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Rosenbaum S, Malani A, Lea AJ, Tung J, Alberts SC, Archie EA. Testing frameworks for early life effects: the developmental constraints and adaptive response hypotheses do not explain key fertility outcomes in wild female baboons. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.23.590627. [PMID: 38712305 PMCID: PMC11071398 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.23.590627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
In evolutionary ecology, two classes of explanations are frequently invoked to explain "early life effects" on adult outcomes. Developmental constraints (DC) explanations contend that costs of early adversity arise from limitations adversity places on optimal development. Adaptive response (AR) hypotheses propose that later life outcomes will be worse when early and adult environments are poorly "matched." Here, we use recently proposed mathematical definitions for these hypotheses and a quadratic-regression based approach to test the long-term consequences of variation in developmental environments on fertility in wild baboons. We evaluate whether low rainfall and/or dominance rank during development predict three female fertility measures in adulthood, and whether any observed relationships are consistent with DC and/or AR. Neither rainfall during development nor the difference between rainfall in development and adulthood predicted any fertility measures. Females who were low-ranking during development had an elevated risk of losing infants later in life, and greater change in rank between development and adulthood predicted greater risk of infant loss. However, both effects were statistically marginal and consistent with alternative explanations, including adult environmental quality effects. Consequently, our data do not provide compelling support for either of these common explanations for the evolution of early life effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anup Malani
- University of Chicago Law School & National Bureau of Economic Research
| | - Amanda J Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary, Anthropology; Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology & Biology, Duke University
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology & Biology, Duke University
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2
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Lange EC, Griffin M, Fogel AS, Archie EA, Tung J, Alberts SC. Environmental, sex-specific and genetic determinants of infant social behaviour in a wild primate. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231597. [PMID: 37964524 PMCID: PMC10646456 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1597] [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: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Affiliative social bonds are linked to fitness components in many social mammals. However, despite their importance, little is known about how the tendency to form social bonds develops in young animals, or if the timing of development is heritable and thus can evolve. Using four decades of longitudinal observational data from a wild baboon population, we assessed the environmental determinants of an important social developmental milestone in baboons-the age at which a young animal first grooms a conspecific-and we assessed how the rates at which offspring groom their mothers develops during the juvenile period. We found that grooming development differs between the sexes: female infants groom at an earlier age and reach equal rates of grooming with their mother earlier than males. We also found that age at first grooming for both sexes is weakly heritable (h2 = 0.043, 95% CI: 0.002-0.110). These results show that sex differences in grooming emerge at a young age; that strong, equitable social relationships between mothers and daughters begin very early in life; and that age at first grooming is heritable and therefore can be shaped by natural selection.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Lange
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA
| | | | - Arielle S. Fogel
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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3
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Zipple MN, Vogt CC, Sheehan MJ. Re-wilding model organisms: Opportunities to test causal mechanisms in social determinants of health and aging. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105238. [PMID: 37225063 PMCID: PMC10527394 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105238] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 05/17/2023] [Indexed: 05/26/2023]
Abstract
Social experiences are strongly associated with individuals' health, aging, and survival in many mammalian taxa, including humans. Despite their role as models of many other physiological and developmental bases of health and aging, biomedical model organisms (particularly lab mice) remain an underutilized tool in resolving outstanding questions regarding social determinants of health and aging, including causality, context-dependence, reversibility, and effective interventions. This status is largely due to the constraints of standard laboratory conditions on animals' social lives. Even when kept in social housing, lab animals rarely experience social and physical environments that approach the richness, variability, and complexity they have evolved to navigate and benefit from. Here we argue that studying biomedical model organisms outside under complex, semi-natural social environments ("re-wilding") allows researchers to capture the methodological benefits of both field studies of wild animals and laboratory studies of model organisms. We review recent efforts to re-wild mice and highlight discoveries that have only been made possible by researchers studying mice under complex, manipulable social environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew N Zipple
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
| | - Caleb C Vogt
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Michael J Sheehan
- Laboratory for Animal Social Evolution and Recognition, Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA.
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4
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Tung J, Lange EC, Alberts SC, Archie EA. Social and early life determinants of survival from cradle to grave: A case study in wild baboons. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105282. [PMID: 37321362 PMCID: PMC10529797 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Field studies of natural mammal populations present powerful opportunities to investigate the determinants of health and aging using fine-grained observations of known individuals across the life course. Here, we synthesize five decades of findings from one such study: the wild baboons of the Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya. First, we discuss the profound associations between early life adversity, adult social conditions, and key aging outcomes in this population, especially survival. Second, we review potential mediators of the relationship between early life adversity and survival in our population. Notably, our tests of two leading candidate mediators-social isolation and glucocorticoid levels-fail to identify a single, strong mediator of early life effects on adult survival. Instead, early adversity, social isolation, and glucocorticoids are independently linked to adult lifespans, suggesting considerable scope for mitigating the negative consequences of early life adversity. Third, we review our work on the evolutionary rationale for early life effects on mortality, which currently argues against clear predictive adaptive responses. Finally, we end by highlighting major themes emerging from the study of sociality, development, and aging in the Amboseli baboons, as well as important open questions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Tung
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada; Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Elizabeth C Lange
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA; Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
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5
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Strauss ED. Demographic turnover can be a leading driver of hierarchy dynamics, and social inheritance modifies its effects. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220308. [PMID: 37381857 PMCID: PMC10291429 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0308] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals and societies are linked through a feedback loop of mutual influence. Demographic turnover shapes group composition and structure by adding and removing individuals, and social inheritance shapes social structure through the transmission of social traits from parents to offspring. Here I examine how these drivers of social structure feedback to influence individual outcomes. I explore these society-to-individual effects in systems with social inheritance of hierarchy position, as occur in many primates and spotted hyenas. Applying Markov chain models to empirical and simulated data reveals how demography and social inheritance interact to strongly shape individual hierarchy positions. In hyena societies, demographic processes-not status seeking-account for the majority of hierarchy dynamics and cause an on-average lifetime decline in social hierarchy position. Simulated societies clarify how social inheritance alters demographic effects-demographic processes cause hierarchy position to regress to the mean, but the addition of social inheritance modifies this pattern. Notably, the combination of social inheritance and rank-related reproductive success causes individuals to decline in rank over their lifespans, as seen in the hyena data. Further analyses explore how 'queens' escape this pattern of decline, and how variation in social inheritance generates variability in reproductive inequality. This article is part of the theme issue 'Evolutionary ecology of inequality'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli D. Strauss
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Baden-Württemberg, 78464, Germany
- Ecology of Animal Societies Department, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Baden-Württemberg, 78315, Germany
- Collective Behavior Department, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Baden-Württemberg, 78315, Germany
- Integrative Biology Department, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, 48824, USA
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6
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Thierry B, Rebout N, Heistermann M. Hormonal responses to mating competition in male Tonkean macaques. Horm Behav 2023; 154:105395. [PMID: 37390781 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2023.105395] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2023] [Revised: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 06/17/2023] [Indexed: 07/02/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoid and androgen hormones play a prominent role in male reproductive effort. Their production usually increases in non-human primates during mating competition, which may include rivalry for access to receptive females, struggles for high dominance rank, or social pressure on low-ranking individuals. It is generally assumed that glucocorticoids and androgens are associated with mating challenges rather than dominance status, but the involvement of multiple factors makes it difficult to disentangle the two. In this regard, Tonkean macaques provide a suitable model because they are characterized by relaxed dominance and year-round breeding, meaning that there is typically no more than one receptive female in a group, and thus first-ranking males can easily monopolize her. We studied two captive groups of Tonkean macaques over an 80-month period, recording the reproductive status of females, collecting urine from males and sampling behaviors in both sexes. Male urinary hormone concentrations could be affected by increased competition caused by the mating period, the number of males and the degree of female attractiveness. The highest increases in androgens were recorded in males performing female mate-guarding. Despite the importance of dominance status in determining which males can mate, we found no significant effect of male rank on glucocorticoids and only a marginal effect on androgens during mate-guarding. Both types of hormones were more directly involved in the mating effort of males than in their dominance status. Our results show that their function can be understood in light of the particular competitive needs generated by the species-specific social system.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bernard Thierry
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Sociale et Cognitive, CNRS, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France.
| | - Nancy Rebout
- UMR Herbivores, INRAE, VetAgro Sup, Université Clermont Auvergne, Clermont-Ferrand, France
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
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7
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Zeng S, Lange EC, Archie EA, Campos FA, Alberts SC, Li F. A Causal Mediation Model for Longitudinal Mediators and Survival Outcomes with an Application to Animal Behavior. JOURNAL OF AGRICULTURAL, BIOLOGICAL, AND ENVIRONMENTAL STATISTICS 2023; 28:197-218. [PMID: 37415781 PMCID: PMC10321498 DOI: 10.1007/s13253-022-00490-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2021] [Revised: 01/26/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 07/08/2023]
Abstract
In animal behavior studies, a common goal is to investigate the causal pathways between an exposure and outcome, and a mediator that lies in between. Causal mediation analysis provides a principled approach for such studies. Although many applications involve longitudinal data, the existing causal mediation models are not directly applicable to settings where the mediators are measured on irregular time grids. In this paper, we propose a causal mediation model that accommodates longitudinal mediators on arbitrary time grids and survival outcomes simultaneously. We take a functional data analysis perspective and view longitudinal mediators as realizations of underlying smooth stochastic processes. We define causal estimands of direct and indirect effects accordingly and provide corresponding identification assumptions. We employ a functional principal component analysis approach to estimate the mediator process and propose a Cox hazard model for the survival outcome that flexibly adjusts the mediator process. We then derive a g-computation formula to express the causal estimands using the model coefficients. The proposed method is applied to a longitudinal data set from the Amboseli Baboon Research Project to investigate the causal relationships between early adversity, adult physiological stress responses, and survival among wild female baboons. We find that adversity experienced in early life has a significant direct effect on females' life expectancy and survival probability, but find little evidence that these effects were mediated by markers of the stress response in adulthood. We further developed a sensitivity analysis method to assess the impact of potential violation to the key assumption of sequential ignorability. Supplementary materials accompanying this paper appear on-line.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Fernando A Campos
- Department of Antropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX, USA
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Fan Li
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, 214 Old Chemistry Building, Durham, NC 27708, USA
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8
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Turner SE, Fedigan LM, Joyce MM, Matthews HD, Moriarity RJ, Nobuhara H, Nobuhara T, Stewart BM, Shimizu K. Mothers of disabled infants had higher cortisol levels in a free-ranging group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Am J Primatol 2023:e23500. [PMID: 37189289 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23500] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2022] [Revised: 04/15/2023] [Accepted: 04/29/2023] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs) are hormones released in response to stressors and can provide insight into an organism's physiological well-being. Experiencing chronic challenges to homeostasis is associated with significant deviations from baseline fecal GCs (fGCs) in many species, providing a noninvasive biomarker for assessing stress. In the group of free-ranging Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) at the Awajishima Monkey Center in Japan, ~17% have congenital limb malformations. We collected 646 fecal samples from 27 females over three consecutive birth seasons (May-August) and analyzed them using enzyme immunoassay to extract fGCs. We explored the relationship between fGC levels and individual (physical impairment and reproductive status), social (dominance rank and availability of kin for social support), and ecological variables (exposure to potential predators, rainfall, and wild fruit availability). A disabled infant was associated significantly with higher fGC in the mother; however, physical impairment in adult females was not significantly related to fGC levels. Females with higher dominance rank had significantly lower fGC levels than lower ranking females. Other factors did not relate significantly to fGC. These results suggest that providing care that meets the support needs of disabled infants poses a physiological challenge for mothers and suggests that physically impaired adults are able to effectively compensate for their disabilities with behavioral plasticity. Once an individual with congenital limb malformations survives infancy through their mother's care, physical impairment does not appear to influence fGC values, while social variables like dominance rank significantly influenced cortisol values in free-ranging female Japanese macaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sarah E Turner
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Linda M Fedigan
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, Calgary, Alberta, Canada
| | - Megan M Joyce
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - H Damon Matthews
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Robert J Moriarity
- School of Occupational and Public Health, Toronto Metropolitan University, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
| | | | | | - Brogan M Stewart
- Department of Geography, Planning and Environment, Concordia University, Montreal, Quebec, Canada
| | - Keiko Shimizu
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, Okayama University of Science, Okayama, Japan
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9
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LaDue CA, Hunt KE, Kiso WK, Freeman EW. Hormonal variation and temporal dynamics of musth in Asian elephants ( Elephas maximus) are associated with age, body condition and the social environment. CONSERVATION PHYSIOLOGY 2023; 11:coad019. [PMID: 38026805 PMCID: PMC10660383 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/coad019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2022] [Revised: 03/23/2023] [Accepted: 03/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/01/2023]
Abstract
The sustainability of endangered Asian elephants in human care is threatened in part by low breeding success and concerns over individual animal wellbeing. Male elephants have received less research attention compared to females, yet males deserve special consideration due to their unique reproductive biology (particularly the sexual state of "musth") and the complex interaction of physiological, environmental, and social pressures they face. We measured fecal androgen metabolites (FAMs), fecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGMs), and fecal triiodothyronine metabolites (FT3s) collected weekly over approximately 12 months from 26 male Asian elephants housed in zoos across the US, hypothesizing that FAM, FGM, and FT3 concentrations would be associated with temporal correlates of musth and would vary further with intrinsic (musth status, age, body condition) and extrinsic (social environment) factors. The duration of each musth episode was positively associated with exposure to male conspecifics and negatively associated with body condition. Further, elevated FAM concentrations were associated with social exposure, age, and body condition, and FGM concentrations also varied with age and body condition. FT3 concentrations were not associated with any factor we measured. We also identified periods of lower FAM concentration than confirmed musth episodes (but still higher than baseline FAM concentrations) that we termed "elevated FAM episodes." The durations of these episodes were negatively correlated with exposure to other male elephants. Together, these results provide evidence that hormone profiles (including those that are predicted to change around musth) vary significantly between male Asian elephants in a way that may be attributed to intrinsic and extrinsic factors. Studies like these serve to enhance the sustainability of ex-situ populations by providing wildlife managers with information to enhance the health, welfare, and reproduction of threatened species like Asian elephants.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chase A LaDue
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, 4400 University Drive, MSN 5F2, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
- Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden, 2000 Remington Place, Oklahoma City, OK 73111, USA
| | - Kathleen E Hunt
- Department of Biology, George Mason University, 10900 University Boulevard, Manassas, VA 20110, USA
- Smithsonian-Mason School of Conservation, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630, USA
| | - Wendy K Kiso
- White Oak Conservation Foundation, 581705 White Oak Road, Yulee, FL 32097, USA
- Colossal Biosciences, 3309 Elm Street, Dallas, TX 75226, USA
| | - Elizabeth W Freeman
- School of Integrative Studies, 4400 University Drive, MSN 5D3, George Mason University, Fairfax, VA 22030, USA
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10
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Status does not predict stress among Hadza hunter-gatherer men. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1327. [PMID: 36693868 PMCID: PMC9873806 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28119-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/25/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years there has been much research regarding the extent to which social status is related to long-term indices of health. The majority of studies looking at the interplay between social status and health have been conducted in industrialized societies. However, it has been argued that most of human evolution took place in small, mobile and egalitarian hunter-gatherer groups where individuals exhibited very little variation in terms of material wealth or possessions. In this study, we looked at the extent to which two domains of social status, hunting reputation (being perceived as a good hunter) and popularity (being perceived as a friend), are related to physiological stress levels among Hadza men, hunter-gatherers living in Northern Tanzania. The results of our study show that neither hunting reputation nor popularity is associated with stress levels. Overall, our data suggest that, in at least some traditional small-scale societies exhibiting an egalitarian social model, such as the Hadza, the variation in social status measures based on both popularity and hunting reputation does not translate into one of the commonly used indices of wellbeing.
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11
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Dantzer B, Newman AEM. Expanding the frame around social dynamics and glucocorticoids: From hierarchies within the nest to competitive interactions among species. Horm Behav 2022; 144:105204. [PMID: 35689971 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2022.105204] [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: 12/21/2021] [Revised: 05/10/2022] [Accepted: 05/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
The effect of the social environment on individual state or condition has largely focused on glucocorticoid levels (GCs). As metabolic hormones whose production can be influenced by nutritional, physical, or psychosocial stressors, GCs are a valuable (though singular) measure that may reflect the degree of "stress" experienced by an individual. Most work to date has focused on how social rank influences GCs in group-living species or how predation risk influences GCs in prey. This work has been revealing, but a more comprehensive assessment of the social environment is needed to fully understand how different features of the social environment influence GCs in both group living and non-group living species and across life history stages. Just as there can be intense within-group competition among adult conspecifics, it bears appreciating there can also be competition among siblings from the same brood, among adult conspecifics that do not live in groups, or among heterospecifics. In these situations, dominance hierarchies typically emerge, albeit, do dominants or subordinate individuals or species have higher GCs? We examine the degree of support for hypotheses derived from group-living species about whether differential GCs between dominants and subordinates reflect the "stress of subordination" or "costs of dominance" in these other social contexts. By doing so, we aim to test the generality of these two hypotheses and propose new research directions to broaden the lens that focuses on social hierarchies and GCs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, 48109 Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, 48109, Ann Arbor, MI, USA.
| | - Amy E M Newman
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G2W1, Canada
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12
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Christensen C, Bracken AM, Justin O'Riain M, Heistermann M, King AJ, Fürtbauer I. Simultaneous investigation of urinary and faecal glucocorticoid metabolite concentrations reveals short- versus long-term drivers of HPA-axis activity in a wild primate (Papio ursinus). Gen Comp Endocrinol 2022; 318:113985. [PMID: 35093315 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2022.113985] [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: 06/21/2021] [Revised: 01/07/2022] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/24/2022]
Abstract
Glucocorticoids (GCs), a class of steroid hormones released through activation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, perform many vital functions essential for survival, including orchestrating an organism's response to stressors by modulating physiological and behavioural responses. Assessing changes and variation in GC metabolites from faecal or urine samples allows for the non-invasive monitoring of HPA-axis activity across vertebrates. The time lag of hormone excretion differs between these sample matrices, which has implications for their suitability for studying effects of different temporal nature on HPA-axis activity. However, simultaneous comparisons of predictors of faecal and urinary GC metabolites (fGCs and uGCs, respectively) are lacking. To address this gap, we employ frequent non-invasive sampling to investigate correlates of fGCs and uGCs in wild chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) (n = 17), including long-term (dominance rank, season, female reproductive state) and short-term (time of day, daily weather conditions) factors. Correlated with increasing day length, fGCs gradually decreased from winter to summer. No seasonal effect on uGCs was found but 'rain days' were associated with increased uGCs. Pregnant females had significantly higher fGCs compared to cycling and lactating females, whereas uGCs were not statistically different across reproductive states. A circadian effect was observed in uGCs but not in fGCs. Dominance rank did not affect either fGCs or uGCs. Our study highlights the difference in inherent fluctuation between uGCs and fGCs and its potential consequences for HPA-axis activity monitoring. While uGCs offer the opportunity to study short-term effects, they undergo more pronounced fluctuations, reducing their ability to capture long-term effects. Given the increasing use of urine for biological monitoring, knowledge of this potential limitation is crucial. Where possible, uGCs and fGCs should be monitored in tandem to obtain a comprehensive understanding of short- and long-term drivers of HPA-axis activity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Christensen
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK.
| | - Anna M Bracken
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK
| | - M Justin O'Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch 7701, South Africa
| | | | - Andrew J King
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK
| | - Ines Fürtbauer
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, SA2 8PP Swansea, UK
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13
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Anderson JA, Lea AJ, Voyles TN, Akinyi MY, Nyakundi R, Ochola L, Omondi M, Nyundo F, Zhang Y, Campos FA, Alberts SC, Archie EA, Tung J. Distinct gene regulatory signatures of dominance rank and social bond strength in wild baboons. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200441. [PMID: 35000452 PMCID: PMC8743882 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0441] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 08/19/2021] [Indexed: 12/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The social environment is a major determinant of morbidity, mortality and Darwinian fitness in social animals. Recent studies have begun to uncover the molecular processes associated with these relationships, but the degree to which they vary across different dimensions of the social environment remains unclear. Here, we draw on a long-term field study of wild baboons to compare the signatures of affiliative and competitive aspects of the social environment in white blood cell gene regulation, under both immune-stimulated and non-stimulated conditions. We find that the effects of dominance rank on gene expression are directionally opposite in males versus females, such that high-ranking males resemble low-ranking females, and vice versa. Among females, rank and social bond strength are both reflected in the activity of cellular metabolism and proliferation genes. However, while we observe pronounced rank-related differences in baseline immune gene activity, only bond strength predicts the fold-change response to immune (lipopolysaccharide) stimulation. Together, our results indicate that the directionality and magnitude of social effects on gene regulation depend on the aspect of the social environment under study. This heterogeneity may help explain why social environmental effects on health and longevity can also vary between measures. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan A. Anderson
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Amanda J. Lea
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Carl Icahn Laboratory, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Tawni N. Voyles
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Mercy Y. Akinyi
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Ruth Nyakundi
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Lucy Ochola
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Martin Omondi
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Fred Nyundo
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Yingying Zhang
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Fernando A. Campos
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada M5G 1M1
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14
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Lerch BA, Abbott KC, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Better baboon break-ups: collective decision theory of complex social network fissions. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20212060. [PMID: 34875192 PMCID: PMC8651414 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many social groups are made up of complex social networks in which each individual associates with a distinct subset of its groupmates. If social groups become larger over time, competition often leads to a permanent group fission. During such fissions, complex social networks present a collective decision problem and a multidimensional optimization problem: it is advantageous for each individual to remain with their closest allies after a fission, but impossible for every individual to do so. Here, we develop computational algorithms designed to simulate group fissions in a network-theoretic framework. We focus on three fission algorithms (democracy, community and despotism) that fall on a spectrum from a democratic to a dictatorial collective decision. We parameterize our social networks with data from wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus) and compare our simulated fissions with actual baboon fission events. We find that the democracy and community algorithms (egalitarian decisions where each individual influences the outcome) better maintain social networks during simulated fissions than despotic decisions (driven primarily by a single individual). We also find that egalitarian decisions are better at predicting the observed individual-level outcomes of observed fissions, although the observed fissions often disturbed their social networks more than the simulated egalitarian fissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A. Lerch
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Karen C. Abbott
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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15
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Uchida K, Ng R, Vydro SA, Smith JE, Blumstein DT. The benefits of being dominant: health correlates of male social rank and age in a marmot. Curr Zool 2021; 68:19-26. [PMID: 35169626 PMCID: PMC8836331 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The benefits of dominance may not come without costs, particularly for males. For example, the “immunocompetence handicap hypothesis” states that males with enhanced mating success allocate resources to enhance reproductive output at a cost to their current health, whereas the “resource quality hypothesis” predicts that high-ranking males may benefit from increased reproduction and good health. Whereas the predictions from each have been well tested in captive animals and in a variety of highly social primates, fewer studies have been carried out in free-living, facultatively social animals. Using adult male yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), we evaluated predictions of these hypotheses by examining the relationship between social rank and 2 health indicators—fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FCM) levels, and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratios—after accounting for variation explained by age, body mass, and seasonality. We found that higher-ranking males tended to have a lower N/L ratio (reflecting good health) than lower-ranking individuals, whereas FCM levels were not significantly related to rank. In addition, heavier male marmots had lower N/L ratios, whereas body mass was not associated with FCM levels. We also found that older adult males had lower FCM levels (reflecting less physiological stress) but higher N/L ratios than younger adults. Finally, we found that FCM levels decreased as the active season progressed and FCM levels were associated with the time of the day. Overall, our results suggest that socially-dominant male marmots enjoyed better, not worse health in terms of lower N/L ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Uchida
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Rachel Ng
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Samuel A Vydro
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Jennifer E Smith
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- Department of Biology, Mills College, Oakland, CA 94613, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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16
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Anderson JA, Johnston RA, Lea AJ, Campos FA, Voyles TN, Akinyi MY, Alberts SC, Archie EA, Tung J. High social status males experience accelerated epigenetic aging in wild baboons. eLife 2021; 10:e66128. [PMID: 33821798 PMCID: PMC8087445 DOI: 10.7554/elife.66128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 13.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/30/2020] [Accepted: 03/18/2021] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Aging, for virtually all life, is inescapable. However, within populations, biological aging rates vary. Understanding sources of variation in this process is central to understanding the biodemography of natural populations. We constructed a DNA methylation-based age predictor for an intensively studied wild baboon population in Kenya. Consistent with findings in humans, the resulting 'epigenetic clock' closely tracks chronological age, but individuals are predicted to be somewhat older or younger than their known ages. Surprisingly, these deviations are not explained by the strongest predictors of lifespan in this population, early adversity and social integration. Instead, they are best predicted by male dominance rank: high-ranking males are predicted to be older than their true ages, and epigenetic age tracks changes in rank over time. Our results argue that achieving high rank for male baboons - the best predictor of reproductive success - imposes costs consistent with a 'live fast, die young' life-history strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan A Anderson
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Rachel A Johnston
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Amanda J Lea
- Department of Biology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Carl Icahn Laboratory, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, Princeton UniversityPrincetonUnited States
| | - Fernando A Campos
- Department of Biology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San AntonioSan AntonioUnited States
| | - Tawni N Voyles
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Mercy Y Akinyi
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of KenyaNairobiKenya
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Biology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre DameNotre DameUnited States
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Department of Biology, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke UniversityDurhamUnited States
- Canadian Institute for Advanced ResearchTorontoCanada
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17
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Davidian E, Wachter B, Heckmann I, Dehnhard M, Hofer H, Höner OP. The interplay between social rank, physiological constraints and investment in courtship in male spotted hyenas. Funct Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2435.13733] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Eve Davidian
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - Bettina Wachter
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - Ilja Heckmann
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - Martin Dehnhard
- Department of Reproduction Biology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
| | - Heribert Hofer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
- Department of Veterinary Medicine Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
- Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy Freie Universität Berlin Berlin Germany
| | - Oliver P. Höner
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research Berlin Germany
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18
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Association between social factors and gastrointestinal parasite product excretion in a group of non-cooperatively breeding carrion crows. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-02967-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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19
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Levy EJ, Zipple MN, McLean E, Campos FA, Dasari M, Fogel AS, Franz M, Gesquiere LR, Gordon JB, Grieneisen L, Habig B, Jansen DJ, Learn NH, Weibel CJ, Altmann J, Alberts SC, Archie EA. A comparison of dominance rank metrics reveals multiple competitive landscapes in an animal society. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201013. [PMID: 32900310 PMCID: PMC7542799 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Across group-living animals, linear dominance hierarchies lead to disparities in access to resources, health outcomes and reproductive performance. Studies of how dominance rank predicts these traits typically employ one of several dominance rank metrics without examining the assumptions each metric makes about its underlying competitive processes. Here, we compare the ability of two dominance rank metrics—simple ordinal rank and proportional or ‘standardized’ rank—to predict 20 traits in a wild baboon population in Amboseli, Kenya. We propose that simple ordinal rank best predicts traits when competition is density-dependent, whereas proportional rank best predicts traits when competition is density-independent. We found that for 75% of traits (15/20), one rank metric performed better than the other. Strikingly, all male traits were best predicted by simple ordinal rank, whereas female traits were evenly split between proportional and simple ordinal rank. Hence, male and female traits are shaped by different competitive processes: males are largely driven by density-dependent resource access (e.g. access to oestrous females), whereas females are shaped by both density-independent (e.g. distributed food resources) and density-dependent resource access. This method of comparing how different rank metrics predict traits can be used to distinguish between different competitive processes operating in animal societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily J Levy
- Department of Biology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Matthew N Zipple
- Department of Biology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Emily McLean
- Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Oxford College of Emory University, 801 Emory Street, Oxford, GA 30054, USA
| | - Fernando A Campos
- Department of Biology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at San Antonio, One UTSA Circle, San Antonio, TX 78249, USA
| | - Mauna Dasari
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Arielle S Fogel
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, 3 Genome Court, Durham, NC 27710, USA
| | - Mathias Franz
- Institute for Biology, Freie Universitaet Berlin, Königin-Luise-Strasse 1-3, D-14195 Berlin, Germany
| | - Laurence R Gesquiere
- Department of Biology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Jacob B Gordon
- Department of Biology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Laura Grieneisen
- College of Biological Sciences, University of Minnesota, 420 Washington Ave. SE, Minneapolis, MN 55455, USA
| | - Bobby Habig
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.,Department of Biology, Queens College, City University of New York, 65-30 Kissena Blvd., Flushing, New York, NY 11367, USA
| | - David J Jansen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Niki H Learn
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, 106A Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Chelsea J Weibel
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Jeanne Altmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, 106A Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA.,Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, 130 Science Drive, Durham, NC 27708, USA.,Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA.,Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi 00502, Kenya
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