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Santostefano F, Fraser Franco M, Montiglio PO. Social interactions generate complex selection patterns in virtual worlds. J Evol Biol 2024; 37:807-817. [PMID: 38703094 DOI: 10.1093/jeb/voae055] [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: 07/12/2023] [Revised: 02/13/2024] [Accepted: 05/02/2024] [Indexed: 05/06/2024]
Abstract
Understanding the influence of social interactions on individual fitness is key to improving our predictions of phenotypic evolution. However, we often overlook the different components of selection regimes arising from interactions among organisms, including social, correlational, and indirect selection. This is due to the challenging sampling efforts required in natural populations to measure phenotypes expressed during interactions and individual fitness. Furthermore, behaviours are crucial in mediating social interactions, yet few studies have explicitly quantified these selection components on behavioural traits. In this study, we capitalize on an online multiplayer video game as a source of extensive data recording direct social interactions among prey, where prey collaborate to escape a predator in realistic ecological settings. We estimate natural and social selection and their contribution to total selection on behavioural traits mediating competition, cooperation, and predator-prey interactions. Behaviours of other prey in a group impact an individual's survival, and thus are under social selection. Depending on whether selection pressures on behaviours are synergistic or conflicting, social interactions enhance or mitigate the strength of natural selection, although natural selection remains the main driving force. Indirect selection through correlations among traits also contributed to the total selection. Thus, failing to account for the effects of social interactions and indirect selection would lead to a misestimation of the total selection acting on traits. Dissecting the contribution of each component to the total selection differential allowed us to investigate the causal mechanisms relating behaviour to fitness and quantify the importance of the behaviours of conspecifics as agents of selection. Our study emphasizes that social interactions generate complex selective regimes even in a relatively simple ecological environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Francesca Santostefano
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Cornwall, United Kingdom
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
| | - Maxime Fraser Franco
- Département des Sciences Biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, Montréal, QC, Canada
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2
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Sagot M, Rose N, Chaverri G. Group vocal composition and decision-making during roost finding in Spix's disk-winged bats. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230187. [PMID: 38768206 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0187] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 03/18/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Theoretical work suggests that having many informed individuals within social groups can promote efficient resource location. However, it may also give rise to group fragmentation if members fail to reach consensus on their direction of movement. In this study, we investigate whether the number of informed individuals, exemplified by bats emitting calls from different roosts, influences group cohesion in Spix's disk-winged bats (Thyroptera tricolor). Additionally, we explore the role of signal reliability, quantified through signalling rates, in group consensus on where to roost. These bats use contact calls to announce the location of a roost site and recruit conspecifics. The groups they form exhibit high levels of cohesion and consist of both vocal and non-vocal bats, with vocal behaviour being consistent over time. Our findings revealed that an increase in the number of roosts broadcasting calls is strongly associated with the likelihood of groups fragmenting among multiple roosts. Additionally, we found that a majority of group members enter the roost with higher calling rates. This phenomenon can mitigate the risk of group fragmentation, as bats emitting more calls may contribute to greater group consensus on roosting locations, thereby reducing the likelihood of individuals separating and enhancing overall group cohesion. Our results highlight the potential costs of having too many information producers for group coordination, despite their established role in finding critical resources. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Sagot
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Oswego , Oswego, NY 13126, USA
| | - Nicole Rose
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Oswego , Oswego, NY 13126, USA
| | - Gloriana Chaverri
- Sede del Sur, Universidad de Costa Rica , Golfito 60701, Costa Rica
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute , Ancón, Panamá 0843-03092, Panama
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3
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Bousquet CAH, Sueur C, King AJ, O'Bryan LR. Individual and ecological heterogeneity promote complex communication in social vertebrate group decisions. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230204. [PMID: 38768211 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0204] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/30/2023] [Accepted: 03/04/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
To receive the benefits of social living, individuals must make effective group decisions that enable them to achieve behavioural coordination and maintain cohesion. However, heterogeneity in the physical and social environments surrounding group decision-making contexts can increase the level of difficulty social organisms face in making decisions. Groups that live in variable physical environments (high ecological heterogeneity) can experience barriers to information transfer and increased levels of ecological uncertainty. In addition, in groups with large phenotypic variation (high individual heterogeneity), individuals can have substantial conflicts of interest regarding the timing and nature of activities, making it difficult for them to coordinate their behaviours or reach a consensus. In such cases, active communication can increase individuals' abilities to achieve coordination, such as by facilitating the transfer and aggregation of information about the environment or individual behavioural preferences. Here, we review the role of communication in vertebrate group decision-making and its relationship to heterogeneity in the ecological and social environment surrounding group decision-making contexts. We propose that complex communication has evolved to facilitate decision-making in specific socio-ecological contexts, and we provide a framework for studying this topic and testing related hypotheses as part of future research in this area. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christophe A H Bousquet
- Department of Psychology, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78457, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz , Konstanz 78457, Germany
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Institut pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien , Strasbourg 67000, France
- Institut Universitaire de France , Paris 75005, France
| | - Andrew J King
- Biosciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering , Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Lisa R O'Bryan
- Department of Psychological Sciences, Rice University , Houston, TX 77005, USA
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4
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Reichert MS, Luttbeg B, Hobson EA. Collective signalling is shaped by feedbacks between signaller variation, receiver perception and acoustic environment in a simulated communication network. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230186. [PMID: 38768210 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0186] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2023] [Accepted: 12/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Communication takes place within a network of multiple signallers and receivers. Social network analysis provides tools to quantify how an individual's social positioning affects group dynamics and the subsequent biological consequences. However, network analysis is rarely applied to animal communication, likely due to the logistical difficulties of monitoring natural communication networks. We generated a simulated communication network to investigate how variation in individual communication behaviours generates network effects, and how this communication network's structure feeds back to affect future signalling interactions. We simulated competitive acoustic signalling interactions among chorusing individuals and varied several parameters related to communication and chorus size to examine their effects on calling output and social connections. Larger choruses had higher noise levels, and this reduced network density and altered the relationships between individual traits and communication network position. Hearing sensitivity interacted with chorus size to affect both individuals' positions in the network and the acoustic output of the chorus. Physical proximity to competitors influenced signalling, but a distinctive communication network structure emerged when signal active space was limited. Our model raises novel predictions about communication networks that could be tested experimentally and identifies aspects of information processing in complex environments that remain to be investigated. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Reichert
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University , Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | - Barney Luttbeg
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University , Stillwater, OK 74078, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati , Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
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5
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Kappeler PM, Fichtel C. Independent fitness consequences of group size variation in Verreaux's sifakas. Commun Biol 2024; 7:816. [PMID: 38965399 PMCID: PMC11224245 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-06484-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/12/2024] [Accepted: 06/21/2024] [Indexed: 07/06/2024] Open
Abstract
The costs and benefits of group living are also reflected in intraspecific variation in group size. Yet, little is known about general patterns of fitness consequences of this variation. We use demographic records collected over 25 years to determine how survival and reproductive success vary with group size in a Malagasy primate. We show that female reproductive rates of Verreaux's sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi) are not affected by total group size, but that they are supressed by the number of co-resident females, whereas mortality rates are significantly higher in larger groups. Neither annual rainfall nor the adult sex ratio have significant effects on birth and death rates. Hence, these sifakas enjoy the greatest net fitness benefits at small, and not the predicted intermediate group sizes. Thus, independent fitness proxies can vary independently as a function of group size as well as other factors, leading to deviations from optimal intermediate group sizes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Peter M Kappeler
- Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology and Anthropology, University Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, 37077, Göttingen, Germany.
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology Unit, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077, Göttingen, Germany
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6
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Zeng LQ, Ling H, Fu SJ, Pu DY, Killen SS. Individual and group behavioral responses to nutritional state and context in a social fish. Behav Processes 2024; 220:105059. [PMID: 38878914 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2024.105059] [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: 12/17/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2024] [Accepted: 06/12/2024] [Indexed: 06/18/2024]
Abstract
Understanding how animal collectives and societies form and function is a fundamental goal in animal biology. To date, research examining fish shoaling behavior has focused mostly on the general principles and ecological relevance of the phenomeon, while the ways in which physiological state (e.g., nutrition) affects collective behavior remain overlooked. Here, we investigated the shoaling behavior of common minnows (Phoxinus phoxinus) with three different nutritional states (control treatment: fasting for 24 h, fasting treatment: fasting for 7 days, and digestion treatment: 1 h after satiation feeding) across two ecological contexts (i.e., without and with food). No effects of either nutritional state or context were found on swimming speed, but the acceleration was greater in the digestion group than in the control group, with that in the fasting group being intermediate. Similar to change tendency in group length and group width of shoals, both interindividual distance and nearest neighbor distance were also greater in the fasting group than in the digestion group, suggesting that fasting and digestion may exert opposite driving forces on group cohesion. However, neither nutritional state nor context influenced the group area, group speed, group percent time moving, or group polarization. Both the foraging efficiency and the percentage of food items consumed by the fish shoals were greater in the fasting and control groups than in the digestion group. Our study suggested that one week of hunger and the energetically demanding stage of food digestion tend to have opposite influences on group shape, while the social foraging context does not influence the individual and group behavior of fish.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ling-Qing Zeng
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Physiology and Behavior, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Freshwater Fishes, Animal Biology Key Laboratory of Chongqing Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China.
| | - Hong Ling
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Physiology and Behavior, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Freshwater Fishes, Animal Biology Key Laboratory of Chongqing Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China; Yuechi Middle School, Sichuan 638300, China
| | - Shi-Jian Fu
- Laboratory of Evolutionary Physiology and Behavior, College of Life Sciences, Chongqing Normal University, Chongqing Key Laboratory of Conservation and Utilization of Freshwater Fishes, Animal Biology Key Laboratory of Chongqing Education Commission, Chongqing 401331, China
| | - De-Yong Pu
- Key Laboratory of Freshwater Fish Reproduction and Development (Ministry of Education), College of Life Sciences, Southwest University, Chongqing 400715, China
| | - Shaun S Killen
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, College of Medical, Veterinary & Life Sciences, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
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7
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Auguin E, Guinet C, Mourier J, Clua E, Gasco N, Tixier P. Behavioural heterogeneity across killer whale social units in their response to feeding opportunities from fisheries. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11448. [PMID: 38799391 PMCID: PMC11116761 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11448] [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: 11/11/2023] [Revised: 05/06/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/29/2024] Open
Abstract
Intra-population heterogeneity in the behavioural response of predators to changes in prey availability caused by human activities can have major evolutionary implications. Among these activities, fisheries, while extracting resources, also provide new feeding opportunities for marine top predators. However, heterogeneity in the extent to which individuals have responded to these opportunities within populations is poorly understood. Here, we used 18 years of photo-identification data paired with statistical models to assess variation in the way killer whale social units within a subantarctic population (Crozet Islands) interact with fisheries to feed on fish caught on fishing gear (i.e., depredation behaviour). Our results indicate large heterogeneity in both the spatial and temporal extents of depredation across social units. While some frequently depredated on fishery catches over large areas, others sporadically did so and in small areas consistently over the years. These findings suggest that killer whale social units are exposed to varying levels of impacts of depredation, both negative (potential retaliation from fishers) and positive (food provisioning), on their life history traits, and may explain the contrasted demographic patterns observed within the declining population at Crozet but also potentially within the many other killer whale populations documented depredating on fisheries catches worldwide.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erwan Auguin
- UMR MARBECUniversité de Montpellier‐CNRS‐IFREMER‐IRDSèteFrance
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC)UMR 7372 CNRS‐La Rochelle Université – CNRSVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
| | - Christophe Guinet
- Centre d'Etudes Biologiques de Chizé (CEBC)UMR 7372 CNRS‐La Rochelle Université – CNRSVilliers‐en‐BoisFrance
| | - Johann Mourier
- UMR MARBECUniversité de Montpellier‐CNRS‐IFREMER‐IRDSèteFrance
| | - Eric Clua
- Université Paris Sciences & Lettres (PSL), CRIOBE USR3278, EPHE‐CNRS‐UPVDUniversité de PerpignanPerpignanFrance
- Laboratoire D'Excellence LabEX CORAILCRIOBE, Baie OpunohuPapetoaiFrench Polynesia
| | - Nicolas Gasco
- Laboratoire de Biologie Des Organismes et Ecosystèmes Aquatiques (BOREA)UMR 8067 – MNHN, CNRS, IRD, Su, UCN, UAParisFrance
| | - Paul Tixier
- UMR MARBECUniversité de Montpellier‐CNRS‐IFREMER‐IRDSèteFrance
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8
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Shelton DS, Suriyampola PS, Dinges ZM, Glaholt SP, Shaw JR, Martins EP. Plants buffer some of the effects of a pair of cadmium-exposed zebrafish on the un-exposed majority. ENVIRONMENTAL TOXICOLOGY AND PHARMACOLOGY 2024; 107:104419. [PMID: 38508506 PMCID: PMC11042042 DOI: 10.1016/j.etap.2024.104419] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2024] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 03/22/2024]
Abstract
Certain individuals have a disproportionate effect on group responses. Characteristics may include susceptibility to pollutants, such as cadmium (Cd), a potent trace metal. Here, we show how a pair of Cd-exposed individuals can impact the behavior of unexposed groups. We used behavioral assessments to characterize the extent of the effects of the Cd-exposed individuals on group boldness, cohesion, foraging, activity, and responses to plants. We found that groups with a pair of Cd-exposed fish remained closer to novel stimuli and plants than did groups with untreated (control) fish. The presence of plants reduced Cd-induced differences in shoal cohesion and delays feeding in male shoals. Shoals with Cd- and water-treated fish were equally active. The results suggest that fish acutely exposed to environmentally relevant Cd concentrations can have profound effects on the un-exposed majority. However, the presence of plants may mitigate the effects of contaminants on some aspects of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Delia S Shelton
- Department of Biology, University of Miami, 1301 Memorial Dr, Coral Gables, FL 33134, USA.
| | - Piyumika S Suriyampola
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
| | - Zoe M Dinges
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, 1001 E 3rd St, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Stephen P Glaholt
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, 1315 E 10th St, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Joseph R Shaw
- O'Neill School of Public and Environmental Affairs, Indiana University, 1315 E 10th St, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA
| | - Emília P Martins
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, 427 East Tyler Mall, Tempe, AZ 85287, USA
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9
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Gan L, Tian S, Wang D, Liu W. Boldness suppresses hoarding behavior in food hoarding season and reduces over-wintering survival in a social rodent. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e11252. [PMID: 38601856 PMCID: PMC11004661 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.11252] [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: 09/30/2023] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 03/27/2024] [Indexed: 04/12/2024] Open
Abstract
The "pace-of-life" syndrome (POLS) framework can encompass multiple personality axes that drive important functional behaviors (e.g., foraging behavior) and that co-vary with multiple life history traits. Food hoarding is an adaptive behavior important for an animal's ability to adapt to seasonal fluctuations in food availability. However, the empirical evidence for the relationships between animal personality and hoarding behavior remains unclear, including its fitness consequences in the POLS framework. In this study, the Mongolian gerbil (Meriones unguiculatus), a social rodent, was used as a model system to investigate how boldness or shyness is associated with food hoarding strategies during the food hoarding season and their impact on over-winter survival and reproduction at both individual and group levels. The results of this study showed that, compared with shy gerbils, bold gerbils had a lower effort foraging strategy during the food hoarding season and exhibited lower over-winter survival rates. However, bold-shy personality differences had no effect on over-winter reproduction. These findings suggest that the personality is a crucial factor influencing the foraging strategy during the food hoarding season in Mongolian gerbils. Personality may be related to energy states or the reaction to environmental changes (e.g., predation risk and food availability) in bold or shy social animals. These results reflect animal life history trade-offs between current versus future reproduction and reproduction versus self-maintenance, thereby helping Mongolian gerbils in adapting to seasonal fluctuations in their habitat.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lin Gan
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- Jiangsu Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Biotechnology, College of Life SciencesNanjing Normal UniversityNanjingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - Shuang‐Jie Tian
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- CAS Center for Excellence in Biotic InteractionsUniversity of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
| | - De‐Hua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- School of Life SciencesShandong UniversityQingdaoChina
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of ZoologyChinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
- University of Chinese Academy of SciencesBeijingChina
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10
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Farine DR. Modelling animal social networks: New solutions and future directions. J Anim Ecol 2024; 93:250-253. [PMID: 38234253 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14049] [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: 12/22/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/19/2024]
Abstract
Research Highlight: Ross, C. T., McElreath, R., & Redhead, D. (2023). Modelling animal network data in R using STRAND. Journal of Animal Ecology. https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14021. One of the most important insights in ecology over the past decade has been that the social connections among animals affect a wide range of ecological and evolutionary processes. However, despite over 20 years of study effort on this topic, generating knowledge from data on social associations and interactions remains fraught with problems. Redhead et al. present an R package-STRAND-that extends the current animal social network analysis toolbox in two ways. First, they provide a simple R interfaces to implement generative network models, which are an alternative to regression approaches that draw inference by simulating the data-generating process. Second, they implement these models in a Bayesian framework, allowing uncertainty in the observation process to be carried through to hypothesis testing. STRAND therefore fills an important gap for hypothesis testing using network data. However, major challenges remain, and while STRAND represents an important advance, generating robust results continues to require careful study design, considerations in terms of statistical methods and a plurality of approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien R Farine
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
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11
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Pettersen AK, Metcalfe NB. Consequences of the cost of living: is variation in metabolic rate evolutionarily significant? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220498. [PMID: 38186277 PMCID: PMC10772612 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0498] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 11/14/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Amanda K. Pettersen
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
- School of Life and Environmental Sciences, The University of Sydney, Sydney, Australia
| | - Neil B. Metcalfe
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
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12
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Naug D. Metabolic scaling as an emergent outcome of variation in metabolic rate. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220495. [PMID: 38186273 PMCID: PMC10772609 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/22/2023] [Accepted: 11/06/2023] [Indexed: 01/09/2024] Open
Abstract
The allometric scaling of metabolic rate and what drives it are major questions in biology with a long history. Since the metabolic rate at any level of biological organization is an emergent property of its lower-level constituents, it is an outcome of the intrinsic heterogeneity among these units and the interactions among them. However, the influence of lower-level heterogeneity on system-level metabolic rate is difficult to investigate, given the tightly integrated body plan of unitary organisms. In this context, social insects such as honeybees can serve as important model systems because unlike unitary organisms, these superorganisms can be taken apart and reassembled in different configurations to study metabolic rate and its various drivers at different levels of organization. This commentary discusses the background of such an approach and how combining it with artificial selection to generate heterogeneity in metabolic rate with an analytical framework to parse out the different mechanisms that contribute to the effects of heterogeneity can contribute to the various models of metabolic scaling. Finally, the absence of the typical allometric scaling relationship among different species of honeybees is discussed as an important prospect for deciphering the role of top-down ecological factors on metabolic scaling. This article is part of the theme issue 'The evolutionary significance of variation in metabolic rates'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dhruba Naug
- Department of Biology, Colorado State University, 1878 Campus Delivery, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
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13
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Martin R, Leroy C, Maák I, d'Ettorre P. Group phenotypic composition drives task performances in ants. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20230463. [PMID: 38195057 PMCID: PMC10776233 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2023.0463] [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: 10/04/2023] [Accepted: 12/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024] Open
Abstract
Differences in individual behaviour within a group can give rise to functional dissimilarities between groups, particularly in social animals. However, how individual behavioural phenotypes translate into the group phenotype remains unclear. Here, we investigate whether individual behavioural type affects group performance in a eusocial species, the ant Aphaenogaster senilis. We measured individual behavioural traits and created groups of workers with similar behavioural type, either high-exploratory or low-exploratory workers. We tested these groups in four different, ecologically relevant, tasks: reaction to an intruder, prey retrieval from a maze, nest relocation and tool use. We show that, compared to groups of low-exploratory workers, groups of high-exploratory workers were more aggressive towards intruders, more efficient in collecting prey, faster in nest relocation and more likely to perform tool use. Our results demonstrate a strong link between individual and collective behaviour in ants. This supports the 'behavioural type hypothesis' for group dynamics, which suggests that an individual's behaviour in a social environment reflects its own behavioural type. The average behavioural phenotype of a group can therefore be predicted from the behavioural types of individual group members.
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Affiliation(s)
- Rayanne Martin
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology (LEEC), UR 4443, University Sorbonne Paris Nord, 99 Avenue J.-B. Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - Chloé Leroy
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology (LEEC), UR 4443, University Sorbonne Paris Nord, 99 Avenue J.-B. Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
| | - István Maák
- Department of Ecology, University of Szeged, Közép fasor 52, 6726 Szeged, Hungary
- Museum and Institute of Zoology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Wilcza 64, 00679 Warszawa, Poland
| | - Patrizia d'Ettorre
- Laboratory of Experimental and Comparative Ethology (LEEC), UR 4443, University Sorbonne Paris Nord, 99 Avenue J.-B. Clément, 93430 Villetaneuse, France
- Institut Universitaire de France (IUF), Paris, France
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14
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Tuliozi B, Mantovani R, Schoepf I, Tsuruta S, Mancin E, Sartori C. Genetic correlations of direct and indirect genetic components of social dominance with fitness and morphology traits in cattle. Genet Sel Evol 2023; 55:84. [PMID: 38037008 PMCID: PMC10687847 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-023-00845-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Within the same species, individuals show marked variation in their social dominance. Studies on a handful of populations have indicated heritable genetic variation for this trait, which is determined by both the genetic background of the individual (direct genetic effect) and of its opponent (indirect genetic effect). However, the evolutionary consequences of selection for this trait are largely speculative, as it is not a usual target of selection in livestock populations. Moreover, studying social dominance presents the challenge of working with a phenotype with a mean value that cannot change in the population, as for every winner of an agonistic interaction there will necessarily be a loser. Thus, to investigate what could be the evolutionary response to selection for social dominance, it is necessary to focus on traits that might be correlated with it. This study investigated the genetic correlations of social dominance, both direct and indirect, with several morphology and fitness traits. We used a dataset of agonistic contests involving cattle (Bos taurus): during these contests, pairs of cows compete in ritualized interactions to assess social dominance. The outcomes of 37,996 dominance interactions performed by 8789 cows over 20 years were combined with individual data for fertility, mammary health, milk yield and morphology and analysed using bivariate animal models including indirect genetic effects. RESULTS We found that winning agonistic interactions has a positive genetic correlation with more developed frontal muscle mass, lower fertility, and poorer udder health. We also discovered that the trends of changes in the estimated breeding values of social dominance, udder health and more developed muscle mass were consistent with selection for social dominance in the population. CONCLUSIONS We present evidence that social dominance is genetically correlated with fitness traits, as well as empirical evidence of the possible evolutionary trade-offs between these traits. We show that it is feasible to estimate genetic correlations involving dyadic social traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beniamino Tuliozi
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy.
| | - Roberto Mantovani
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Ivana Schoepf
- Department of Sciences, Augustana Campus, University of Alberta, 4901 46 Ave, Camrose, AB, T4V 2R3, Canada
| | - Shogo Tsuruta
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Enrico Mancin
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Cristina Sartori
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
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15
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Shelton DS, Suriyampola PS, Dinges ZM, Glaholt SP, Shaw JR, Martins EP. A Pair of Cadmium-exposed Zebrafish Affect Boldness and Landmark use in the Un-exposed Majority. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.11.09.566440. [PMID: 38014116 PMCID: PMC10680604 DOI: 10.1101/2023.11.09.566440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2023]
Abstract
Some individuals have a disproportionate effect on group responses. These individuals may possess distinct attributes that differentiate them from others. These characteristics may include susceptibility to contaminant exposure such as cadmium, a potent trace metal present in water and food. Here, we tested whether a pair of cadmium-exposed individuals could exert an impact on the behavior of the unexposed majority. We used behavioral assessments to characterize the extent of the effects of the cadmium-exposed pair on group boldness, cohesion, activity and responses to landmarks. We found that groups with a pair of cadmium-exposed fish approached and remained closer to novel stimuli and landmarks than did groups with pairs of fish treated with uncontaminated water (control). Shoals with cadmium and water treated fish exhibited similar levels of cohesion and activity. The results suggest that fish acutely exposed to environmentally-relevant cadmium concentrations can have profound effects on the un-exposed majority.
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16
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Franks VR, Thorogood R, Brekke P. Parental breeding decisions and genetic quality predict social structure of independent offspring. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:4898-4910. [PMID: 37395642 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/22/2023] [Indexed: 07/04/2023]
Abstract
Across the animal kingdom, newly independent juveniles form social associations that influence later fitness, mate choice and gene flow, but little is known about the ontogeny of social environments, particularly in wild populations. Here we test whether associations among young animals form randomly or are influenced by environmental or genetic conditions established by parents. Parents' decisions determine natal birth sites, which could affect who independent young initially encounter; secondly, mate choice determines genetic condition (e.g. inbreeding) of young and the parental care they receive, which can affect sociability. However, genetic and environmental factors are confounded unless related offspring experience different natal environments. Therefore, we used a long-term genetic pedigree, breeding records and social network data from three cohorts of a songbird with high extra-pair paternity (hihi, Notiomystis cincta) to disentangle (1) how nest location and relatedness contribute to association structure once juveniles disperse away from birth sites, and (2) if juvenile and/or parental inbreeding predicts individual sociability. We detected positive spatial autocorrelation: hihi that fledged closer by were more likely to associate even after dispersing, irrespective of genetic relatedness. Juvenile inbreeding did not predict sociability, but those raised by more inbred fathers formed more, stronger, associations, which did not depend on whether that male was the genetic parent or not. These results suggest that the natal environment created by parents, rather than focal genetic condition, establishes the foundation for social associations. Overall, we highlight how social inheritance may play an important role in population dynamics and evolutionary potential in wild animals.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria R Franks
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Chester, UK
| | - Rose Thorogood
- Helsinki Institute of Life Science (HiLIFE), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Patricia Brekke
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, London, UK
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17
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Traniello IM, Bukhari SA, Dibaeinia P, Serrano G, Avalos A, Ahmed AC, Sankey AL, Hernaez M, Sinha S, Zhao SD, Catchen J, Robinson GE. Single-cell dissection of aggression in honeybee colonies. Nat Ecol Evol 2023; 7:1232-1244. [PMID: 37264201 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02090-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/09/2023] [Indexed: 06/03/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how genotypic variation results in phenotypic variation is especially difficult for collective behaviour because group phenotypes arise from complex interactions among group members. A genome-wide association study identified hundreds of genes associated with colony-level variation in honeybee aggression, many of which also showed strong signals of positive selection, but the influence of these 'colony aggression genes' on brain function was unknown. Here we use single-cell (sc) transcriptomics and gene regulatory network (GRN) analyses to test the hypothesis that genetic variation for colony aggression influences individual differences in brain gene expression and/or gene regulation. We compared soldiers, which respond to territorial intrusion with stinging attacks, and foragers, which do not. Colony environment showed stronger influences on soldier-forager differences in brain gene regulation compared with brain gene expression. GRN plasticity was strongly associated with colony aggression, with larger differences in GRN dynamics detected between soldiers and foragers from more aggressive relative to less aggressive colonies. The regulatory dynamics of subnetworks composed of genes associated with colony aggression genes were more strongly correlated with each other across different cell types and brain regions relative to other genes, especially in brain regions involved with olfaction and vision and multimodal sensory integration, which are known to mediate bee aggression. These results show how group genetics can shape a collective phenotype by modulating individual brain gene regulatory network architecture.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ian M Traniello
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Urbana, IL, USA.
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | | | | | - Guillermo Serrano
- Computational Biology Program, CIMA University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Arian Avalos
- Honey Bee Breeding, Genetics and Physiology Research Laboratory, Agricultural Research Services, United States Department of Agriculture, Baton Rouge, LA, USA
| | - Amy Cash Ahmed
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Alison L Sankey
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Mikel Hernaez
- Computational Biology Program, CIMA University of Navarra, Pamplona, Spain
| | - Saurabh Sinha
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Computer Science, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Sihai Dave Zhao
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Statistics, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Julian Catchen
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Behavior, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA
| | - Gene E Robinson
- Neuroscience Program, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign (UIUC), Urbana, IL, USA.
- Carl R Woese Institute for Genomic Biology, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA.
- Department of Entomology, UIUC, Urbana, IL, USA.
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18
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Ogino M, Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Aplin LM, Farine DR. Group-level differences in social network structure remain repeatable after accounting for environmental drivers. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230340. [PMID: 37476518 PMCID: PMC10354494 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Individuals show consistent between-individual behavioural variation when they interact with conspecifics or heterospecifics. Such patterns might underlie emergent group-specific behavioural patterns and between-group behavioural differences. However, little is known about (i) how social and non-social drivers (external drivers) shape group-level social structures and (ii) whether animal groups show consistent between-group differences in social structure after accounting for external drivers. We used automated tracking to quantify daily social interactions and association networks in 12 colonies of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We quantified the effects of five external drivers (group size, group composition, ecological factors, physical environments and methodological differences) on daily interaction and association networks and tested whether colonies expressed consistent differences in day-to-day network structure after controlling for these drivers. Overall, we found that external drivers contribute significantly to network structure. However, even after accounting for the contribution of external drivers, there remained significant support for consistent between-group differences in both interaction (repeatability R: up to 0.493) and association (repeatability R: up to 0.736) network structures. Our study demonstrates how group-level differences in social behaviour can be partitioned into different drivers of variation, with consistent contributions from both social and non-social factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Ogino
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz 78467, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland
| | - Adriana A. Maldonado-Chaparro
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz 78467, Germany
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Cra 26 # 63B – 48, Colombia
| | - Lucy M. Aplin
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell 78315, Germany
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz 78467, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland
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19
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Gill BA, Wittemyer G, Cerling TE, Musili PM, Kartzinel TR. Foraging history of individual elephants using DNA metabarcoding. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230337. [PMID: 37416829 PMCID: PMC10320352 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230337] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
Individual animals should adjust diets according to food availability. We used DNA metabarcoding to construct individual-level dietary timeseries for elephants from two family groups in Kenya varying in habitat use, social position and reproductive status. We detected at least 367 dietary plant taxa, with up to 137 unique plant sequences in one fecal sample. Results matched well-established trends: elephants tended to eat more grass when it rained and other plants when dry. Nested within these switches from 'grazing' to 'browsing' strategies, dietary DNA revealed seasonal shifts in food richness, composition and overlap between individuals. Elephants of both families converged on relatively cohesive diets in dry seasons but varied in their maintenance of cohesion during wet seasons. Dietary cohesion throughout the timeseries of the subdominant 'Artists' family was stronger and more consistently positive compared to the dominant 'Royals' family. The greater degree of individuality within the dominant family's timeseries could reflect more divergent nutritional requirements associated with calf dependency and/or priority access to preferred habitats. Whereas theory predicts that individuals should specialize on different foods under resource scarcity, our data suggest family bonds may promote cohesion and foster the emergence of diverse feeding cultures reflecting links between social behaviour and nutrition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A. Gill
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
| | - George Wittemyer
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
- Save the Elephants, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Thure E. Cerling
- Department of Geology and Geophysics, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Utah, Salt Lake City, UT 84112, USA
| | - Paul M. Musili
- Botany Department, East African Herbarium, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Tyler R. Kartzinel
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Organismal Biology, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
- Institute at Brown for Environment and Society, Brown University, Providence, RI 02912, USA
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20
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Capp J, Thomas F, Marusyk A, M. Dujon A, Tissot S, Gatenby R, Roche B, Ujvari B, DeGregori J, Brown JS, Nedelcu AM. The paradox of cooperation among selfish cancer cells. Evol Appl 2023; 16:1239-1256. [PMID: 37492150 PMCID: PMC10363833 DOI: 10.1111/eva.13571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/08/2022] [Revised: 05/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 07/27/2023] Open
Abstract
It is traditionally assumed that during cancer development, tumor cells abort their initially cooperative behavior (i.e., cheat) in favor of evolutionary strategies designed solely to enhance their own fitness (i.e., a "selfish" life style) at the expense of that of the multicellular organism. However, the growth and progress of solid tumors can also involve cooperation among these presumed selfish cells (which, by definition, should be noncooperative) and with stromal cells. The ultimate and proximate reasons behind this paradox are not fully understood. Here, in the light of current theories on the evolution of cooperation, we discuss the possible evolutionary mechanisms that could explain the apparent cooperative behaviors among selfish malignant cells. In addition to the most classical explanations for cooperation in cancer and in general (by-product mutualism, kin selection, direct reciprocity, indirect reciprocity, network reciprocity, group selection), we propose the idea that "greenbeard" effects are relevant to explaining some cooperative behaviors in cancer. Also, we discuss the possibility that malignant cooperative cells express or co-opt cooperative traits normally expressed by healthy cells. We provide examples where considerations of these processes could help understand tumorigenesis and metastasis and argue that this framework provides novel insights into cancer biology and potential strategies for cancer prevention and treatment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jean‐Pascal Capp
- Toulouse Biotechnology InstituteUniversity of Toulouse, INSA, CNRS, INRAEToulouseFrance
| | - Frédéric Thomas
- CREEC, MIVEGECUniversity of Montpellier, CNRS, IRDMontpellierFrance
| | - Andriy Marusyk
- Department of Cancer PhysiologyH Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research InstituteTampaFloridaUSA
| | - Antoine M. Dujon
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
| | - Sophie Tissot
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Robert Gatenby
- Department of Cancer PhysiologyH Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research InstituteTampaFloridaUSA
| | - Benjamin Roche
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Beata Ujvari
- Centre for Integrative Ecology, School of Life and Environmental SciencesDeakin UniversityGeelongVictoriaAustralia
| | - James DeGregori
- Department of Biochemistry and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of Colorado Anschutz Medical CampusAuroraColoradoUSA
| | - Joel S. Brown
- Department of Cancer PhysiologyH Lee Moffitt Cancer Center and Research InstituteTampaFloridaUSA
| | - Aurora M. Nedelcu
- Department of BiologyUniversity of New BrunswickFrederictonNew BrunswickCanada
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21
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McDonald GC. The impact of small groups on pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection in polyandrous populations. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e10057. [PMID: 37153025 PMCID: PMC10154804 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10057] [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: 11/28/2022] [Revised: 04/08/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/09/2023] Open
Abstract
Sexual selection is a key evolutionary force but varies widely between populations. Two key factors that influence sexual selection are the extent to which females copulate with multiple males (polyandry) and variation in the social environment. Increasing research demonstrates populations are structured by complex socio-sexual networks, and the structure of these networks can influence sexual selection by shaping the relationship between male precopulatory mating success and the intensity of postcopulatory competition. However, comparatively less attention has been dedicated to the influence of group structure on sexual selection and how differences in the size of groups may impact on the relative force of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection in polyandrous populations. The presence of groups (i.e., group structure) and the size of groups varies widely in nature and forms an implicit part of much experimental sexual selection research under laboratory conditions. Here I use simulations of mating competition within populations that vary in the size of groups they contain, to show that variation in group size, and in particular small groups, can influence sexual selection. Specifically, I show that null expectations for the operation of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection is governed by the size of groups within populations because smaller group sizes constrain the structure of sexual networks leading to reinforcing episodes of pre- and postcopulatory sexual selection. Given broad variation in group structure in nature and the tendency for experimental sexual selection research to study replicate small groups, these effects have implications for our understanding of the operation of sexual selection in polyandrous populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Grant C. McDonald
- Department of EcologyUniversity of Veterinary Medicine BudapestBudapestHungary
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22
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Ogino M, Strauss ED, Farine DR. Challenges of mismatching timescales in longitudinal studies of collective behaviour. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220064. [PMID: 36802775 PMCID: PMC9939264 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0064] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/01/2022] [Accepted: 11/11/2022] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
How individuals' prior experience and population evolutionary history shape emergent patterns in animal collectives remains a major gap in the study of collective behaviour. One reason for this is that the processes that can shape individual contributions to collective actions can happen over very different timescales from each other and from the collective actions themselves, resulting in mismatched timescales. For example, a preference to move towards a specific patch might arise from phenotype, memory or physiological state. Although providing critical context to collective actions, bridging different timescales remains conceptually and methodologically challenging. Here, we briefly outline some of these challenges, and discuss existing approaches that have already generated insights into the factors shaping individual contributions in animal collectives. We then explore a case study of mismatching timescales-defining relevant group membership-by combining fine-scaled GPS tracking data and daily field census data from a wild population of vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum). We show that applying different temporal definitions can produce different assignments of individuals into groups. These assignments can then have consequences when determining individuals' social history, and thus the conclusions we might draw on the impacts of the social environment on collective actions. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Ogino
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Eli D. Strauss
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitatsstrasse 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Integrative Biology, Michigan State University, 104 Natural Science Building, East Lansing, MI 48824-1115, East Lansing, MI 48824, USA
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
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23
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Wice EW, Saltz JB. Indirect genetic effects for social network structure in Drosophila melanogaster. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220075. [PMID: 36802774 PMCID: PMC9939268 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The position an individual holds in a social network is dependent on both its direct and indirect social interactions. Because social network position is dependent on the actions and interactions of conspecifics, it is likely that the genotypic composition of individuals within a social group impacts individuals' network positions. However, we know very little about whether social network positions have a genetic basis, and even less about how the genotypic makeup of a social group impacts network positions and structure. With ample evidence indicating that network positions influence various fitness metrics, studying how direct and indirect genetic effects shape network positions is crucial for furthering our understanding of how the social environment can respond to selection and evolve. Using replicate genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, we created social groups that varied in their genotypic makeup. Social groups were videoed, and networks were generated using motion-tracking software. We found that both an individual's own genotype and the genotypes of conspecifics in its social group affect its position within a social network. These findings provide an early example of how indirect genetic effects and social network theory can be linked, and shed new light on how quantitative genetic variation shapes the structure of social groups. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Wesley Wice
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
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24
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Jiang F, Cheng H. Multi-agent bandit with agent-dependent expected rewards. SWARM INTELLIGENCE 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s11721-023-00224-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/20/2023]
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25
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Arsenault SV, Riba-Grognuz O, Shoemaker D, Hunt BG, Keller L. Direct and indirect genetic effects of a social supergene. Mol Ecol 2023; 32:1087-1097. [PMID: 36541826 DOI: 10.1111/mec.16830] [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: 05/31/2022] [Revised: 12/15/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Indirect genetic effects describe phenotypic variation that results from differences in the genotypic composition of social partners. Such effects represent heritable sources of environmental variation in eusocial organisms because individuals are typically reared by their siblings. In the fire ant Solenopsis invicta, a social supergene exhibits striking indirect genetic effects on worker regulation of colony queen number, such that the genotypic composition of workers at the supergene determines whether colonies contain a single or multiple queens. We assessed the direct and indirect genetic effects of this supergene on gene expression in brains and abdominal tissues from laboratory-reared workers and compared these with previously published data from field-collected prereproductive queens. We found that direct genetic effects caused larger gene expression changes and were more consistent across tissue types and castes than indirect genetic effects. Indirect genetic effects influenced the expression of many loci but were generally restricted to the abdominal tissues. Further, indirect genetic effects were only detected when the genotypic composition of social partners differed throughout the development and adult life of focal workers, and were often only significant with relatively lenient statistical cutoffs. Our study provides insight into direct and indirect genetic effects of a social supergene on gene regulatory dynamics across tissues and castes in a complex society.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Oksana Riba-Grognuz
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - DeWayne Shoemaker
- Department of Entomology and Plant Pathology, University of Tennessee, Knoxville, Tennessee, USA
| | - Brendan G Hunt
- Department of Entomology, University of Georgia, Athens, Georgia, USA
| | - Laurent Keller
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
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26
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Philson CS, Blumstein DT. Emergent social structure is typically not associated with survival in a facultatively social mammal. Biol Lett 2023; 19:20220511. [PMID: 36918036 PMCID: PMC10014246 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2022.0511] [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: 11/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/23/2023] [Indexed: 03/16/2023] Open
Abstract
For social animals, group social structure has important consequences for disease and information spread. While prior studies showed individual connectedness within a group has fitness consequences, less is known about the fitness consequences of group social structure for the individuals who comprise the group. Using a long-term dataset on a wild population of facultatively social yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), we showed social structure had largely no relationship with survival, suggesting consequences of individual social phenotypes may not scale to the group social phenotype. An observed relationship for winter survival suggests a potentially contrasting direction of selection between the group and previous research on the individual level; less social individuals, but individuals in more social groups experience greater winter survival. This work provides valuable insights into evolutionary implications across social phenotypic scales.
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Affiliation(s)
- Conner S. Philson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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27
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Socioconnectomics: Connectomics Should Be Extended to Societies to Better Understand Evolutionary Processes. SCI 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/sci5010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Connectomics, which is the network study of connectomes or maps of the nervous system of an organism, should be applied and expanded to human and animal societies, resulting in the birth of the domain of socioconnectomics compared to neuroconnectomics. This new network study framework would open up new perspectives in evolutionary biology and add new elements to theories, such as the social and cultural brain hypotheses. Answering questions about network topology, specialization, and their connections with functionality at one level (i.e., neural or societal) may help in understanding the evolutionary trajectories of these patterns at the other level. Expanding connectomics to societies should be done in comparison and combination with multilevel network studies and the possibility of multiorganization selection processes. The study of neuroconnectomes and socioconnectomes in animals, from simpler to more advanced ones, could lead to a better understanding of social network evolution and the feedback between social complexity and brain complexity.
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28
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Durkin ES, Cassidy ST, Leyva A, Keiser CN. Population differences in the aggregation and collective foraging behavior of fragmented social spider colonies. Ethology 2023. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13360] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Emily S. Durkin
- Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
- Department of Biology University of Tampa Tampa Florida USA
| | | | - Arletys Leyva
- Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
| | - Carl N. Keiser
- Department of Biology University of Florida Gainesville Florida USA
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29
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Webber QMR, Albery GF, Farine DR, Pinter-Wollman N, Sharma N, Spiegel O, Vander Wal E, Manlove K. Behavioural ecology at the spatial-social interface. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:868-886. [PMID: 36691262 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 12.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/11/2022] [Revised: 01/09/2023] [Accepted: 01/10/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023]
Abstract
Spatial and social behaviour are fundamental aspects of an animal's biology, and their social and spatial environments are indelibly linked through mutual causes and shared consequences. We define the 'spatial-social interface' as intersection of social and spatial aspects of individuals' phenotypes and environments. Behavioural variation at the spatial-social interface has implications for ecological and evolutionary processes including pathogen transmission, population dynamics, and the evolution of social systems. We link spatial and social processes through a foundation of shared theory, vocabulary, and methods. We provide examples and future directions for the integration of spatial and social behaviour and environments. We introduce key concepts and approaches that either implicitly or explicitly integrate social and spatial processes, for example, graph theory, density-dependent habitat selection, and niche specialization. Finally, we discuss how movement ecology helps link the spatial-social interface. Our review integrates social and spatial behavioural ecology and identifies testable hypotheses at the spatial-social interface.
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Affiliation(s)
- Quinn M R Webber
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, 50 Stone Road East, Guelph, ON, N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Gregory F Albery
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, 37th and O Streets, Washington, DC, 20007, USA.,Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Wallotstraße 19, 14193, Berlin, Germany.,Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitatsstraße 10, 78464, Constance, Germany.,Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Nitika Sharma
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA
| | - Orr Spiegel
- School of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv, 69978, Israel
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University, St. John's, NL, A1C 5S7, Canada
| | - Kezia Manlove
- Department of Wildland Resources and Ecology Center, Utah State University, 5200 Old Main Hill, Logan, UT, 84322, USA
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30
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Friesen CN, Maclaine KD, Hofmann HA. Social status mediates behavioral, endocrine, and neural responses to an intruder challenge in a social cichlid, Astatotilapia burtoni. Horm Behav 2022; 145:105241. [PMID: 35964525 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2022] [Revised: 07/18/2022] [Accepted: 07/27/2022] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
Most animals encounter social challenges throughout their lives as they compete for resources. Individual responses to such challenges can depend on social status, sex, and community-level attributes, yet most of our knowledge of the behavioral and physiological mechanisms by which individuals respond to challenges has come from dyadic interactions between a resource holder and a challenger (usually both males). To incorporate differences in individual behavior that are influenced by surrounding group members, we use naturalistic communities of the cichlid fish, Astatotilapia burtoni, and examine resident dominant male responses to a territorial intrusion within the social group. We measured behavior and steroid hormones (testosterone and cortisol), and neural activity in key brain regions implicated in regulating territorial and social dominance behavior. In response to a male intruder, resident dominant males shifted from border defense to overt attack behavior, accompanied by decreased basolateral amygdala activity. These differences were context dependent - resident dominant males only exhibited increased border defense when the intruder secured dominance. Neither subordinate males nor females changed their behavior in response to a territorial intrusion in their community. However, neural activity in both hippocampus and lateral septum of subordinates increased when the intruder failed to establish dominance. Our results demonstrate how a social challenge results in multi-faceted behavioral, hormonal, and neural changes, depending on social status, sex, and the outcome of an intruder challenge. Taken together, our work provides novel insights into the mechanisms through which individual group members display context- and status-appropriate challenge responses in dynamic social groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin N Friesen
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, USA; Neuroscience Institute, Georgia State University, USA.
| | - Kendra D Maclaine
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, USA; Institute for Cellular & Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, USA
| | - Hans A Hofmann
- Department of Integrative Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, USA; Institute for Cellular & Molecular Biology, The University of Texas at Austin, USA; Institute for Neuroscience, The University of Texas at Austin, USA.
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31
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Social information-mediated population dynamics in non-grouping prey. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03215-4] [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
Inadvertent social information (ISI) use, i.e., the exploitation of social cues including the presence and behaviour of others, has been predicted to mediate population-level processes even in the absence of cohesive grouping. However, we know little about how such effects may arise when the prey population lacks social structure beyond the spatiotemporal autocorrelation originating from the random movement of individuals. In this study, we built an individual-based model where predator avoidance behaviour could spread among randomly moving prey through the network of nearby observers. We qualitatively assessed how ISI use may affect prey population size when cue detection was associated with different probabilities and fitness costs, and characterised the structural properties of the emerging detection networks that would provide pathways for information spread in prey. We found that ISI use was among the most influential model parameters affecting prey abundance and increased equilibrium population sizes in most examined scenarios. Moreover, it could substantially contribute to population survival under high predation pressure, but this effect strongly depended on the level of predator detection ability. When prey exploited social cues in the presence of high predation risk, the observed detection networks consisted of a large number of connected components with small sizes and small ego networks; this resulted in efficient information spread among connected individuals in the detection networks. Our study provides hypothetical mechanisms about how temporary local densities may allow information diffusion about predation threats among conspecifics and facilitate population stability and persistence in non-grouping animals.
Significance statement
The exploitation of inadvertently produced social cues may not only modify individual behaviour but also fundamentally influence population dynamics and species interactions. Using an individual-based model, we investigated how the detection and spread of adaptive antipredator behaviour may cascade to changes in the demographic performance of randomly moving (i.e., non-grouping) prey. We found that social information use contributed to population stability and persistence by reducing predation-related per capita mortality and raising equilibrium population sizes when predator detection ability reached a sufficient level. We also showed that temporary detection networks had structural properties that allowed efficient information spread among prey under high predation pressure. Our work represents a general modelling approach that could be adapted to specific predator-prey systems and scrutinise how temporary local densities allow dynamic information diffusion about predation threats and facilitate population stability in non-grouping animals.
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32
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Clejan I, Congleton CD, Lerch BA. The emergence of group fitness. Evolution 2022; 76:1689-1705. [PMID: 35767747 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14549] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2021] [Revised: 06/06/2022] [Accepted: 06/13/2022] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Whether and how selection can act on collectives rather than single entities has been a tumultuous issue in evolutionary biology for decades. Despite examples of multilevel selection, a simple framework is needed that makes explicit the constraints that lead to the emergence of a "group fitness function." We use evolutionary game theory to show that two constraints are sufficient for the emergence of a well-defined group fitness, which could even apply to multispecies groups. First, different parts of the group contribute to one another's growth via resources produced proportionally to the density of each resource producer (not the density of the population receiving benefits). Second, invading groups do not share these resources with resident groups. Jointly, these two constraints lead to the "entanglement" of invading individuals' outcomes such that individual fitness can no longer be defined and group fitness predicts evolutionary dynamics through the emergence of a higher level evolutionary individual. Group fitness is an emergent property, irreducible to the fitness of the group's parts and exhibiting downward causality on the parts. By formalizing group fitness as a model for evolutionary transitions in individuality, these results open up a broad class of models under the multilevel-selection framework.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Brian A Lerch
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, 27599
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33
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Jolles JW, Sosna MMG, Mazué GPF, Twomey CR, Bak-Coleman J, Rubenstein DI, Couzin ID. Both prey and predator features predict the individual predation risk and survival of schooling prey. eLife 2022; 11:76344. [PMID: 35852826 PMCID: PMC9348852 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76344] [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: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation is one of the main evolutionary drivers of social grouping. While it is well appreciated that predation risk is likely not shared equally among individuals within groups, its detailed quantification has remained difficult due to the speed of attacks and the highly dynamic nature of collective prey response. Here, using high-resolution tracking of solitary predators (Northern pike) hunting schooling fish (golden shiners), we not only provide insights into predator decision-making, but show which key spatial and kinematic features of predator and prey predict the risk of individuals to be targeted and to survive attacks. We found that pike tended to stealthily approach the largest groups, and were often already inside the school when launching their attack, making prey in this frontal ‘strike zone’ the most vulnerable to be targeted. From the prey’s perspective, those fish in central locations, but relatively far from, and less aligned with, neighbours, were most likely to be targeted. While the majority of attacks were successful (70%), targeted individuals that did manage to avoid being captured exhibited a higher maximum acceleration response just before the attack and were further away from the pike‘s head. Our results highlight the crucial interplay between predators’ attack strategy and response of prey underlying the predation risk within mobile animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew MG Sosna
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University
| | | | | | | | | | - Iain D Couzin
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
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34
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Sankey DWE, Hunt KL, Croft DP, Franks DW, Green PA, Thompson FJ, Johnstone RA, Cant MA. Leaders of war: modelling the evolution of conflict among heterogeneous groups. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210140. [PMID: 35369752 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0140] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
War, in human and animal societies, can be extremely costly but can also offer significant benefits to the victorious group. We might expect groups to go into battle when the potential benefits of victory (V) outweigh the costs of escalated conflict (C); however, V and C are unlikely to be distributed evenly in heterogeneous groups. For example, some leaders who make the decision to go to war may monopolize the benefits at little cost to themselves ('exploitative' leaders). By contrast, other leaders may willingly pay increased costs, above and beyond their share of V ('heroic' leaders). We investigated conflict initiation and conflict participation in an ecological model where single-leader-multiple-follower groups came into conflict over natural resources. We found that small group size, low migration rate and frequent interaction between groups increased intergroup competition and the evolution of 'exploitative' leadership, while converse patterns favoured increased intragroup competition and the emergence of 'heroic' leaders. We also found evidence of an alternative leader/follower 'shared effort' outcome. Parameters that favoured high contributing 'heroic' leaders, and low contributing followers, facilitated transitions to more peaceful outcomes. We outline and discuss the key testable predictions of our model for empiricists studying intergroup conflict in humans and animals. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- D W E Sankey
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - K L Hunt
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - D P Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - D W Franks
- Department of Biology and Department of Computer Science, University of York, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - P A Green
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.,Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Marine Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - F J Thompson
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - R A Johnstone
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - M A Cant
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK.,German Primate Centre, University of Göttingen, Göttingen 37077, Germany
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35
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Taylor LA, Wittemyer G, Lambert B, Douglas-Hamilton I, Vollrath F. Movement behaviour after birth demonstrates precocial abilities of African savannah elephant, Loxodonta africana, calves. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.002] [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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36
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Nicolis SC, Deneubourg JL. The effect of idiosyncrasy on aggregation in group-living organisms. J Theor Biol 2022; 542:111120. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2022.111120] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/13/2021] [Revised: 03/24/2022] [Accepted: 03/30/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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37
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Cook PA, Baker OM, Costello RA, Formica VA, Brodie ED. Group composition of individual personalities alters social network structure in experimental populations of forked fungus beetles. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210509. [PMID: 35291883 PMCID: PMC8923822 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Social network structure is a critical group character that mediates the flow of information, pathogens and resources among individuals in a population, yet little is known about what shapes social structures. In this study, we experimentally tested whether social network structure depends on the personalities of individual group members. Replicate groups of forked fungus beetles (Bolitotherus cornutus) were engineered to include only members previously assessed as either more social or less social. We found that individuals expressed consistent personalities across social contexts, exhibiting repeatable numbers of interactions and numbers of partners. Groups composed of more social individuals formed networks with higher interaction rates, higher tie density, higher global clustering and shorter average shortest paths than those composed of less social individuals. We highlight group composition of personalities as a source of variance in group traits and a potential mechanism by which networks could evolve.
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Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe A. Cook
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Olivia M. Baker
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Robin A. Costello
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | | | - Edmund D. Brodie
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
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38
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Mugel S, Naug D. Metabolic rate diversity shapes group performance in honeybees. Am Nat 2022; 199:E156-E169. [DOI: 10.1086/719013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
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39
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OUP accepted manuscript. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac039] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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40
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41
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42
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Killen SS, Cortese D, Cotgrove L, Jolles JW, Munson A, Ioannou CC. The Potential for Physiological Performance Curves to Shape Environmental Effects on Social Behavior. Front Physiol 2021; 12:754719. [PMID: 34858209 PMCID: PMC8632012 DOI: 10.3389/fphys.2021.754719] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/06/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 01/03/2023] Open
Abstract
As individual animals are exposed to varying environmental conditions, phenotypic plasticity will occur in a vast array of physiological traits. For example, shifts in factors such as temperature and oxygen availability can affect the energy demand, cardiovascular system, and neuromuscular function of animals that in turn impact individual behavior. Here, we argue that nonlinear changes in the physiological traits and performance of animals across environmental gradients—known as physiological performance curves—may have wide-ranging effects on the behavior of individual social group members and the functioning of animal social groups as a whole. Previous work has demonstrated how variation between individuals can have profound implications for socially living animals, as well as how environmental conditions affect social behavior. However, the importance of variation between individuals in how they respond to changing environmental conditions has so far been largely overlooked in the context of animal social behavior. First, we consider the broad effects that individual variation in performance curves may have on the behavior of socially living animals, including: (1) changes in the rank order of performance capacity among group mates across environments; (2) environment-dependent changes in the amount of among- and within-individual variation, and (3) differences among group members in terms of the environmental optima, the critical environmental limits, and the peak capacity and breadth of performance. We then consider the ecological implications of these effects for a range of socially mediated phenomena, including within-group conflict, within- and among group assortment, collective movement, social foraging, predator-prey interactions and disease and parasite transfer. We end by outlining the type of empirical work required to test the implications for physiological performance curves in social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shaun S Killen
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Daphne Cortese
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy Cotgrove
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Jolle W Jolles
- Center for Ecological Research and Forestry Applications (CREAF), Campus de Bellaterra (UAB), Barcelona, Spain
| | - Amelia Munson
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, United Kingdom
| | - Christos C Ioannou
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United Kingdom
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43
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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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44
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Hirata M, Matsubara A, Uchimura M. Effects of group composition on social foraging in cattle: inclusion of a leader cow in replacement of a follower facilitates expansion of grazing distribution patterns of beef cows. J ETHOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-021-00731-0] [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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45
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Dong YW, Liao ML, Han GD, Somero GN. An integrated, multi-level analysis of thermal effects on intertidal molluscs for understanding species distribution patterns. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:554-581. [PMID: 34713568 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12811] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/22/2020] [Revised: 10/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Elucidating the physiological mechanisms that underlie thermal stress and discovering how species differ in capacities for phenotypic acclimatization and evolutionary adaptation to this stress is critical for understanding current latitudinal and vertical distribution patterns of species and for predicting their future state in a warming world. Such mechanistic analyses require careful choice of study systems (species and temperature-sensitive traits) and design of laboratory experiments that reflect the complexities of in situ conditions. Here, we critically review a wide range of studies of intertidal molluscs that provide mechanistic accounts of thermal effects across all levels of biological organization - behavioural, organismal, organ level, cellular, molecular, and genomic - and show how temperature-sensitive traits govern distribution patterns and capacities for coping with thermal stress. Comparisons of congeners from different thermal habitats are especially effective means for identifying adaptive variation. We employ these mechanistic analyses to illustrate how species differ in the severity of threats posed by rising temperature. Counterintuitively, we show that some of the most heat-tolerant species may be most threatened by increases in temperatures because of their small thermal safety margins and minimal abilities to acclimatize to higher temperatures. We discuss recent molecular biological and genomic studies that provide critical foundations for understanding the types of evolutionary changes in protein structure, RNA secondary structure, genome content, and gene expression capacities that underlie adaptation to temperature. Duplication of stress-related genes, as found in heat-tolerant molluscs, may provide enhanced capacity for coping with higher temperatures. We propose that the anatomical, behavioural, physiological, and genomic diversity found among intertidal molluscs, which commonly are of critical importance and high abundance in these ecosystems, makes this group of animals a highly appropriate study system for addressing questions about the mechanistic determinants of current and future distribution patterns of intertidal organisms.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yun-Wei Dong
- The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China.,Function Laboratory for Marine Fisheries Science and Food Production Processes, Qingdao National Laboratory for Marine Science and Technology, Qingdao, 266235, China
| | - Ming-Ling Liao
- The Key Laboratory of Mariculture, Ministry of Education, Fisheries College, Ocean University of China, Qingdao, 266003, China
| | - Guo-Dong Han
- College of Life Science, Yantai University, Yantai, 264005, China
| | - George N Somero
- Department of Biology, Hopkins Marine Station, Stanford University, Pacific Grove, California, 93950, U.S.A
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46
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Thompson MJ, Capilla-Lasheras P, Dominoni DM, Réale D, Charmantier A. Phenotypic variation in urban environments: mechanisms and implications. Trends Ecol Evol 2021; 37:171-182. [PMID: 34690006 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.09.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/22/2021] [Revised: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 09/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Abstract
In the past decade, numerous studies have explored how urbanisation affects the mean phenotypes of populations, but it remains unknown how urbanisation impacts phenotypic variation, a key target of selection that shapes, and is shaped by, eco-evolutionary processes. Our review suggests that urbanisation may often increase intraspecific phenotypic variation through several processes; a conclusion aligned with results from our illustrative analysis on tit morphology across 13 European city/forest population pairs. Urban-driven changes in phenotypic variation will have immense implications for urban populations and communities, particularly through urbanisation's effects on individual fitness, species interactions, and conservation. We call here for studies that incorporate phenotypic variation in urban eco-evolutionary research alongside advances in theory.
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Affiliation(s)
- M J Thompson
- Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, 141 Avenue du Président-Kennedy, Montréal, QC H2X 1Y4, Canada; CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France.
| | - P Capilla-Lasheras
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - D M Dominoni
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health & Comparative Medicine, Graham Kerr Building, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, G12 8QQ, UK
| | - D Réale
- Département des sciences biologiques, Université du Québec à Montréal, 141 Avenue du Président-Kennedy, Montréal, QC H2X 1Y4, Canada
| | - A Charmantier
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
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47
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Romano V, Sueur C, MacIntosh AJJ. The tradeoff between information and pathogen transmission in animal societies. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Valéria Romano
- Univ. de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
- Primate Research Inst., Kyoto Univ. Inuyama Japan
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Univ. de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
- Inst. Univ. de France Paris France
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Holtmann B, Lara CE, Santos ESA, Gillum JE, Gemmell NJ, Nakagawa S. The association between personalities, alternative breeding strategies and reproductive success in dunnocks. J Evol Biol 2021; 35:539-551. [PMID: 34314544 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13906] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/27/2020] [Revised: 06/25/2021] [Accepted: 07/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Although consistent between-individual differences in behaviour (i.e. animal personality) are ubiquitous in natural populations, relatively few studies have examined how personalities influence the formation of social relationships. Yet, behavioural characteristics of both sexes might be key when it comes to pair-bond formation, and cooperation with partners to successfully rear offspring. We here use a wild population of dunnocks (Prunella modularis) to first investigate whether individuals mate nonrandomly (i.e. assortative mating) with regard to four behavioural traits-flight-initiation distance (FID), provisioning, activity and vigilance-that differ in repeatability and have previously been associated with mating patterns and fitness in other species. Second, we test whether an individual's FID is associated with variability in the dunnocks' mating system (i.e. monogamous pairs vs. polygamous groups). Finally, we determine whether FID and provisioning of males and females associate with their reproductive success. We found no statistical support for assortative mating in FID between males and females. Interestingly, in polygamous groups, co-breeding males differed in their FIDs with dominant alpha males having significantly shorter FIDs compared with subordinate beta-males. Moreover, there was evidence for assortative mating in provisioning for alpha males and females in polygamous groups. We also found that male provisioning influenced reproductive success of both sexes, whereas female provisioning rates only positively correlated with her own but not their partner(s) reproductive output. Our results suggest that personality differences may have important implications for social relationships, the emergence of different mating patterns and ultimately reproductive success within populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Benedikt Holtmann
- Behavioural Ecology, Department of Biology, Ludwig-Maximilians-University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany.,Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Carlos E Lara
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Eduardo S A Santos
- BECO Lab, Department of Zoology, Institute of Biosciences, University of São Paulo, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Joanne E Gillum
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Neil J Gemmell
- Department of Anatomy, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand
| | - Shinichi Nakagawa
- Department of Zoology, University of Otago, Dunedin, New Zealand.,Evolution & Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Science, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW, Australia
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Papageorgiou D, Rozen-Rechels D, Nyaguthii B, Farine DR. Seasonality impacts collective movements in a wild group-living bird. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2021; 9:38. [PMID: 34238382 PMCID: PMC8268463 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-021-00271-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/01/2021] [Accepted: 06/07/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND A challenge faced by animals living in groups with stable long-term membership is to effectively coordinate their actions and maintain cohesion. However, as seasonal conditions alter the distribution of resources across a landscape, they can change the priority of group members and require groups to adapt and respond collectively across changing contexts. Little is known about how stable group-living animals collectively modify their movement behaviour in response to environment changes, such as those induced by seasonality. Further, it remains unclear how environment-induced changes in group-level movement behaviours might scale up to affect population-level properties, such as a population's footprint. METHODS Here we studied the collective movement of each distinct social group in a population of vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum), a largely terrestrial and non-territorial bird. We used high-resolution GPS tracking of group members over 22 months, combined with continuous time movement models, to capture how and where groups moved under varying conditions, driven by seasonality and drought. RESULTS Groups used larger areas, travelled longer distances, and moved to new places more often during drier seasons, causing a three-fold increase in the area used at the population level when conditions turned to drought. By contrast, groups used smaller areas with more regular movements during wetter seasons. CONCLUSIONS The consistent changes in collective outcomes we observed in response to different environments raise questions about the role of collective behaviour in facilitating, or impeding, the capacity for individuals to respond to novel environmental conditions. As droughts will be occurring more often under climate change, some group living animals may have to respond to them by expressing dramatic shifts in their regular movement patterns. These shifts can have consequences on their ranging behaviours that can scale up to alter the footprints of animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danai Papageorgiou
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Constance, Germany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Constance, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241-001000, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - David Rozen-Rechels
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Constance, Germany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Constance, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Brendah Nyaguthii
- School of Natural Resource Management, Department of Wildlife, University of Eldoret, Eldoret, 1125-30100 Kenya
- Mpala Research Center, P.O. Box 92, Nanyuki, 10400 Kenya
- Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658-001000, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Constance, Germany
- Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78457 Constance, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Ornithology, National Museums of Kenya, P.O. Box 40658-001000, Nairobi, Kenya
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Wice EW, Saltz JB. Selection on heritable social network positions is context-dependent in Drosophila melanogaster. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3357. [PMID: 34099680 PMCID: PMC8185000 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23672-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Social group structure is highly variable and can be important for nearly every aspect of behavior and its fitness consequences. Group structure can be modeled using social network analysis, but we know little about the evolutionary factors shaping and maintaining variation in how individuals are embedded within their networks (i.e., network position). While network position is a pervasive target of selection, it remains unclear whether network position is heritable and can respond to selection. Furthermore, it is unclear how environmental factors interact with genotypic effects on network positions, or how environmental factors shape selection on heritable network structure. Here we show multiple measures of social network position are heritable, using replicate genotypes and replicate social groups of Drosophila melanogaster flies. Our results indicate genotypic differences in network position are largely robust to changes in the environment flies experience, though some measures of network position do vary across environments. We also show selection on multiple network position metrics depends on the environmental context they are expressed in, laying the groundwork for better understanding how spatio-temporal variation in selection contributes to the evolution of variable social group structure.
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