 650221, Yunnan, China
| | - Lei Shi
- School of Statistics and Mathematics, Yunnan University of Finance and Economics, Kunming, 650221, Yunnan, China.
| | - Junpyo Park
- Department of Applied Mathematics, Kyung Hee University, Yongin, 17104, Republic of Korea.
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30
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Vásárhelyi Z, Scheuring I, Aviles L. The ecology of spider sociality – A Spatial Model. Am Nat 2022; 199:776-788. [DOI: 10.1086/719182] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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31
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Evers EEM, Pretorius ME, Venter JA, Honiball TL, Keith M, Mgqatsa N, Somers MJ. Varying degrees of spatio-temporal partitioning among large carnivores in a fenced reserve, South Africa. WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2022. [DOI: 10.1071/wr21045] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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32
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Feder JA, Beehner JC, Baniel A, Bergman TJ, Snyder-Mackler N, Lu A. OUP accepted manuscript. Behav Ecol 2022; 33:654-664. [PMID: 35600996 PMCID: PMC9113362 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/03/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Female reproductive maturation is a critical life-history milestone, initiating an individual's reproductive career. Studies in social mammals have often focused on how variables related to nutrition influence maturation age in females. However, parallel investigations have identified conspicuous male-mediated effects in which female maturation is sensitive to the presence and relatedness of males. Here, we evaluated whether the more "classic" socioecological variables (i.e., maternal rank, group size) predict maturation age in wild geladas-a primate species with known male-mediated effects on maturation and a grassy diet that is not expected to generate intense female competition. Females delayed maturation in the presence of their fathers and quickly matured when unrelated, dominant males arrived. Controlling for these male effects, however, higher-ranking daughters matured at earlier ages than lower-ranking daughters, suggesting an effect of within-group contest competition. However, contrary to predictions related to within-group scramble competition, females matured earliest in larger groups. We attribute this result to either: 1) a shift to "faster" development in response to the high infant mortality risk posed by larger groups; or 2) accelerated maturation triggered by brief, unobserved male visits. While earlier ages at maturation were indeed associated with earlier ages at first birth, these benefits were occasionally offset by male takeovers, which can delay successful reproduction via spontaneous abortion. In sum, rank-related effects on reproduction can still occur even when socioecological theory would predict otherwise, and males (and the risks they pose) may prompt female maturation even outside of successful takeovers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jacob A Feder
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Circle Rd, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Address Correspondence to J. A. Feder. E-mail: ; A. Lu. E-mail:
| | - Jacinta C Beehner
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, S. University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Alice Baniel
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Thore J Bergman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Church St, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, N. University Ave, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, E. Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, S. Cady Mall, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Amy Lu
- Interdepartmental Doctoral Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Circle Rd, Stony Brook, NY, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Circle Rd, Stony Brook, NY, USA
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33
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Wikberg EC, Gonzalez S, Rodriguez C, Sicotte P. Joint intergroup aggression in female colobus monkeys (Colobus vellerosus) is associated with grooming bonds, male participation, and group size. Am J Primatol 2021; 84:e23355. [PMID: 34927751 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23355] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/08/2021] [Revised: 12/10/2021] [Accepted: 12/12/2021] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
Cooperative home range defense is common in primates, despite a collective action problem that arises when group members benefit from winning the intergroup encounter regardless of whether they participate. The costs associated with this collective action problem may be mitigated by residing in small groups, residing with kin, or by forming strong bonds with group members. The potential to decouple the effects of these variables provided an opportunity to investigate which of these three variables best explains coparticipation in intergroup encounters among adult and subadult female colobus at Boabeng-Fiema, Ghana. Because males are often the main participants, we also investigated the relationship between female-female coparticipation and adult and subadult male participation. We collected intergroup behaviors from 94 adult and subadult individuals in eight groups during 1 year. We quantified female grooming bond strength and approach rates using focal samples. We classified female dyads as close kin (i.e., halfsiblings or more closely related) or nonkin based on partial pedigrees and genotypes generated from 17 STR loci. Female-female coparticipation was higher in dyads with stronger grooming bonds but was not associated with dyadic kinship, approach rate, or age class. Female coparticipation decreased with increasing female group size as expected if there is a collective action problem. Females coparticipated less in groups with more males and male intergroup aggression, possibly because there is less need for female-female cooperation if males are participating in the intergroup encounter. Females in smaller groups may not only benefit from increased female-female cooperation during intergroup encounters, they are also likely to reside with a higher-quality alpha male, both of which may increase the likelihood of winning intergroup encounters. There may be strong selection for facultative female dispersal in populations like the Boabeng-Fiema colobus in which small groups are associated with multiple benefits and cooperation is not affected by kinship.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva C Wikberg
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Sofia Gonzalez
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Cynthia Rodriguez
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, Texas, USA
| | - Pascale Sicotte
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada.,Department of Biology, Concordia University, Montréal, Quebec, Canada
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34
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Sheppard CE, Heaphy R, Cant MA, Marshall HH. Individual foraging specialization in group-living species. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.10.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
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35
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Kittle AM, Bukombe JK, Sinclair ARE, Mduma SAR, Fryxell JM. Where and when does the danger lie? Assessing how location, season and time of day affect the sequential stages of predation by lions in western Serengeti National Park. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12944] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. M. Kittle
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph ON Canada
| | - J. K. Bukombe
- Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute Arusha Tanzania
| | - A. R. E. Sinclair
- Biodiversity Research Centre University of British Columbia Vancouver BC Canada
| | | | - J. M. Fryxell
- Department of Integrative Biology University of Guelph Guelph ON Canada
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36
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Hex SBSW, Tombak K, Rubenstein DI. A new classification of mammalian uni-male multi-female groups based on the fundamental principles governing inter- and intrasexual relationships. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03046-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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37
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Duncan C, Manser MB, Clutton‐Brock T. Decline and fall: The causes of group failure in cooperatively breeding meerkats. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14459-14474. [PMID: 34765119 PMCID: PMC8571573 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In many social vertebrates, variation in group persistence exerts an important effect on individual fitness and population demography. However, few studies have been able to investigate the failure of groups or the causes of the variation in their longevity. We use data from a long-term study of cooperatively breeding meerkats, Suricata suricatta, to investigate the different causes of group failure and the factors that drive these processes. Many newly formed groups failed within a year of formation, and smaller groups were more likely to fail. Groups that bred successfully and increased their size could persist for several years, even decades. Long-lived groups principally failed in association with the development of clinical tuberculosis, Mycobacterium suricattae, a disease that can spread throughout the group and be fatal for group members. Clinical tuberculosis was more likely to occur in groups that had smaller group sizes and that had experienced immigration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Duncan
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River ReserveVan ZylsrusSouth Africa
| | - Marta B. Manser
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River ReserveVan ZylsrusSouth Africa
- Animal BehaviourDepartment of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Tim Clutton‐Brock
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River ReserveVan ZylsrusSouth Africa
- Mammal Research InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
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38
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Dunbar RIM, Shultz S. The Infertility Trap: The Fertility Costs of Group-Living in Mammalian Social Evolution. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.634664] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Mammal social groups vary considerably in size from single individuals to very large herds. In some taxa, these groups are extremely stable, with at least some individuals being members of the same group throughout their lives; in other taxa, groups are unstable, with membership changing by the day. We argue that this variability in grouping patterns reflects a tradeoff between group size as a solution to environmental demands and the costs created by stress-induced infertility (creating an infertility trap). These costs are so steep that, all else equal, they will limit group size in mammals to ∼15 individuals. A species will only be able to live in larger groups if it evolves strategies that mitigate these costs. We suggest that mammals have opted for one of two solutions. One option (fission-fusion herding) is low cost but high risk; the other (bonded social groups) is risk-averse, but costly in terms of cognitive requirements.
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39
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Muneza AB, Linden DW, Kimaro MH, Dickman AJ, Macdonald DW, Roloff GJ, Hayward MW, Montgomery RA. Exploring the connections between giraffe skin disease and lion predation. J Zool (1987) 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12930] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- A. B. Muneza
- Research on the Ecology of Carnivores and their Prey (RECaP) Laboratory Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation Nairobi Kenya
| | - D. W. Linden
- NOAA National Marine Fisheries Service Gloucester MA USA
| | - M. H. Kimaro
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxon UK
| | - A. J. Dickman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxon UK
| | - D. W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxon UK
| | - G. J. Roloff
- Applied Forest and Wildlife Ecology Laboratory (AFWEL) Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | - M. W. Hayward
- Conservation Biology Research Group School of Environmental and Life Sciences University of Newcastle Callaghan NSW Australia
| | - R. A. Montgomery
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxon UK
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40
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A metapopulation model of social group dynamics and disease applied to Yellowstone wolves. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:2020023118. [PMID: 33649227 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2020023118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
The population structure of social species has important consequences for both their demography and transmission of their pathogens. We develop a metapopulation model that tracks two key components of a species' social system: average group size and number of groups within a population. While the model is general, we parameterize it to mimic the dynamics of the Yellowstone wolf population and two associated pathogens: sarcoptic mange and canine distemper. In the initial absence of disease, we show that group size is mainly determined by the birth and death rates and the rates at which groups fission to form new groups. The total number of groups is determined by rates of fission and fusion, as well as environmental resources and rates of intergroup aggression. Incorporating pathogens into the models reduces the size of the host population, predominantly by reducing the number of social groups. Average group size responds in more subtle ways: infected groups decrease in size, but uninfected groups may increase when disease reduces the number of groups and thereby reduces intraspecific aggression. Our modeling approach allows for easy calculation of prevalence at multiple scales (within group, across groups, and population level), illustrating that aggregate population-level prevalence can be misleading for group-living species. The model structure is general, can be applied to other social species, and allows for a dynamic assessment of how pathogens can affect social structure and vice versa.
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41
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Muller Z, Harris S. A review of the social behaviour of the giraffe
Giraffa camelopardalis
: a misunderstood but socially complex species. Mamm Rev 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/mam.12268] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Zoe Muller
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue Bristol BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Stephen Harris
- School of Biological Sciences University of Bristol Bristol Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue Bristol BS8 1TQ UK
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42
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McEvoy OK, Ferreira SM, Parker DM. The Influence of Population Demographics on Lion (Panthera leo) Growth Rates in Small, Fenced Wildlife Reserves. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.3957/056.051.0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Orla K. McEvoy
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
| | - Sam M. Ferreira
- South African National Parks, Scientific Services, Skukuza, South Africa
| | - Dan M. Parker
- Wildlife and Reserve Management Research Group, Department of Zoology and Entomology, Rhodes University, Grahamstown, South Africa
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43
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Vitet C, Duncan P, Ganswindt A, Mabika C, Chamaillé-Jammes S. Do infanticides occur in harem-forming equids? A test with long-term sociodemographic data in wild plains zebras. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.04.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
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44
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Serres-Corral P, Fernández-Bellon H, Padilla-Solé P, Carbajal A, López-Béjar M. Evaluation of Fecal Glucocorticoid Metabolite Levels in Response to a Change in Social and Handling Conditions in African Lions ( Panthera leo bleyenberghi). Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11071877. [PMID: 34202478 PMCID: PMC8300219 DOI: 10.3390/ani11071877] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Revised: 06/10/2021] [Accepted: 06/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Non-invasive determination of cortisol metabolite concentrations in feces is widely used to evaluate the influence of housing and handling conditions on the stress physiology of wildlife in captivity. The present study aimed to assess the physiological response of a lion pride to a change in management and social conditions after the death of the dominant male of the pride. Before the dominant male died, weekly management routines between the indoor and outdoor enclosures were conducted to avoid cohabitation problems between the two males of the pride. After the death of the dominant male, these weekly management dynamics ceased, leading to a decrease in the daily management routine of the lion pride. An individualized sampling of the animals through the utilization of indigestive markers was conducted, and fecal samples were collected before and after the death of the dominant male. Significant lower cortisol metabolite concentrations in feces were detected after the death of the dominant male, suggesting a positive impact of a decrease in daily management routines, together with a more stable social environment. In addition, assessment of individualized hormone concentrations throughout the study revealed variable physiological responses among lions, providing evidence of the importance of monitoring hormonal profiles individually. Abstract Monitoring the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis through determination of fecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) levels is a non-invasive method useful for understanding how handling and social conditions may affect the physiological status of zoo animals. The present study used FCM analysis to evaluate whether the HPA axis activity of a lion pride was modified by a change in social and handling conditions after the death of the dominant male. Five African lions (Panthera leo bleyenberghi), two males and three females, were included in the study. Fecal samples were collected before and after the death of the dominant male. To avoid cohabitation conflicts between males before the dominant male died, subgroups were established and subjected to weekly changes between indoor and outdoor facilities. After the death of the dominant male, these management dynamics ceased, and the remaining four lions were kept together outdoors. Significant lower group FCM concentrations (p < 0.001) were detected after the decease of the dominant male, probably associated with a decrease in daily handling, together with a more stable social environment. Overall, the present study indicates the effect of different management scenarios on the HPA axis activity and differentiated physiological responses to the same situation between individuals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paula Serres-Corral
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;
- Correspondence: (P.S.-C.); (M.L.-B.)
| | - Hugo Fernández-Bellon
- Parc Zoològic de Barcelona, Parc de la Ciutadella s/n, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (H.F.-B.); (P.P.-S.)
| | - Pilar Padilla-Solé
- Parc Zoològic de Barcelona, Parc de la Ciutadella s/n, 08003 Barcelona, Spain; (H.F.-B.); (P.P.-S.)
| | - Annaïs Carbajal
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;
| | - Manel López-Béjar
- Department of Animal Health and Anatomy, Universitat Autònoma de Barcelona, 08193 Bellaterra, Spain;
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA 91766, USA
- Correspondence: (P.S.-C.); (M.L.-B.)
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45
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Holekamp KE, Strauss ED. Reproduction Within a Hierarchical Society from a Female's Perspective. Integr Comp Biol 2021; 60:753-764. [PMID: 32667986 DOI: 10.1093/icb/icaa068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
The reproductive biology of many female mammals is affected by their social environment and their interactions with conspecifics. In mammalian societies structured by linear dominance hierarchies, such as that of the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), a female's social rank can have profound effects on both her reproductive success and her longevity. In this species, social rank determines priority of access to food, which is the resource limiting reproduction. Due largely to rank-related variation in access to food, reproduction from the perspective of a female spotted hyena can only be understood in the context of her position in the social hierarchy. In this review, we examine the effects of rank on the various phases of reproduction, from mating to weaning. Summed over many individual reproductive lifespans, the effect of rank at these different reproductive phases leads to dramatic rank-related variation in fitness among females and their lineages. Finally, we ask why females reproduce socially despite these apparent costs of group living to low-ranking females. Gregariousness enhances the fitness of females regardless of their positions in the social hierarchy, and females attempting to survive and reproduce without clanmates lose all their offspring. The positive effects of gregariousness appear to result from having female allies, both kin and non-kin, who cooperate to advertise and defend a shared territory, acquire, and defend food resources, maintain the status quo, and occasionally also to rise in social rank.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kay E Holekamp
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.,Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Eli D Strauss
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.,Ecology, Evolutionary Biology and Behavior, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska, Lincoln, NE 68588, USA
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46
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Pretorius M, Distiller GB, Photopoulou T, Kelly CP, O'Riain MJ. African Wild Dog Movement Ecology in a Small Protected Area in South Africa. AFRICAN JOURNAL OF WILDLIFE RESEARCH 2021. [DOI: 10.3957/056.051.0054] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Pretorius
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Greg B. Distiller
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Theoni Photopoulou
- Centre for Statistics in Ecology, the Environment and Conservation (SEEC), Department of Statistical Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
| | | | - M. Justin O'Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa (iCWild), Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Cape Town, South Africa
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47
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Tinsley Johnson E, Feder JA, Bergman TJ, Lu A, Snyder-Mackler N, Beehner JC. The Goldilocks effect: female geladas in mid-sized groups have higher fitness. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210820. [PMID: 34074124 PMCID: PMC8170190 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0820] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/07/2021] [Accepted: 05/05/2021] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The cost-benefit ratio of group living is thought to vary with group size: individuals in 'optimally sized' groups should have higher fitness than individuals in groups that are either too large or too small. However, the relationship between group size and individual fitness has been difficult to establish for long-lived species where the number of groups studied is typically quite low. Here, we present evidence for optimal group size that maximizes female fitness in a population of geladas (Theropithecus gelada). Drawing on 14 years of demographic data, we found that females in small groups experienced the highest death rates, while females in mid-sized groups exhibited the highest reproductive performance. This group size effect on female reproductive performance was largely explained by variation in infant mortality (and, in particular, by infanticide from immigrant males) but not by variation in reproductive rates. Taken together, females in mid-sized groups are projected to attain optimal fitness due to conspecific infanticide and, potentially, predation. Our findings provide insight into how and why group size shapes fitness in long-lived species.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jacob A. Feder
- Interdepartmental Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
| | - Thore J. Bergman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48019-1085, USA
| | - Amy Lu
- Interdepartmental Program in Anthropological Sciences, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794-4364, USA
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-4701, USA
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85287-1701, USA
| | - Jacinta C. Beehner
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1043, USA
- Department of Anthropology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109-1107, USA
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48
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Vinks MA, Creel S, Schuette P, Becker MS, Rosenblatt E, Sanguinetti C, Banda K, Goodheart B, Young-Overton K, Stevens X, Chifunte C, Midlane N, Simukonda C. Response of lion demography and dynamics to the loss of preferred larger prey. ECOLOGICAL APPLICATIONS : A PUBLICATION OF THE ECOLOGICAL SOCIETY OF AMERICA 2021; 31:e02298. [PMID: 33434324 DOI: 10.1002/eap.2298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2020] [Revised: 10/07/2020] [Accepted: 10/27/2020] [Indexed: 06/12/2023]
Abstract
Large carnivores are experiencing range contraction and population declines globally. Prey depletion due to illegal offtake is considered a major contributor, but the effects of prey depletion on large carnivore demography are rarely tested. We measured African lion density and tested the factors that affect survival using mark-recapture models fit to six years of data from known individuals in Kafue National Park (KNP), Zambia. KNP is affected by prey depletion, particularly for large herbivores that were preferred prey for KNP lions a half-century ago. This provides a unique opportunity to test whether variables that explain local prey density also affect lion survival. Average lion density within our study area was 3.43 individuals/100 km2 (95% CI, 2.79-4.23), which was much lower than lion density reported for another miombo ecosystem with similar vegetation structure and rainfall that was less affected by prey depletion. Despite this, comparison to other lion populations showed that age- and sex-specific survival rates for KNP lions were generally good, and factors known to correlate with local prey density had small effects on lion survival. In contrast, recruitment of cubs was poor and average pride size was small. In particular, the proportion of the population comprised of second-year cubs was low, indicating that few cubs are recruited into the subadult age class. Our findings suggest that low recruitment might be a better signal of low prey density than survival. Thus, describing a lion population's age structure in addition to average pride size may be a simple and effective method of initially evaluating whether a lion population is affected by prey depletion. These dynamics should be evaluated for other lion populations and other large carnivore species. Increased resource protection and reducing the underlying drivers of prey depletion are urgent conservation needs for lions and other large carnivores as their conservation is increasingly threatened by range contraction and population declines.
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Affiliation(s)
- Milan A Vinks
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA
- Zambian Carnivore Programme, Mfuwe, Zambia
| | - Scott Creel
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA
- Zambian Carnivore Programme, Mfuwe, Zambia
- Institut för Vilt, Fisk Och Miljö, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, Umeå, Sweden
| | - Paul Schuette
- Marine Mammals Management, U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service, 1011 East Tudor Road, Anchorage, Alaska, 99503, USA
| | - Matthew S Becker
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA
- Zambian Carnivore Programme, Mfuwe, Zambia
| | - Elias Rosenblatt
- Rubenstein School of Environment and Natural Resources, Aiken Center, University of Vermont, Burlington, Vermont, 05405, USA
| | | | | | - Ben Goodheart
- Department of Ecology, Montana State University, Bozeman, Montana, 59717, USA
- Zambian Carnivore Programme, Mfuwe, Zambia
| | - Kim Young-Overton
- Panthera, 8 West 40 Street, Floor 18, New York, New York, 10018, USA
| | - Xia Stevens
- Panthera, 8 West 40 Street, Floor 18, New York, New York, 10018, USA
| | - Clive Chifunte
- Institut för Vilt, Fisk Och Miljö, Sveriges Lantbruksuniversitet, Umeå, Sweden
- Zambia Department of National Parks and Wildlife, Chilanga, Zambia
| | - Neil Midlane
- Wilderness Safaris, Block H, The Terraces, Steenberg Office Park, 1 Silverwood Close, Tokai, Cape Town, South Africa
| | - Chuma Simukonda
- Zambia Department of National Parks and Wildlife, Chilanga, Zambia
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49
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Chakrabarti S, Bump JK, Jhala YV, Packer C. Contrasting levels of social distancing between the sexes in lions. iScience 2021; 24:102406. [PMID: 34013168 PMCID: PMC8113998 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.102406] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2020] [Revised: 03/29/2021] [Accepted: 04/06/2021] [Indexed: 11/08/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding sexual segregation is crucial to comprehend sociality. A comparative analysis of long-term lion data from Serengeti and Ngorongoro in Tanzania, and Gir in India, reveals that male-female associations are contingent upon male and female group size, prey-size and availability, and the number of prides that each male coalition currently resides. Males maintain proximity with females, whereas females are responsible for segregation except at large kills. Lions feed on the largest prey in Ngorongoro and the smallest in Gir, and females spend the most time with males in Ngorongoro and the least in Gir. Females roar less often in prey-scarce circumstances in Serengeti and throughout the year in Gir possibly to prevent being tracked by males that parasitize on female kills. However, females readily associate with males when available prey is large and abundant. Contrasting availability of resources between Gir and Serengeti/Ngorongoro helps explain the varying degrees of sexual segregation and appears to drive differences in mating systems between these lion populations. Sexual segregation in lion populations is driven by resource availability Females are responsible for segregating from males, except at large kills When prey is scarce, females reduce detection by males by roaring less frequently Contrasting proximity between the sexes has led to variation in mating strategies in these populations of African and Asian lions
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Affiliation(s)
- Stotra Chakrabarti
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 150 Skok Hall, 2003 Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA.,Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Joseph K Bump
- Department of Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, University of Minnesota, 150 Skok Hall, 2003 Buford Circle, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
| | - Yadvendradev V Jhala
- Department of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Wildlife Institute of India, Chandrabani, Dehra Dun, Uttarakhand 248001, India
| | - Craig Packer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St. Paul, MN 55108, USA
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50
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Petracca LS, Frair JL, Bastille‐Rousseau G, Macdonald DW, Loveridge AJ. Harassment‐induced changes in lion space use as a conflict mitigation tool. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.373] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Lisanne S. Petracca
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), Department of Zoology Oxford University, The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre Abingdon UK
| | - Jacqueline L. Frair
- Department of Environmental and Forest Biology State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry Syracuse New York USA
| | | | - David W. Macdonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), Department of Zoology Oxford University, The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre Abingdon UK
| | - Andrew J. Loveridge
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit (WildCRU), Department of Zoology Oxford University, The Recanati‐Kaplan Centre Abingdon UK
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