1
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Kern JM, Morris-Drake A, Radford AN. Behavioural, demographic and fitness consequences of social instability in cooperatively breeding dwarf mongoose groups. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230901. [PMID: 37583317 PMCID: PMC10427820 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0901] [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: 04/23/2023] [Accepted: 07/11/2023] [Indexed: 08/17/2023] Open
Abstract
Social instability frequently arises in group-living species, but the potential costs have rarely been investigated in free-living cooperative breeders, especially across different timeframes. Using natural observations, body mass measurements and life-history data from dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula), we determined the short- and long-term consequences of a change in one of the dominant breeding pairs. We found that a new breeder led to alterations in both collective and individual behaviours (i.e. increases in communal scent-marking, engagement in intergroup interactions, sentinel activity and within-group grooming), as well as reduced body mass gain, further demographic changes and decreased reproductive success (i.e. fewer pups surviving to adulthood). The effects were particularly apparent when it was the female breeder who changed; new female breeders were younger than more experienced counterparts. Our findings support the idea that stability and cooperation are strongly linked and provide potential reasons for previously documented health and fitness benefits of social stability.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julie M. Kern
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
- School of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale 2351, NSW, Australia
| | - Amy Morris-Drake
- 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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2
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Strauss ED. Demographic turnover can be a leading driver of hierarchy dynamics, and social inheritance modifies its effects. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220308. [PMID: 37381857 PMCID: PMC10291429 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals and societies are linked through a feedback loop of mutual influence. Demographic turnover shapes group composition and structure by adding and removing individuals, and social inheritance shapes social structure through the transmission of social traits from parents to offspring. Here I examine how these drivers of social structure feedback to influence individual outcomes. I explore these society-to-individual effects in systems with social inheritance of hierarchy position, as occur in many primates and spotted hyenas. Applying Markov chain models to empirical and simulated data reveals how demography and social inheritance interact to strongly shape individual hierarchy positions. In hyena societies, demographic processes-not status seeking-account for the majority of hierarchy dynamics and cause an on-average lifetime decline in social hierarchy position. Simulated societies clarify how social inheritance alters demographic effects-demographic processes cause hierarchy position to regress to the mean, but the addition of social inheritance modifies this pattern. Notably, the combination of social inheritance and rank-related reproductive success causes individuals to decline in rank over their lifespans, as seen in the hyena data. Further analyses explore how 'queens' escape this pattern of decline, and how variation in social inheritance generates variability in reproductive inequality. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli D. Strauss
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, 78464, Germany
- Ecology of Animal Societies Department, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Baden-Württemberg, 78315, Germany
- Collective Behavior Department, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Baden-Württemberg, 78315, Germany
- Integrative Biology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
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3
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Social consequences of rapid environmental change. Trends Ecol Evol 2023; 38:337-345. [PMID: 36473809 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2022.11.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2022] [Revised: 11/03/2022] [Accepted: 11/08/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
While direct influences of the environment on population growth and resilience are well studied, indirect routes linking environmental changes to population consequences are less explored. We suggest that social behavior is key for understanding how anthropogenic environmental changes affect the resilience of animal populations. Social structures of animal groups are evolved and emergent phenotypes that often have demographic consequences for group members. Importantly, environmental drivers may directly influence the consequences of social structure or indirectly influence them through modifications to social interactions, group composition, or group size. We have developed a framework to study these demographic consequences. Estimating the strength of direct and indirect pathways will give us tools to understand, and potentially manage, the effect of human-induced rapid environmental changes.
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4
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Farrar BG, Vernouillet A, Garcia-Pelegrin E, Legg EW, Brecht KF, Lambert PJ, Elsherif M, Francis S, O'Neill L, Clayton NS, Ostojić L. Reporting and interpreting non-significant results in animal cognition research. PeerJ 2023; 11:e14963. [PMID: 36919170 PMCID: PMC10008313 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.14963] [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: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 02/06/2023] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
How statistically non-significant results are reported and interpreted following null hypothesis significance testing is often criticized. This issue is important for animal cognition research because studies in the field are often underpowered to detect theoretically meaningful effect sizes, i.e., often produce non-significant p-values even when the null hypothesis is incorrect. Thus, we manually extracted and classified how researchers report and interpret non-significant p-values and examined the p-value distribution of these non-significant results across published articles in animal cognition and related fields. We found a large amount of heterogeneity in how researchers report statistically non-significant p-values in the result sections of articles, and how they interpret them in the titles and abstracts. Reporting of the non-significant results as "No Effect" was common in the titles (84%), abstracts (64%), and results sections (41%) of papers, whereas reporting of the results as "Non-Significant" was less common in the titles (0%) and abstracts (26%), but was present in the results (52%). Discussions of effect sizes were rare (<5% of articles). A p-value distribution analysis was consistent with research being performed with low power of statistical tests to detect effect sizes of interest. These findings suggest that researchers in animal cognition should pay close attention to the evidence used to support claims of absence of effects in the literature, and-in their own work-report statistically non-significant results clearly and formally correct, as well as use more formal methods of assessing evidence against theoretical predictions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benjamin G Farrar
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Institute for Globally Distributed Open Research and Education (IGDORE), Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | | | - Elias Garcia-Pelegrin
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom.,Department of Psychology, National University of Singapore, Singapore, Singapore
| | - Edward W Legg
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.,Division of Cognitive Sciences, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.,Centre for Mind and Behaviour, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
| | | | - Poppy J Lambert
- Messerli Research Insititute, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Mahmoud Elsherif
- Department of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom.,University of Leicester, Leicester, United Kingdom
| | - Shannon Francis
- Comparative Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Laurie O'Neill
- Comparative Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Nicola S Clayton
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Ljerka Ostojić
- Department of Psychology, Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.,Division of Cognitive Sciences, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia.,Centre for Mind and Behaviour, University of Rijeka, Rijeka, Croatia
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5
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Savagian A, Riehl C. Group chorusing as an intragroup signal in the greater ani, a communally breeding bird. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13345] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda Savagian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton New Jersey USA
| | - Christina Riehl
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton New Jersey USA
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6
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Experimental manipulation of food distribution alters social networks and information transmission across environments in a food-caching bird. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.08.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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7
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Fialkowski RJ, Border SE, Bolitho I, Dijkstra PD. Social dominance and reproduction result in increased integration of oxidative state in males of an African cichlid fish. Comp Biochem Physiol A Mol Integr Physiol 2022; 269:111216. [PMID: 35430378 DOI: 10.1016/j.cbpa.2022.111216] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/21/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2022] [Accepted: 04/10/2022] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
Abstract
Oxidative stress is a potential cost of social dominance and reproduction, which could mediate life history trade-offs between current and future reproductive fitness. However, the evidence for an oxidative cost of social dominance and reproduction is mixed, in part because organisms have efficient protective mechanisms that can counteract oxidative insults. Further, previous studies have shown that different aspects of oxidative balance, including oxidative damage and antioxidant function, vary dramatically between tissue types, yet few studies have investigated oxidative cost in terms of interconnectedness and coordination within the system. Here, we tested whether dominant and subordinate males of the cichlid Astatotilapia burtoni differ in integration of different components of oxidative stress. We assessed 7 markers of oxidative stress, which included both oxidative damage and antioxidant function in various tissue types (total of 14 measurements). Across all oxidative stress measurements, we found more co-regulated clusters in dominant males, suggesting that components of oxidative state are more functionally integrated in dominant males than they are in subordinate males. We discuss how a high degree of functional integration reflects increased robustness or efficiency of the system (e.g. increased effectiveness of antioxidant machinery in reducing oxidative damage), but we also highlight potential costs (e.g. activation of cytoprotective mechanisms may have unwanted pleiotropic effects). Overall, our results suggest that quantifying the extent of functional integration across different components of oxidative stress could reveal insights into the oxidative cost of important life history events.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robert J Fialkowski
- Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA.
| | - Shana E Border
- Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA; Illinois State University, School of Biological Sciences, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Isobel Bolitho
- University of Manchester, Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Manchester, UK
| | - Peter D Dijkstra
- Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA; Neuroscience Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA; Institute for Great Lakes Research, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI, USA
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8
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Bonnell TR, Henzi SP, Barrett L. Using network synchrony to identify drivers of social dynamics. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220537. [PMID: 35765841 PMCID: PMC9240667 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Social animals frequently show dynamic social network patterns, the consequences of which are felt at the individual and group level. It is often difficult, however, to identify what drivers are responsible for changes in these networks. We suggest that patterns of network synchronization across multiple social groups can be used to better understand the relative contributions of extrinsic and intrinsic drivers. When groups are socially separated, but share similar physical environments, the extent to which network measures across multiple groups covary (i.e. network synchrony) can provide an estimate of the relative roles of extrinsic and intrinsic drivers. As a case example, we use allogrooming data from three adjacent vervet monkey groups to generate dynamic social networks. We found that network strength was strongly synchronized across the three groups, pointing to shared extrinsic environmental conditions as the driver. We also found low to moderate levels of synchrony in network modularity, suggesting that intrinsic social processes may be more important in driving changes in subgroup formation in this population. We conclude that patterns of network synchronization can help guide future research in identifying the proximate mechanisms behind observed social dynamics in animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Bonnell
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - S. Peter Henzi
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Louise Barrett
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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9
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Strauss ED, Shizuka D. The dynamics of dominance: open questions, challenges and solutions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200445. [PMID: 35000440 PMCID: PMC8743878 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0445] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Accepted: 11/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Although social hierarchies are recognized as dynamic systems, they are typically treated as static entities for practical reasons. Here, we ask what we can learn from a dynamical view of dominance, and provide a research agenda for the next decades. We identify five broad questions at the individual, dyadic and group levels, exploring the causes and consequences of individual changes in rank, the dynamics underlying dyadic dominance relationships, and the origins and impacts of social instability. Although challenges remain, we propose avenues for overcoming them. We suggest distinguishing between different types of social mobility to provide conceptual clarity about hierarchy dynamics at the individual level, and emphasize the need to explore how these dynamic processes produce dominance trajectories over individual lifespans and impact selection on status-seeking behaviour. At the dyadic level, there is scope for deeper exploration of decision-making processes leading to observed interactions, and how stable but malleable relationships emerge from these interactions. Across scales, model systems where rank is manipulable will be extremely useful for testing hypotheses about dominance dynamics. Long-term individual-based studies will also be critical for understanding the impact of rare events, and for interrogating dynamics that unfold over lifetimes and generations. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli D. Strauss
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in Action, Michigan State University, Lansing, MI, USA
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
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10
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The structure and temporal changes in brokerage typologies applied to a dynamic sow herd. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2021.105509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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11
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Border SE, Piefke TJ, Funnell TR, Fialkowski RF, Sawecki J, Dijkstra PD. Social instability influences rank-specific patterns of oxidative stress in a cichlid fish. J Exp Biol 2021; 224:272109. [PMID: 34495308 DOI: 10.1242/jeb.237172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2020] [Accepted: 09/01/2021] [Indexed: 01/13/2023]
Abstract
In many animal societies, dominant individuals have priority access to resources. However, defending high rank can be costly, especially in unstable social hierarchies where there is more intense competition. Oxidative stress has been proposed as a potential cost of social dominance, but few studies have examined this cost in relation to social stability. We studied the cost of social dominance in the cichlid fish Astatotilapia burtoni by manipulating social stability among males in replicate naturalistic communities for 22 weeks. We found that our social stability treatment influenced status-specific patterns in 3 out of 6 measurements of oxidative stress. Specifically, dominant males experienced increased plasma oxidative damage (measured as reactive oxygen metabolites, ROMs) compared with subordinate males in stable hierarchies only. Subordinate males in unstable hierarchies had higher ROMs than their stable community counterparts, but we found no effect of social stability treatment for dominant males. However, dominant males tended to have reduced total antioxidant capacity (TAC) in the liver when compared with subordinate males in unstable hierarchies, suggesting that the cost of social dominance is higher in unstable hierarchies. There were no effects of status and treatment on gonad TAC, muscle TAC or oxidative DNA damage. We conclude that the stability of the social environment influences the relative cost of social dominance in a tissue- and marker-specific manner.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shana E Border
- Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA.,School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL 61790, USA
| | - Taylor J Piefke
- Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Tyler R Funnell
- Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA.,Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Robert F Fialkowski
- Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
| | - Jacob Sawecki
- Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA.,Department of Fisheries and Wildlife, Michigan State University, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Peter D Dijkstra
- Central Michigan University, Department of Biology, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA.,Neuroscience Program, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA.,Institute for Great Lakes Research, Central Michigan University, Mount Pleasant, MI 48859, USA
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12
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Dominance hierarchy and social network in a captive group of white-lipped peccary males: what happens after the alpha male leaves? Acta Ethol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-021-00386-7] [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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13
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Funnell TR, Fialkowski RJ, Dijkstra PD. Social dominance does not increase oxidative stress in a female dominance hierarchy of an African cichlid fish. Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/09/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Funnell
- Department of Biology Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant MI USA
- Quantitative Fisheries Center Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Michigan State University East Lansing MI USA
| | | | - Peter D. Dijkstra
- Department of Biology Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant MI USA
- Neuroscience Program Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant MI USA
- Institute for Great Lakes Research Central Michigan University Mount Pleasant MI USA
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14
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Maguire SM, DeAngelis R, Dijkstra PD, Jordan A, Hofmann HA. Social network dynamics predict hormone levels and behavior in a highly social cichlid fish. Horm Behav 2021; 132:104994. [PMID: 33991797 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2021.104994] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2020] [Revised: 03/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/04/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Group living confers many benefits while simultaneously exposing group members to intense competition. An individual's rise to prominence within a group may conflict with the overall functioning of the group. There is therefore a complex and dynamic relationship between the behavioral displays that directly benefit an individual, the consequences of these actions for the community, and how they feed back on individual-level fitness. We used a network analysis approach to study the link between behavior, social stability, and steroid hormone levels in replicate communities of the cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni, which live in social groups with a dominance hierarchy. We demonstrate that individual behavior can have direct and indirect effects on the behavior of others while also affecting group characteristics. Our results show that A. burtoni males form stable social networks, where dominant individuals act as hubs for social interactions. However, there was variation in the temporal stability in these networks, and this variation in stability impacted hormone levels. Dominant males had higher testosterone levels, however, the differences in testosterone levels between dominant and subordinate males were greatest in stable communities. In sum, our analyses provide novel insights into the processes by which individual and community properties interact.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sean M Maguire
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Ross DeAngelis
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Peter D Dijkstra
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Alex Jordan
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Hans A Hofmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA; Institue for Cellular & Molecular Biology, Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA.
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