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Costa RFP, Romano V, Pereira AS, Hart JDA, MacIntosh A, Hayashi M. Mountain gorillas benefit from social distancing too: Close proximity from tourists affects gorillas' sociality. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Raquel F. P. Costa
- Research Department Japan Monkey Center Inuyama Aichi Japan
- Primate Cognition Research Group, Centre for Philosophy of Science of the University of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal
| | - Valéria Romano
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
- IMBE, Aix Marseille Univ., Avignon Univ., CNRS, IRD Marseille France
| | - André S. Pereira
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter Exeter UK
- Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences University of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal
| | - Jordan D. A. Hart
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter Exeter UK
| | - Andrew MacIntosh
- Inuyama Campus, Kyoto University Wildlife Research Center Inuyama Japan
- Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences, Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Misato Hayashi
- Research Department Japan Monkey Center Inuyama Aichi Japan
- Chubu Gakuin University Kakamigahara Japan
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Interrelationship among spatial cohesion, aggression rate, counter-aggression and female dominance in three lemur species. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03241-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
How social and ecological factors are associated with variation in dominance style across species of animals has been studied frequently, but the underlying processes are often not addressed. Theoretical research indicates that stronger spatial cohesion among individuals in a group causes a higher frequency of fighting and, thus, through the self-reinforcing effects of winning and losing fights, a stronger differentiation of the dominance hierarchy and dominance of females over more males. Our aim in the present paper is to study whether the same interrelationship among processes may underlie differences in dominance style among three species of lemur that differ in their degree of despotism: Lemur catta, Propithecus verreauxi and Eulemur rufifrons. We investigated their agonistic interactions and spatial cohesion based on 2752 h of observational data of 20 wild groups of these three species. We determined dominance style using the proportion of counter-aggression, with a lower proportion indicating a more despotic dominance style. We found that stronger spatial cohesion among individuals is associated with a higher rate of aggression, stronger despotism and dominance of females over more males. The results of our study emphasise the general importance of spatial cohesion in determining dominance style.
Significance statement
Theoretical studies have shown that the spatial configuration of individuals in a group influences the dominance style. In an agent-based model, DomWorld, individuals are guided by simple rules of grouping and fighting and emergent patterns of behaviour switch between resembling those of despotic or egalitarian primates depending on the degree of cohesion in groups. Yet this link has seldom been studied empirically. We, therefore, examine the relevance of spatial cohesion on patterns of behaviour of individuals in groups of three species of lemur. We confirm the predictions from the model and show that stronger spatial cohesion results in more frequent aggression, a more despotic dominance style and stronger female dominance over males. In light of this, we urge future research of animal dominance to include measures of cohesion.
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Fission-fusion dynamics in a wild group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) on Kinkazan Island caused by the repeated separation of an alpha male being followed by females. Primates 2022; 63:575-582. [PMID: 36053390 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-01011-2] [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: 11/30/2021] [Accepted: 08/07/2022] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
The spatiotemporal cohesion of a group is an essential element of primate society. It is thus important to clarify the factors that influence the extent of variation in spatial cohesion and individual membership in a group over time, known as fission-fusion dynamics. During the mating season of 2019, the alpha male (TY) in a wild group of Japanese macaques on Kinkazan Island repeatedly disappeared from the group, and we observed fission-fusion dynamics caused by his movement. The group seemed to have split when TY left the group or its home range, and females who followed him had the most affiliative relationships with TY or were the relatives of those females. Although TY disappeared from the group in the post-mating season, these fission-fusion dynamics only occurred during the mating season probably because females had a more substantial need for protection against aggression from the other males during the mating season. These results indicate that, although rare, fission-fusion dynamics based on affiliative relationships between males and females can occur with the separation of alpha males from the group. More studies in other populations are needed to clarify the influence of group males on the spatial cohesion of groups.
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LaBarge LR, Allan ATL, Berman CM, Hill RA, Margulis SW. Cortisol metabolites vary with environmental conditions, predation risk, and human shields in a wild primate, Cercopithecus albogularis. Horm Behav 2022; 145:105237. [PMID: 35908334 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/19/2021] [Revised: 07/11/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
Environmental challenges are often associated with physiological changes in wildlife that allow animals to maintain homeostasis. Among these, scarcity in resources, and risks from predators, competitors, and humans can all result in psychological and physiological stress. Yet, for habituated species, it is not clear whether this relationship with humans still holds to a lesser degree or is outweighed by the benefits of human presence - such as serving as a buffer from competitors or predators. We investigated how human presence and environmental challenges such as resource availability, weather, predation, and competition may be associated with variation in fecal cortisol metabolite levels (FCMs) in a group of samango monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis) in the Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa. FCMs can often broadly track environmental challenges and perturbations. Initially, we employed an exploratory analysis comparing candidate models representing biological hypotheses and found that those incorporating information on human presence had less weight than models for food availability, thermoregulation, and water scarcity. When we examined a subset of the data that included information on intergroup competition and predator alarm calls, we found that FCMs were higher on the day following potential predator encounters but not competitive interactions. As observer numbers increased, responses to predators flattened, indicating that the presence of several humans might deter predators and/or affect samangos' perception of danger - yet we could not distinguish between these possibilities. Together, these results suggest that ecological perturbations track with FCMs in this study population and challenge long-held assumptions that human presence has negligible effects on habituated study animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura R LaBarge
- Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, Department of Environment and Sustainability, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Amherst, NY, USA; Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, Louis Trichardt, South Africa.
| | - Andrew T L Allan
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, Louis Trichardt, South Africa; Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Carol M Berman
- Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, Department of Environment and Sustainability, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Amherst, NY, USA; Department of Anthropology, The State University of New York at Buffalo, Amherst, NY, USA
| | - Russell A Hill
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, Louis Trichardt, South Africa; Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK; Department of Biological Sciences, Faculty of Science, Engineering and Agriculture, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
| | - Susan W Margulis
- Department of Animal Behavior, Ecology and Conservation, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, USA; Department of Biology, Canisius College, Buffalo, NY, USA
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Berman CM. Monkey business: A girl's once strange dream. Primates 2022; 63:463-481. [PMID: 35925423 PMCID: PMC9362339 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-022-01000-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2022] [Accepted: 06/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
For close to 50 years, my research has focused on social relationships and social structure, particularly in macaques, and has been marked by a gradual broadening of scope. Supported by open-minded parents, I followed a once unconventional path into field primatology largely by ignoring distinct gender-based ideas about appropriate occupations for women that were prevalent when I was a child. Later, as Robert Hinde's PhD advisee, I benefited enormously from his mentoring and from the transformative experience he provided. I began by examining infant social development in free-ranging rhesus monkeys and the integration of infants into the kinship and dominance structures of their groups. I gradually branched out to look at (1) kinship and dominance in additional age classes and macaque species, (2) additional aspects of social structure (reciprocity, agonistic support, tolerance, cooperation, conflict management), (3) mechanisms and organizing principles (e.g., attraction to kin and high rank, intergenerational transmission, demography, reciprocity, social style, time constraints) and (4) evolutionary underpinnings of social relationships and structure (e.g., parental investment, kin selection, socioecology, phylogeny, biological markets). For much of this journey, I have been accompanied by talented PhD students who have enriched my experience and whom I am now proud to call colleagues and friends. It is gratifying to realize that my career choice is no longer considered as unconventional as it once was.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carol M Berman
- Department of Anthropology, Graduate Program in Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, University at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14261, USA.
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Allan AT, LaBarge LR, Howlett C, Bailey AL, Jones B, Mason Z, Pinfield T, Schröder F, Whitaker A, White AF, Wilkinson H, Hill RA. Patterns of predation and meat-eating by chacma baboons in an Afromontane environment. Folia Primatol (Basel) 2022. [DOI: 10.1163/14219980-bja10004] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Meat-eating among non-human primates has been well documented but its prevalence among Afromontane baboons is understudied. In this study we report the predatory and meat-eating behaviours of a habituated group of gray-footed chacma baboons (Papio ursinus griseipes) living in an Afromontane environment in South Africa. We calculated a vertebrate-eating rate of 1 every 78.5 hours, increasing to 58.1 hours when unsuccessful predation attempts were included. A key food source was young antelopes, particularly bushbuck (Tragelaphus scriptus), which were consumed once every 115 observation hours. Similar to other baboon research sites, predations seemed mostly opportunistic, adult males regularly scrounged and monopolised prey, there was no evidence they used an active kill bite, and active sharing was absent. This is the first baboon study to report predation of rock python (Python sebae) eggs and likely scavenging of a leopard (Panthera pardus) kill (bushbuck) cached in a tree. We also describe several scramble kleptoparasitism events, tolerating active defence from antelope parents, and the baboons inhibiting public information about predations. In the latter case, baboons with meat often hid beyond the periphery of the group, reducing the likelihood of scrounging by competitors. This often led to prey carcasses being discarded without being fully exploited and potentially providing resources to scavengers. We also highlight the absence of encounters with numerous species, suggesting the baboons are a key component of several species’ landscapes of fear. Given these findings it seems likely that their ecological role in the Soutpansberg has been undervalued, and such conclusions may also hold for other baboon populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew T.L. Allan
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Laura R. LaBarge
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestraße 5, Konstanz, DE, 78467, Germany
| | - Caroline Howlett
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Annie L. Bailey
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Benjamin Jones
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Zachary Mason
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Thomas Pinfield
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Felix Schröder
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Alex Whitaker
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Amy F. White
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Henry Wilkinson
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
| | - Russell A. Hill
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
- Primate and Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, PO Box 522, Louis Trichardt 0920, South Africa
- Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Private Bag X5050, Thohoyandou 0950, South Africa
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Parker EJ, Hill RA, Koyama NF. Behavioral responses to spatial variation in perceived predation risk and resource availability in an arboreal primate. Ecosphere 2022. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.3945] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J. Parker
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool UK
- Primate and Predator Project Lajuma Research Centre Louis Trichardt South Africa
| | - Russell A. Hill
- Primate and Predator Project Lajuma Research Centre Louis Trichardt South Africa
- Department of Anthropology Durham University Durham UK
- Department of Zoology University of Venda Thohoyandou South Africa
| | - Nicola F. Koyama
- School of Natural Sciences and Psychology Liverpool John Moores University Liverpool UK
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Keep calm and carry on: reactive indifference to predator encounters by a gregarious prey species. Anim Behav 2021. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.08.024] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Coleman BT, Setchell JM, Hill RA. Seasonal variation in the behavioural ecology of samango monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi) in a southern latitude montane environment. Primates 2021; 62:1005-1018. [PMID: 34403014 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-021-00939-1] [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: 12/10/2019] [Accepted: 08/02/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Samango monkeys (Cercopithecus albogularis schwarzi) in the Soutpansberg Mountains, South Africa, experience a highly seasonal climate, with relatively cold, dry winters. They must show behavioural flexibility to survive these difficult conditions near the southern limit of the species' distribution and maintain the minimum nutritional intake they require. Through environmental monitoring and behavioural observations of a habituated group of samango monkeys, we explored how they adapted to the highly seasonal climate they experienced in the mountains. Our results indicated that the monkeys varied their foraging behaviours to account for changes in climate and daylight availability. The samangos increased their food intake in colder months, specifically leaves, likely due to an increased need for calories during winter to maintain body temperature. Samango monkeys have anatomical and physiological adaptations for digesting leaves, and these are likely important in explaining their ability to adapt to the broad range of climatic conditions they experience.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben T Coleman
- Research Policy Unit, University of Wolverhampton, Wulfruna Street, Wolverhampton, WV1 1LY, UK. .,Primate & Predator Project, Lajuma Research Centre, 522, Louis Trichardt (Makhado), 0920, South Africa.
| | - Joanna M Setchell
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Russell A Hill
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Dawson Building, South Road, Durham, DH1 3LE, UK.,Department of Zoology, University of Venda, Thohoyandou, 0950, South Africa
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LaBarge LR, Allan ATL, Berman CM, Hill RA, Margulis SW. Extent of threat detection depends on predator type and behavioral context in wild samango monkey groups. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02959-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
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Genovart M, Gimenez O, Bertolero A, Choquet R, Oro D, Pradel R. Decrease in social cohesion in a colonial seabird under a perturbation regime. Sci Rep 2020; 10:18720. [PMID: 33127979 PMCID: PMC7603481 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-020-75259-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Accepted: 09/14/2020] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions, through influence on behavioural processes, can play an important role in populations’ resilience (i.e. ability to cope with perturbations). However little is known about the effects of perturbations on the strength of social cohesion in wild populations. Long-term associations between individuals may reflect the existence of social cohesion for seizing the evolutionary advantages of social living. We explore the existence of social cohesion and its dynamics under perturbations by analysing long-term social associations, in a colonial seabird, the Audouin’s gull Larus audouinii, living in a site experiencing a shift to a perturbed regime. Our goals were namely (1) to uncover the occurrence of long-term social ties (i.e. associations) between individuals and (2) to examine whether the perturbation regime affected this form of social cohesion. We analysed a dataset of more than 3500 individuals from 25 years of monitoring by means of contingency tables and within the Social Network Analysis framework. We showed that associations between individuals are not only due to philopatry or random gregariousness but that there are social ties between individuals over the years. Furthermore, social cohesion decreased under the perturbation regime. We sustain that perturbations may lead not only to changes in individuals’ behaviour and fitness but also to a change in populations’ social cohesion. The consequences of decreasing social cohesion are still not well understood, but they can be critical for the population dynamics of social species.
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Affiliation(s)
- M Genovart
- CEAB (CSIC), Accés Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain. .,IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marquès 21, 07190, Esporles, Spain.
| | - O Gimenez
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, EPHE, IRD, 34293, Montpellier, France
| | - A Bertolero
- Associació Ornitològica Picampall de les Terres de l'Ebre, 43580, Deltebre, Spain
| | - R Choquet
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, EPHE, IRD, 34293, Montpellier, France
| | - D Oro
- CEAB (CSIC), Accés Cala Sant Francesc 14, 17300, Blanes, Spain.,IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Miquel Marquès 21, 07190, Esporles, Spain
| | - R Pradel
- CEFE, CNRS, Univ. Montpellier, Univ. Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, EPHE, IRD, 34293, Montpellier, France
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