1
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Siracusa ER, Pavez-Fox MA, Negron-Del Valle JE, Phillips D, Platt ML, Snyder-Mackler N, Higham JP, Brent LJN, Silk MJ. Social ageing can protect against infectious disease in a group-living primate. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220462. [PMID: 39463240 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0462] [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: 12/08/2023] [Revised: 02/09/2024] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 10/29/2024] Open
Abstract
The benefits of social living are well established, but sociality also comes with costs, including infectious disease risk. This cost-benefit ratio of sociality is expected to change across individuals' lifespans, which may drive changes in social behaviour with age. To explore this idea, we combine data from a group-living primate for which social ageing has been described with epidemiological models to show that having lower social connectedness when older can protect against the costs of a hypothetical, directly transmitted endemic pathogen. Assuming no age differences in epidemiological characteristics (susceptibility to, severity and duration of infection), older individuals suffered lower infection costs, which was explained largely because they were less connected in their social networks than younger individuals. This benefit of 'social ageing' depended on epidemiological characteristics and was greatest when infection severity increased with age. When infection duration increased with age, social ageing was beneficial only when pathogen transmissibility was low. Older individuals benefited most from having a lower frequency of interactions (strength) and network embeddedness (closeness) and benefited less from having fewer social partners (degree). Our study provides a first examination of the epidemiology of social ageing, demonstrating the potential for pathogens to influence the evolutionary dynamics of social ageing in natural populations.This article is part of the discussion meeting issue 'Understanding age and society using natural populations'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin R Siracusa
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Melissa A Pavez-Fox
- Department of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK
| | | | - Daniel Phillips
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Michael L Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- School for Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Matthew J Silk
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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2
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Hendrix JG, Robitaille AL, Kusch JM, Webber QMR, Vander Wal E. Faithful pals and familiar locales: differentiating social and spatial site fidelity during reproduction. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20220525. [PMID: 39230451 PMCID: PMC11449207 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0525] [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: 12/22/2023] [Revised: 05/10/2024] [Accepted: 08/06/2024] [Indexed: 09/05/2024] Open
Abstract
Site fidelity-the tendency to reuse familiar spaces-is expected to improve fitness. Familiarity with the local environment is particularly crucial when resource demands or predation risk are high. Consequently, site fidelity often peaks during reproduction when energetic costs are high and offspring are vulnerable. For many species, the environment they experience is not solely a function of geography but also of the social environment. Social fidelity, the selection for familiar social environments, could constitute an independent or parallel strategy to spatial fidelity when considering behaviour at the spatial-social interface. Using global positioning system locations from caribou across Newfoundland, we tested whether females selected calving sites based on proximity to familiar conspecifics, in addition to geographical (spatial) fidelity. These strategies were synergistic, not alternative, and correlated across the population but more variable within individuals. We also tested whether either form of fidelity affected reproductive success. We failed to detect an effect of spatial or social fidelity on reproductive success in this population. Nevertheless, given the association between social and spatial fidelity and the demonstrated fitness consequences of site fidelity in other systems, familiar conspecifics and the potential benefits these social partners provide may be an underappreciated component driving site fidelity.This article is part of the theme issue 'The spatial-social interface: a theoretical and empirical integration'.
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Affiliation(s)
- J G Hendrix
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - A L Robitaille
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - J M Kusch
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Q M R Webber
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario, Canada
| | - E Vander Wal
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland and Labrador, St John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
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3
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Creighton MJ, Lerch BA, Lange EC, Silk JB, Tung J, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Re-evaluating the relationship between female social bonds and infant survival in wild baboons. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.08.20.608854. [PMID: 39229020 PMCID: PMC11370375 DOI: 10.1101/2024.08.20.608854] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 09/05/2024]
Abstract
Over the past few decades studies have provided strong evidence that the robust links between the social environment, health, and survival found in humans also extend to non-human social animals. A number of these studies emphasize the early life origins of these effects. For example, in several social mammals, more socially engaged mothers have infants with higher rates of survival compared to less socially engaged mothers, suggesting that positive maternal social relationships causally improve offspring survival. Here we show that the relationship between infant survival and maternal sociality is confounded by previously underappreciated variation in female social behavior linked to changes in reproductive state and the presence of a live infant. Using data from a population of wild baboons living in the Amboseli basin of Kenya - a population where high levels of maternal sociality have previously been linked to improved infant survival - we find that infant- and reproductive state-dependent changes in female social behavior drive a statistically significant relationship between maternal sociality and infant survival. After accounting for these state-dependent changes in social behavior, maternal sociality is no longer positively associated with infant survival in this population. Our results emphasize the importance of considering multiple explanatory pathways-including third-variable effects-when studying the social determinants of health in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Brian A. Lerch
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, 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
| | - Joan B. Silk
- School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
- Institute for Humans Origins, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke University Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Duke University Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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4
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Torres Borda L, Kelemen Z, Auer U, Jenner F. Video Ethogram of Equine Social Behaviour. Animals (Basel) 2024; 14:1179. [PMID: 38672327 PMCID: PMC11047489 DOI: 10.3390/ani14081179] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/26/2024] [Revised: 03/21/2024] [Accepted: 04/04/2024] [Indexed: 04/28/2024] Open
Abstract
Equine social behaviour studies face challenges stemming from the absence of a comprehensive ethogram with unequivocal standardised definitions and the resulting limits to data comparison across studies. To address these constraints, this ethogram offers researchers a standardised framework, defining thirty-seven distinct equine social behaviours supplemented by video examples for enhanced clarity. These definitions amalgamate insights from existing ethograms and are fine-tuned through meticulous video observations, encompassing contextual cues such as distinguishing between aggressive and playful circling based on ear position and facial expressions and communicative nuances to provide a detailed representation of equine social behaviours. Video recordings complement the standardised definitions by capturing the dynamic flow and sequence of social interactions. By providing a dynamic and detailed representation, videos allow researchers to observe the temporal aspects of behaviour, including the sequence, duration, and rhythm of interactions. These detailed data are crucial for interpreting social behaviours and unravelling the complexities of equine societies. Standardized and video-illustrated definitions of equine social behaviour facilitate clear and consistent communication between researchers, enabling cross-study comparisons regarding the impact of husbandry practices and health conditions on equine social behaviour, which, in turn, can facilitate the assessment and optimisation of management practices and equine welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Torres Borda
- Equine Surgery Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (L.T.B.); (Z.K.)
| | - Zsofia Kelemen
- Equine Surgery Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (L.T.B.); (Z.K.)
| | - Ulrike Auer
- Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive Care Medicine Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Florien Jenner
- Equine Surgery Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria; (L.T.B.); (Z.K.)
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5
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Siracusa ER, Pavez-Fox MA, Negron-Del Valle JE, Phillips D, Platt ML, Snyder-Mackler N, Higham JP, Brent LJN, Silk MJ. Social ageing can protect against infectious disease in a group-living primate. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.03.09.584237. [PMID: 38559098 PMCID: PMC10979879 DOI: 10.1101/2024.03.09.584237] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/04/2024]
Abstract
The benefits of social living are well established, but sociality also comes with costs, including infectious disease risk. This cost-benefit ratio of sociality is expected to change across individuals' lifespans, which may drive changes in social behaviour with age. To explore this idea, we combine data from a group-living primate for which social ageing has been described with epidemiological models to show that having lower social connectedness when older can protect against the costs of a hypothetical, directly transmitted endemic pathogen. Assuming no age differences in epidemiological characteristics (susceptibility to, severity, and duration of infection), older individuals suffered lower infection costs, which was explained largely because they were less connected in their social networks than younger individuals. This benefit of 'social ageing' depended on epidemiological characteristics and was greatest when infection severity increased with age. When infection duration increased with age, social ageing was beneficial only when pathogen transmissibility was low. Older individuals benefited most from having a lower frequency of interactions (strength) and network embeddedness (closeness) and benefited less from having fewer social partners (degree). Our study provides a first examination of the epidemiology of social ageing, demonstrating the potential for pathogens to influence evolutionary dynamics of social ageing in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Erin R. Siracusa
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | | | | | - Daniel Phillips
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Arizona, USA
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
- Department of Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, PA, USA
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Arizona, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Arizona, USA
- School for Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University, Arizona, USA
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, USA
| | - Lauren J. N. Brent
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Matthew J. Silk
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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6
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Szemán K, Végvári Z, Gőri S, Kapocsi I, Székely T, Manning JA. Harem size should be measured by more than the sum of its parts: Phenology-based measurements reveal joint effects of intrinsic and extrinsic factors on a polygamous herbivore under non-stationary climatic conditions. Ecol Evol 2024; 14:e10865. [PMID: 38322007 PMCID: PMC10844713 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.10865] [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: 01/24/2023] [Revised: 09/02/2023] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 02/08/2024] Open
Abstract
Social behaviour is thought to be a major component of survival, reproduction, and resilience of populations. Thus, it is a key component in management and conservation of wild populations. In polygynous breeding species, group size influences the reproductive success of males and females, and hence it is essential to understand the environmental and demographic factors that shape the phenology of group size within populations. Here, we investigate harem size and its determinants using a 15-year dataset of annual harem size phenology-based metrics from a reintroduced population of wild Przewalski horses in Hortobágy National Park, Hungary. From the initial reintroduction of 21 animals in 1997, the population grew to 174 animals in 2012. During that same period, the number of harems increased from three to 23. Despite the 8-fold increase in population size, harem sizes remained stable, and variability among harems within years decreased. The annual phenological cycle of harem size was not consistent over the 15-year period, and the associated annual phenology-based metrics varied differently over the years. The best predictors of our phenology-based harem size metrics were adult sex ratio, annual adult mortality and annual mean number of harems, with some evidence that mean age of harem stallions and drought severity were contributing factors. Our findings reveal that complex interactions between demography, climate, and harem size can emerge in social animals. Taken together, our results demonstrate that intrinsic population processes can regulate group size even in the presence of non-stationary climatic conditions during periods of growth in human-introduced, semi-free ranging animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Karola Szemán
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human BiologyUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
| | - Zsolt Végvári
- Centre for Ecological ResearchInstitute of Aquatic EcologyBudapestHungary
- Senckenberg Deutsches Entomologisches InstitutMunchebergGermany
| | - Szilvia Gőri
- Hortobágy National Park DirectorateDebrecenHungary
| | | | - Tamás Székely
- Department of Evolutionary Zoology and Human BiologyUniversity of DebrecenDebrecenHungary
- Milner Centre of EvolutionUniversity of BathBathUK
| | - Jeffrey A. Manning
- School of the Environment, Washington State UniversityPullmanWashingtonUSA
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7
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Hakataya S, Katsu N, Okanoya K, Toya G. An exploratory study of behavioral traits and the establishment of social relationships in female laboratory rats. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0295280. [PMID: 38048339 PMCID: PMC10695365 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0295280] [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: 08/25/2023] [Accepted: 11/18/2023] [Indexed: 12/06/2023] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence that social relationships influence individual fitness through various effects. Clarifying individual differences in social interaction patterns and determinants for such differences will lead to better understanding of sociality and its fitness consequences for animals. Behavioral traits are considered one of the determining factors of social interaction. The purpose of this study was to explore the effects of individual behavioral traits on social relationship building in laboratory rats (Rattus norvegicus), a highly social species. Initially, the following behavioral characteristics were measured in individuals: tameness (glove test), activity (open field test), exploration (novel object test), sociability (three-chamber test), and boldness (elevated plus maze test). We then used DeepLabCut to behaviorally track three groups of four individuals (12 total) and analyze social behaviors such as approach and avoidance behaviors. Principal component analysis based on behavioral test results detected behavioral traits interpreted as related to exploration, boldness, activity, and tameness, but not sociability. In addition, behavioral tracking results showed consistent individual differences in social behavior indices such as isolation time and partner preference. Furthermore, we found that different components were correlated with different phases of social behavior; exploration and boldness were associated with the early stages of group formation, whereas activity was associated with later stages of relationship building. From these results, we derived hypothesize that personality traits related to the physical and social environment have a larger influence in the relationship formation phase, and the behavioral trait of activity becomes important in the maintenance phase of relationships. Future studies should examine this hypothesis by testing larger group sizes and ensuring there is less bias introduced into group composition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shiomi Hakataya
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan
- Japan Society for the Promotion of Science, Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Noriko Katsu
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Osaka, Japan
| | - Kazuo Okanoya
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Genta Toya
- Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Meguro, Tokyo, Japan
- Advanced Comprehensive Research Organization, Teikyo University, Itabashi, Tokyo, Japan
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8
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Smit N, Dezeure J, Sauvadet L, Huchard E, Charpentier MJ. Socially bonded females face more sexual coercion in a female-philopatric primate. iScience 2023; 26:107358. [PMID: 37766985 PMCID: PMC10520811 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.107358] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/19/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 07/07/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Sexual coercion is a manifestation of sexual conflict increasing male mating success while inflicting costs to females. Although previous work has examined inter-individual variation in male sexually coercive tactics, little is known about female counter-strategies. We investigated whether social bonding mitigates the extent of sexual coercion faced by female mandrills (Mandrillus sphinx), as a putative mechanism linking sociality to fitness. Surprisingly, females faced the most coercion from those males with whom they formed the strongest bonds, while the strength of a female-male bond was also positively correlated with coercion from all other males. Finally, greater social integration in the female network was positively correlated with coercion, through a direct 'public exposure' mechanism and not mediated by female reproductive success or retaliation potential. Altogether, this study shows that neither between- nor within-sex bonds are protective against sexual coercion and identifies, instead, a hidden cost of social bonding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikolaos Smit
- Institute of Evolutionary Sciences of Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | | | | | - Elise Huchard
- Institute of Evolutionary Sciences of Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Marie J.E. Charpentier
- Institute of Evolutionary Sciences of Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Bücklestrasse 5, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
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9
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Rafferty G, Brar G, Petrut M, Meagher D, O'Connell H, St John-Smith P. Banging the drum: evolutionary and cultural origins of music and its implications for psychiatry. BJPsych Bull 2023; 47:251-254. [PMID: 37313980 PMCID: PMC10764840 DOI: 10.1192/bjb.2023.44] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2023] [Accepted: 04/23/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023] Open
Abstract
SUMMARY There is growing interest in music-based therapies for mental/behavioural disorders. We begin by reviewing the evolutionary and cultural origins of music, proceeding then to discuss the principles of evolutionary psychiatry, itself a growing a field, and how it may apply to music. Finally we offer some implications for the role of music and music-based therapies in clinical practice.
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10
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Saito M, Matsunaga M, Fukuizumi H, Nakamichi M, Kinoshita K. Factors affecting captive female giraffe stress response: Male presence, small enclosure, and low temperature. Zoo Biol 2023; 42:632-643. [PMID: 37154219 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21774] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 02/26/2023] [Accepted: 04/21/2023] [Indexed: 05/10/2023]
Abstract
To improve animal welfare based on suitable social housing conditions, it is important to understand the factors that trigger high-stress responses. Wild giraffes live in a fission-fusion society and males and females are rarely in the same herd for a long period. The captive condition of belonging to a herd with the same individuals for months or years is uncommon in nature. To understand the effect of male presence on female stress levels, fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) levels and social interactions in two captive female giraffes were investigated. Additionally, the effect of enclosure size and temperature on fGCM level and social interactions were examined. The results showed no significant difference in the fGCM levels of females based on male presence. The frequency of agonistic behavior by the dominant female toward the subordinate female was significantly increased when a male was present. The subordinate female was significantly less likely to approach the dominant female and showed decreased affiliative and agonistic interactions toward the dominant female when a male was present. The frequencies of agonistic interactions between females were higher in the small enclosure regardless of male presence. Low temperature triggered higher fGCM levels and increased agonistic interaction in an aged female. The findings of this study suggest that these multiple factors should be considered individually to promote the welfare of captive giraffes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Miho Saito
- Graduate School of Asian and African Area Studies, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Kyoto City Zoo, Kyoto, Japan
- Graduate School of Human Sciences, Osaka University, Suita, Japan
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11
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Thompson González N, Machanda Z, Emery Thompson M. Age-related social selectivity: An adaptive lens on a later life social phenotype. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105294. [PMID: 37380041 PMCID: PMC10529433 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 06/19/2023] [Accepted: 06/21/2023] [Indexed: 06/30/2023]
Abstract
Age-related social selectivity is a process in which older humans reduce their number of social partners to a subset of positive and emotionally fulfilling relationships. Although selectivity has been attributed to humans' unique perceptions of time horizons, recent evidence demonstrates that these social patterns and processes occur in other non-human primates, suggesting an evolutionarily wider phenomenon. Here, we develop the hypothesis that selective social behavior is an adaptive strategy that allows social animals to balance the costs and benefits of navigating social environments in the face of age-related functional declines. We first aim to distinguish social selectivity from the non-adaptive social consequences of aging. We then outline multiple mechanisms by which social selectivity in old age may enhance fitness and healthspan. Our goal is to lay out a research agenda to identify selective strategies and their potential benefits. Given the importance of social support for health across primates, understanding why aging individuals lose social connections and how they can remain resilient has vital applications to public health research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicole Thompson González
- Integrative Anthropological Sciences, University of California Santa Barbara, Santa Barbara, CA 93106, USA
| | - Zarin Machanda
- Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, Medford, MA 02155, USA
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12
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Krueger K, Gruentjens T, Hempel E. Wolf contact in horses at permanent pasture in Germany. PLoS One 2023; 18:e0289767. [PMID: 37561797 PMCID: PMC10414631 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0289767] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/10/2023] [Accepted: 07/25/2023] [Indexed: 08/12/2023] Open
Abstract
Wolves returned to Germany in 2000, leading to fear in German horse owners that their horses could be in danger of wolf attacks or panic-like escapes from pastures when sighting wolves. However, reports from southern European countries indicate that wolf predation on horses diminishes with increasing presence of wildlife. Therefore, we conducted a long-term, filed observation between January 2015 and July 2022 on 13 non breeding riding horses, mares and geldings, kept permanently on two pastures within the range of wildlife and a stable wolf pack with annual offspring. Wildlife cameras at the fences of the pastures made 984 times recordings of wolves and 3151 times recordings of wildlife in and around the pastures. Between 1 January 2022 and 23 March 2022 we observed two stable horse groups. Pasture 1 was grazed by five horses of mixed breed, four mares and one gelding, with the median age of 8 years (min. = 6y, max. = 29y). Pasture 2 was grazed by eight heavy warmbloods and draught horses, three mares and five geldings, with the median age of 16 years (min. = 13y, max. = 22y). During this period no wolf was recorded at pasture 2, but wild boar several times, whereas at pasture 1, wolves were recorded 89 times, and for the wildlife mostly hare. Wolves may have avoided pasture 2 because of the presence of wild boar or because the large group of older, heavy breed horses may have formed a stable, protective group. The latter needs to be confirmed in a follow-up field observation, which records anti-predator behavior and welfare indicators in horses. In conclusion, wolves did not attack the mature horses on pastures with plenty of wildlife and the horses did not respond to the presence of wolves with visible signs of reduced welfare or panic. This indicates that wolves may prefer to prey on easily accessible wildlife around and at horse pastures and that Central European horses become accustom to the presence of non-hunting wolves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Konstanze Krueger
- Department of Equine Economics, Faculty of Agriculture, Economics and Management, Nuertingen-Geislingen University, Nürtingen, Germany
| | - Theo Gruentjens
- Association for the Promotion of Research on Horses and Wolves (VFWPW), Former AK Pferd & Wolf Until 2020, Verden, Lower Saxony, Germany
| | - Enno Hempel
- Association for the Promotion of Research on Horses and Wolves (VFWPW), Former AK Pferd & Wolf Until 2020, Verden, Lower Saxony, Germany
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13
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Dunbar RIM, Shultz S. Four errors and a fallacy: pitfalls for the unwary in comparative brain analyses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2023; 98:1278-1309. [PMID: 37001905 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12953] [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: 09/09/2022] [Revised: 03/17/2023] [Accepted: 03/17/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
Abstract
Comparative analyses are the backbone of evolutionary analysis. However, their record in producing a consensus has not always been good. This is especially true of attempts to understand the factors responsible for the evolution of large brains, which have been embroiled in an increasingly polarised debate over the past three decades. We argue that most of these disputes arise from a number of conceptual errors and associated logical fallacies that are the result of a failure to adopt a biological systems-based approach to hypothesis-testing. We identify four principal classes of error: a failure to heed Tinbergen's Four Questions when testing biological hypotheses, misapplying Dobzhansky's Dictum when testing hypotheses of evolutionary adaptation, poorly chosen behavioural proxies for underlying hypotheses, and the use of inappropriate statistical methods. In the interests of progress, we urge a more careful and considered approach to comparative analyses, and the adoption of a broader, rather than a narrower, taxonomic perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Robin I M Dunbar
- Department of Experimental Psychology, Anna Watts Building, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX2 6GG, UK
| | - Susanne Shultz
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Michael Smith Building, University of Manchester, Manchester, M13 9PT, UK
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14
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McLean EM, Moorad JA, Tung J, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Genetic variance and indirect genetic effects for affiliative social behavior in a wild primate. Evolution 2023; 77:1607-1621. [PMID: 37094802 PMCID: PMC10309972 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Affiliative social behaviors are linked to fitness components in multiple species. However, the role of genetic variance in shaping such behaviors remains largely unknown, limiting our understanding of how affiliative behaviors can respond to natural selection. Here, we employed the "animal model" to estimate environmental and genetic sources of variance and covariance in grooming behavior in the well-studied Amboseli wild baboon population. We found that the tendency for a female baboon to groom others ("grooming given") is heritable (h2 = 0.22 ± 0.048), and that several environmental variables-including dominance rank and the availability of kin as grooming partners-contribute to variance in this grooming behavior. We also detected small but measurable variance due to the indirect genetic effect of partner identity on the amount of grooming given within dyadic grooming partnerships. The indirect and direct genetic effects for grooming given were positively correlated (r = 0.74 ± 0.09). Our results provide insight into the evolvability of affiliative behavior in wild animals, including the possibility for correlations between direct and indirect genetic effects to accelerate the response to selection. As such they provide novel information about the genetic architecture of social behavior in nature, with important implications for the evolution of cooperation and reciprocity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M McLean
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Oxford College, Emory University, Oxford, GA, United States
| | - Jacob A Moorad
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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15
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Soben C, Llorente M, Villariezo P, Liebal K, Amici F. Maternal Investment Fosters Male but Not Female Social Interactions with Other Group Members in Immature Wild Spider Monkeys ( Ateles geoffroyi). Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:1802. [PMID: 37889718 PMCID: PMC10251948 DOI: 10.3390/ani13111802] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/16/2023] [Revised: 05/23/2023] [Accepted: 05/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
In several species, individuals form long-lasting social relationships with other group members, which provide them with important fitness benefits. In primates, patterns of social relationships are known to differ between sexes, but little is known about how these differences emerge through development or the role that mothers might have in this process. Here, we investigated how sex differences in social behaviour emerge during the first six years of primate life and how sex-biased maternal investment can foster immatures' social development and social interaction with other group members. For this purpose, we observed 20 males and females aged between zero and six years in a wild group of spider monkeys (Ateles geoffroyi) that was male-philopatric and, therefore, expected to show sex-biased maternal investment. Our results showed no sex difference in the social development of offspring with regards to body contact and grooming, but the probability of play was rather constant throughout age for females, whereas, for males, it became higher than females around two years of age, peaking between three and four years of age. Moreover, we found differences between female and male immatures in the importance of maternal investment (which included the time mothers spent nursing, carrying, grooming, touching and playing with their offspring) for their social integration in the natal group. In particular, maternal investment increased the probability of playing with other group members for sons, but not for daughters. Our findings suggest that mothers, through sex-biased maternal investment, might have a crucial function in the social development of spider monkeys, fostering the abilities that young offspring need to thrive as adults. By shedding light on maternal investment and social development in a still understudied primate species, these findings contribute to understanding the evolutionary roots of human maternal care and social development.
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Affiliation(s)
- Carolina Soben
- Fundació UdG: Innovació i Formació, Universitat de Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Miquel Llorente
- Fundació UdG: Innovació i Formació, Universitat de Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
- Departament de Psicologia, Facultat d’Educació i Psicologia, Universitat de Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Paula Villariezo
- Fundació UdG: Innovació i Formació, Universitat de Girona, 17003 Girona, Spain
| | - Katja Liebal
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Life Science, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Federica Amici
- Institute of Biology, Faculty of Life Science, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max-Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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16
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Dunning J, Burke T, Hoi Hang Chan A, Ying Janet Chik H, Evans T, Schroeder J. Opposite-sex associations are linked with annual fitness, but sociality is stable over lifetime. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:315-324. [PMID: 37192923 PMCID: PMC10183206 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal sociality, an individual's propensity to associate with others, has fitness consequences through mate choice, for example, directly, by increasing the pool of prospective partners, and indirectly through increased survival, and individuals benefit from both. Annually, fitness consequences are realized through increased mating success and subsequent fecundity. However, it remains unknown whether these consequences translate to lifetime fitness. Here, we quantified social associations and their link to fitness annually and over lifetime, using a multi-generational, genetic pedigree. We used social network analysis to calculate variables representing different aspects of an individual's sociality. Sociality showed high within-individual repeatability. We found that birds with more opposite-sex associates had higher annual fitness than those with fewer, but this did not translate to lifetime fitness. Instead, for lifetime fitness, we found evidence for stabilizing selection on opposite-sex sociality, and sociality in general, suggesting that reported benefits are only short-lived in a wild population, and that selection favors an average sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Dunning
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Terry Burke
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, UK
| | - Alex Hoi Hang Chan
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, UK
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Germany
- Max Plank Institute of Animal Behaviour, Germany
| | - Heung Ying Janet Chik
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Netherlands
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia
| | - Tim Evans
- Center for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, UK
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17
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Torres Borda L, Auer U, Jenner F. Equine Social Behaviour: Love, War and Tolerance. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13091473. [PMID: 37174510 PMCID: PMC10177386 DOI: 10.3390/ani13091473] [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: 03/29/2023] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 04/19/2023] [Indexed: 05/15/2023] Open
Abstract
Sociality is an ethological need of horses that remained unchanged by domestication. Accordingly, it is essential to include horses' social behavioural requirements and the opportunity to establish stable affiliative bonds in equine management systems and welfare assessment. Thus, this systematic review aims to provide an up-to-date analysis of equine intraspecific social ethograms. A literature review yielded 27 papers that met the inclusion criteria by studying adult (≥2 years) equine social behaviour with conspecifics using a well-defined ethogram. Social interactions were observed in 851 horses: 320 (semi-)feral free-ranging, 62 enclosed (semi-)feral and 469 domesticated, living in groups averaging 9.1 (mean +/- 6.8 s.d., range: 2-33) horses. The ethograms detailed in these 27 studies included a total of 40 (mean: 12.8/paper, range: 2-23) social behaviours, of which 60% (24/40) were agonistic, 30% (12/40) affiliative, 7.5% (3/40) investigative and 2.5% (1/40) neutral. The 27 publications included 67.7% agonistic and only 26% affiliative, 5.1% investigative and 1.2% neutral social behaviours in their methodology, thus focusing predominantly on socio-negative interactions. The strong emphasis on agonistic behaviours in equine ethology starkly contrasts with the rare occurrence of agonistic behaviours in stable horse groups and the well-established importance of affiliative interactions for equine welfare. The nuanced and complex equine social behaviour requires refinement of the ethogram with a greater focus on affiliative, ambivalent and indifferent interactions and the role of social tolerance in equine social networks to advance equine welfare assessment.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura Torres Borda
- Equine Surgery Unit, University Equine Hospital, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Ulrike Auer
- Anaesthesiology and Perioperative Intensive Care Medicine Unit, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
| | - Florien Jenner
- Equine Surgery Unit, University Equine Hospital, Department of Companion Animals and Horses, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210 Vienna, Austria
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18
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Caicoya AL, Schaffer A, Holland R, von Fersen L, Colell M, Amici F. Innovation across 13 ungulate species: problem solvers are less integrated in the social group and less neophobic. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20222384. [PMID: 37015274 PMCID: PMC10072937 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.2384] [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: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 03/13/2023] [Indexed: 04/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Innovation is the ability to solve new problems or find novel solutions to familiar problems, and it is known to provide animals with crucial fitness benefits. Although this ability has been extensively studied in some taxa, the factors that predict innovation within and across species are still largely unclear. In this study, we used a novel foraging task to test 111 individuals belonging to 13 ungulate species-a still understudied taxon. To solve the task, individuals had to open transparent and opaque cups with food rewards, by removing their cover. We assessed whether individual factors (neophobia, social integration, sex, age, rank) and socio-ecological factors (dietary breadth, fission-fusion dynamics, domestication, group size) predicted participation and performance in the task. Using a phylogenetic approach, we showed that success was higher for less neophobic and socially less integrated individuals. Moreover, less neophobic individuals, individuals of domesticated species and having higher fission-fusion dynamics were more likely to participate in the task. These results are in line with recent literature suggesting a central role of sociality and personality traits to successfully deal with novel challenges, and confirm ungulates as a promising taxon to test evolutionary theories with a comparative approach.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alvaro L. Caicoya
- Department of Clinical Psychology and Psychobiology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Barcelona, 08007 Barcelona, Spain
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, 08021 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Alina Schaffer
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Zoo Leipzig, 04015 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Ruben Holland
- Research Group Human Biology and Primate Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Lorenzo von Fersen
- Department of Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Montserrat Colell
- Institute of Neurosciences, University of Barcelona, 08021 Barcelona, Spain
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Federica Amici
- Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Nuremberg Zoo, 90480 Nuremberg, Germany
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19
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Christensen C, Bracken AM, O'Riain MJ, Fehlmann G, Holton M, Hopkins P, King AJ, Fürtbauer I. Quantifying allo-grooming in wild chacma baboons ( Papio ursinus) using tri-axial acceleration data and machine learning. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:221103. [PMID: 37063984 PMCID: PMC10090879 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.221103] [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: 09/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 06/19/2023]
Abstract
Quantification of activity budgets is pivotal for understanding how animals respond to changes in their environment. Social grooming is a key activity that underpins various social processes with consequences for health and fitness. Traditional methods use direct (focal) observations to calculate grooming rates, providing systematic but sparse data. Accelerometers, in contrast, can quantify activity budgets continuously but have not been used to quantify social grooming. We test whether grooming can be accurately identified using machine learning (random forest model) trained on labelled acceleration data from wild chacma baboons (Papio ursinus). We successfully identified giving and receiving grooming with high precision (81% and 91%) and recall (87% and 79%). Giving grooming was associated with a distinct rhythmical signal along the surge axis. Receiving grooming had similar acceleration signals to resting, and thus was more difficult to assign. We applied our machine learning model to n = 680 collar data days from n = 12 baboons and found that grooming rates obtained from accelerometers were significantly and positively correlated with direct observation rates for giving but not receiving grooming. The ability to collect continuous grooming data in wild populations will allow researchers to re-examine and expand upon long-standing questions regarding the formation and function of grooming bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Christensen
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Science, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Anna M. Bracken
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
- School of Biodiversity, One Health and Veterinary Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow G12 8QQ, UK
| | - M. Justin O'Riain
- Institute for Communities and Wildlife in Africa, Department of Biological Science, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, South Africa
| | - Gaëlle Fehlmann
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Mark Holton
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Phillip Hopkins
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Andrew J. King
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
| | - Ines Fürtbauer
- Faculty of Science and Engineering, Swansea University, Swansea SA2 8PP, UK
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20
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Górecka-Bruzda A, Jaworska J, Stanley CR. The Social and Reproductive Challenges Faced by Free-Roaming Horse (Equus caballus) Stallions. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:ani13071151. [PMID: 37048406 PMCID: PMC10093049 DOI: 10.3390/ani13071151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/18/2023] [Revised: 03/10/2023] [Accepted: 03/22/2023] [Indexed: 03/30/2023] Open
Abstract
In captivity, intact male horses, due to their sexual drive, are usually socially isolated from other horses. This lifestyle strongly contrasts with that experienced by horses living in free-roaming, feral, or semi-feral conditions, where adult stallions have several roles in their social group, with successful reproduction being their primary drive. Reproductive skew in wild populations is high; many stallions will fail to reproduce at all, while others achieve high levels of reproductive success, siring a large number of foals. Successful stallions are those with particular characteristics and abilities that facilitate harem formation and tenure, allowing them to successfully take over a harem or establish a new one, protect mares from rival stallions, employ appropriate social behaviour to maintain group cohesion, and avoid kin-mating, for example through kin recognition mechanisms. Whilst the life of free-living stallions is far from stress-free, they retain ancestral adaptations to selection pressures (such as predation and competition) exhibited by their natural environment over thousands of years. Here, we discuss the challenges faced by free-living horse stallions, the roles they play in social groups, and their resulting social needs. By understanding these pressures and how stallions react to them, we highlighted the importance of the social environment for the stallion. It is hoped that a better understanding of wild stallions’ lives will lead to their needs being more clearly met in captivity, reducing stereotypical behaviour and improving welfare.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aleksandra Górecka-Bruzda
- Department of Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Institute of Genetics and Animal Biotechnology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 05-552 Magdalenka, Poland
- Correspondence: ; Tel.: +48-22-736-71-24
| | - Joanna Jaworska
- Institute of Animal Reproduction and Food Research, Polish Academy of Sciences, Department of Gamete and Embryo Biology, 10-243 Olsztyn, Poland
| | - Christina R. Stanley
- Animal Behaviour & Welfare Research Group, Department of Biological Sciences, University of Chester, Chester CH1 4B, UK
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21
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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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22
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Show me your best side: Lateralization of social and resting behaviors in feral horses. Behav Processes 2023; 206:104839. [PMID: 36736386 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104839] [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: 07/14/2022] [Revised: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/27/2023] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Growing evidence shows a variety of sensorial and motor asymmetries in social and non-social interactions in various species, indicating a lateralized processing of information by the brain. Using digital video cameras on tripods and drones, this study investigated lateralization in frequency and duration of social behavior patterns, in affiliative, agonistic, and resting contexts, in a feral population of horses (Equus ferus caballus) in Northern Portugal, consisting of 37 individuals organized in eight harem groups. Affiliative interactions (including grooming) were more often performed, and lasted longer, when recipients were positioned to the right side. In recumbent resting (animals lying down) episodes on the left side lasted longer. Our results of an affiliative behavior having a right side tendency, provide partial support to the valence-specific hypothesis of Ahern and Schwartz (1979) - left hemisphere dominance for positive affect, affiliative behaviors. Longer recumbent resting episodes on the left side may be due to synchronization. However, in both instances it is discussed how lateralization may be context dependent. Investigating the position asymmetries of social behaviors in feral equids will contribute to a better understanding of differential lateralization and hemispheric specialization from the ecological and evolutionary perspectives.
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23
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Zhu P, Liu W, Zhang X, Li M, Liu G, Yu Y, Li Z, Li X, Du J, Wang X, Grueter CC, Li M, Zhou X. Correlated evolution of social organization and lifespan in mammals. Nat Commun 2023; 14:372. [PMID: 36720880 PMCID: PMC9889386 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-023-35869-7] [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: 05/09/2022] [Accepted: 01/05/2023] [Indexed: 02/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Discerning the relationship between sociality and longevity would permit a deeper understanding of how animal life history evolved. Here, we perform a phylogenetic comparative analysis of ~1000 mammalian species on three states of social organization (solitary, pair-living, and group-living) and longevity. We show that group-living species generally live longer than solitary species, and that the transition rate from a short-lived state to a long-lived state is higher in group-living than non-group-living species, altogether supporting the correlated evolution of social organization and longevity. The comparative brain transcriptomes of 94 mammalian species identify 31 genes, hormones and immunity-related pathways broadly involved in the association between social organization and longevity. Further selection features reveal twenty overlapping pathways under selection for both social organization and longevity. These results underscore a molecular basis for the influence of the social organization on longevity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pingfen Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Weiqiang Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiaoxiao Zhang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Meng Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Gaoming Liu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Yang Yu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China.,Division of Life Sciences and Medicine, University of Science and Technology of China, Hefei, 230026, China
| | - Zihao Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xuanjing Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Juan Du
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100049, China
| | - Xiao Wang
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China
| | - Cyril C Grueter
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia.,Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA, 6009, Australia.,International Center of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan, 671003, China
| | - Ming Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China. .,Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China.
| | - Xuming Zhou
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Beijing, 100101, China.
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24
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Young C, Robbins MM. Association patterns of female gorillas. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210429. [PMID: 36440560 PMCID: PMC9703218 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0429] [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: 02/28/2022] [Accepted: 08/09/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Social interactions ultimately impact health and fitness in gregarious mammals. However, research focusing on the strength of affiliative interactions has primarily been conducted on female philopatric species. Gorillas provide an interesting counterpoint to previous research as females emigrate multiple times throughout their lives. We compare female-female association strength, duration and consistency in wild mountain (Gorilla beringei beringei) and western gorillas (Gorilla gorilla gorilla). Additionally, we examine whether the alpha male influences female association strength and if these associations are an artefact of both females concurrently in spatial proximity of the alpha male. In this between-species comparison, female gorillas had differentiated association patterns that were consistent on average for 2 years. The alpha males did not influence female association strength, with associations being similar in his presence or absence. Finally, we found more variability in association patterns among mountain gorillas with higher average association scores and higher proportion of 'preferred associates' than western gorillas. The rare dispersal pattern in the Gorilla genus may lead to greater flexibility in female association patterns than in species exhibiting female philopatry and strong kinship bonds. This may echo ancestral human society and provide new evidence to help us understand the evolution of modern human society. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher Young
- Department of Psychology, Nottingham Trent University, Nottingham NG1 4FQ, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Martha M. Robbins
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
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25
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Martin JS, Jaeggi AV, Koski SE. The social evolution of individual differences: Future directions for a comparative science of personality in social behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104980. [PMID: 36463970 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104980] [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: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Personality is essential for understanding the evolution of cooperation and conflict in behavior. However, personality science remains disconnected from the field of social evolution, limiting our ability to explain how personality and plasticity shape phenotypic adaptation in social behavior. Researchers also lack an integrative framework for comparing personality in the contextualized and multifaceted behaviors central to social interactions among humans and other animals. Here we address these challenges by developing a social evolutionary approach to personality, synthesizing theory, methods, and organizing questions in the study of individuality and sociality in behavior. We critically review current measurement practices and introduce social reaction norm models for comparative research on the evolution of personality in social environments. These models demonstrate that social plasticity affects the heritable variance of personality, and that individual differences in social plasticity can further modify the rate and direction of adaptive social evolution. Future empirical studies of frequency- and density-dependent social selection on personality are crucial for further developing this framework and testing adaptive theory of social niche specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan S Martin
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Adrian V Jaeggi
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Sonja E Koski
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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26
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Harvey AM, Ramp D, Mellor DJ. Review of the Foundational Knowledge Required for Assessing Horse Welfare. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:3385. [PMID: 36496906 PMCID: PMC9736110 DOI: 10.3390/ani12233385] [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: 10/18/2022] [Revised: 11/18/2022] [Accepted: 11/26/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022] Open
Abstract
A detailed understanding of what is usual for a species under optimal conditions is critical for identifying and interpreting different features of body function that have known impacts on animal welfare and its assessment. When applying the Five Domains Model to assess animal welfare, the key starting point is therefore to acquire extensive species-specific knowledge relevant to each of the four physical/functional Domains of the Model. These Domains, 1 to 4, address areas where objective information is evaluated and collated. They are: (1) Nutrition; (2) Physical environment; (3) Health; and (4) Behavioural interactions. It is on the basis of this detailed knowledge that cautious inferences can then be made about welfare-relevant mental experiences animals may have, aligned with Domain 5, Mental State. However, this review is focused entirely on the first four Domains in order to provide a novel holistic framework to collate the multidisciplinary knowledge of horses required for undertaking comprehensive welfare assessments. Thus, inferring the potential mental experiences aligned with Domain 5, the final step in model-based welfare assessments, is not considered here. Finally, providing extensive information on free-roaming horses enables a better understanding of the impacts of human interventions on the welfare of horses in both free-roaming and domestic situations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrea M. Harvey
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - Daniel Ramp
- Centre for Compassionate Conservation, TD School, University of Technology Sydney, Ultimo, NSW 2007, Australia
| | - David J. Mellor
- Animal Welfare Science and Bioethics Centre, School of Veterinary Science, Massey University, Palmerston North 4442, New Zealand
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27
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Scott SE, Cain B, de Kort SR, Johnson B, Khayale C, Versteege L, Bettridge CM. Group composition impacts reproductive output and population viability in captive white rhinoceros. Anim Conserv 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12833] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. E. Scott
- Department of Natural Sciences, Ecology and Environment Research Centre Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
- Joint Nature Conservation Committee Aberdeen UK
| | - B. Cain
- Department of Natural Sciences, Ecology and Environment Research Centre Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
| | - S. R. de Kort
- Department of Natural Sciences, Ecology and Environment Research Centre Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
| | | | | | - L. Versteege
- Safaripark Beekse Bergen Hilvarenbeek The Netherlands
| | - C. M. Bettridge
- Department of Natural Sciences, Ecology and Environment Research Centre Manchester Metropolitan University Manchester UK
- School of Natural Sciences Bangor University Bangor UK
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28
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Marfurt SM, Allen SJ, Bizzozzero MR, Willems EP, King SL, Connor RC, Kopps AM, Wild S, Gerber L, Wittwer S, Krützen M. Association patterns and community structure among female bottlenose dolphins: environmental, genetic and cultural factors. Mamm Biol 2022; 102:1373-1387. [PMID: 36998433 PMCID: PMC10040398 DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00259-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2021] [Accepted: 05/16/2022] [Indexed: 11/06/2022]
Abstract
AbstractSocial structuring from assortative associations may affect individual fitness, as well as population-level processes. Gaining a broader understanding of social structure can improve our knowledge of social evolution and inform wildlife conservation. We investigated association patterns and community structure of female Indo-Pacific bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) in Shark Bay, Western Australia, assessing the role of kinship, shared culturally transmitted foraging techniques, and habitat similarity based on water depth. Our results indicated that associations are influenced by a combination of uni- and biparental relatedness, cultural behaviour and habitat similarity, as these were positively correlated with a measure of dyadic association. These findings were matched in a community level analysis. Members of the same communities overwhelmingly shared the same habitat and foraging techniques, demonstrating a strong homophilic tendency. Both uni- and biparental relatedness between dyads were higher within than between communities. Our results illustrate that intraspecific variation in sociality in bottlenose dolphins is influenced by a complex combination of genetic, cultural, and environmental aspects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Svenja M. Marfurt
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simon J. Allen
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009 Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | - Manuela R. Bizzozzero
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Erik P. Willems
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie L. King
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009 Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ UK
| | | | - Anna M. Kopps
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Sonja Wild
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78464 Constance, Germany
| | - Livia Gerber
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052 Australia
| | - Samuel Wittwer
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Krützen
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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29
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Not just for males: flehmen as a tool for detection of reproductive status and individual recognition across sexes in four African equid species. Behav Processes 2022; 203:104773. [DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104773] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/09/2021] [Revised: 10/21/2022] [Accepted: 10/24/2022] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
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Shultz S, Dunbar RIM. Socioecological complexity in primate groups and its cognitive correlates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210296. [PMID: 35934968 PMCID: PMC9358314 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/24/2021] [Accepted: 04/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Characterizing non-human primate social complexity and its cognitive bases has proved challenging. Using principal component analyses, we show that primate social, ecological and reproductive behaviours condense into two components: socioecological complexity (including most social and ecological variables) and reproductive cooperation (comprising mainly a suite of behaviours associated with pairbonded monogamy). We contextualize these results using a meta-analysis of 44 published analyses of primate brain evolution. These studies yield two main consistent results: cognition, sociality and cooperative behaviours are associated with absolute brain volume, neocortex size and neocortex ratio, whereas diet composition and life history are consistently associated with relative brain size. We use a path analysis to evaluate the causal relationships among these variables, demonstrating that social group size is predicted by the neocortex, whereas ecological traits are predicted by the volume of brain structures other than the neocortex. That a range of social and technical behaviours covary, and are correlated with social group size and brain size, suggests that primate cognition has evolved along a continuum resulting in an increasingly flexible, domain-general capacity to solve a range of socioecological challenges culminating in a capacity for, and reliance on, innovation and social information use in the great apes and humans. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cognition, communication and social bonds in primates'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Susanne Shultz
- Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
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31
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Khan I, Cañamero L. The Long-Term Efficacy of "Social Buffering" in Artificial Social Agents: Contextual Affective Perception Matters. Front Robot AI 2022; 9:699573. [PMID: 36185976 PMCID: PMC9520257 DOI: 10.3389/frobt.2022.699573] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/23/2021] [Accepted: 04/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
In dynamic (social) environments, an affective state of "stress" can be adaptive and promote agent wellbeing, but maladaptive if not appropriately regulated. The presence of (and interactions with) affect-based social support has been hypothesised to provide mechanisms to regulate stress (the "social buffering" hypothesis), though the precise, underlying mechanisms are still unclear. However, the hormone oxytocin has been implicated in mediating these effects in at least two ways: by improving social appraisals and reducing the short-term release of stress hormones (i.e., cortisol), and adapting an agent's long-term stress tolerance. These effects likely facilitate an agent's long-term adaptive ability by grounding their physiological and behavioural adaptation in the (affective) social environment, though these effects also appear to be context-dependent. In this paper, we investigate whether two of the hypothesised hormonal mechanisms that underpin the "social buffering" phenomenon affect the long-term wellbeing of (artificial) social agents who share affective social bonds, across numerous social and physical environmental contexts. Building on previous findings, we hypothesise that "social buffering" effects can improve the long-term wellbeing of agents who share affective social bonds in dynamic environments, through regular prosocial interactions with social bond partners. We model some of the effects associated with oxytocin and cortisol that underpin these hypothesised mechanisms in our biologically-inspired, socially-adaptive agent model, and conduct our investigation in a small society of artificial agents whose goal is to survive in challenging environments. Our results find that, while stress can be adaptive and regulated through affective social support, long-term behavioural and physiological adaptation is determined by the contextual perception of affective social bonds, which is influenced by early-stage interactions between affective social bond partners as well as the degree of the physical and social challenges. We also show how these low-level effects associated with oxytocin and cortisol can be used as "biomarkers" of social support and environmental stress. For socially-situated artificial agents, we suggest that these "social buffering" mechanisms can adapt the (adaptive) stress mechanisms, but that the long-term efficacy of this adaptation is related to the temporal dynamics of social interactions and the contextual perception of the affective social and physical environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Imran Khan
- Embodied Emotion, Cognition, and (Inter-)Action Lab, School of Physics, Engineering, and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, United Kingdom
| | - Lola Cañamero
- Embodied Emotion, Cognition, and (Inter-)Action Lab, School of Physics, Engineering, and Computer Science, University of Hertfordshire, College Lane, Hatfield, United Kingdom
- ETIS Lab, CY Cergy Paris University—ENSEA—CNRS UMR8051, Cergy, France
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32
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Social responses to the natural loss of individuals in Barbary macaques. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00283-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/14/2022]
Abstract
AbstractIn recent years, there has been considerable interest in investigating how animal social structure is affected by the loss of individuals. This is often achieved using simulations that generate predictions regarding how the removal of ‘key’ individuals from a group affects network structure. However, little is known about the effects of such removals in wild and free-ranging populations, particularly the extent to which naturally occurring mortality events and the loss of a large proportion of individuals from a social group affects the overall structure of a social network. Here, we used data from a population of wild Barbary macaques (Macaca sylvanus) that was exposed to an exceptionally harsh winter, culminating in the death of 64% of the adults from two groups. We analysed how social interaction patterns among surviving individuals were affected by the natural loss of group members using social networks based on affiliative (i.e., grooming) and aggressive social interactions. We show that only the structure of the pre-decline grooming networks was conserved in the post-decline networks, suggesting that grooming, but not aggression networks are resilient against the loss of group members. Surviving group members were not significantly different from the non-survivors in terms of their affiliative and agonistic relationships, and did not form assorted communities in the pre-decline networks. Overall, our results suggest that in primates, patterns of affiliative interactions are more resilient to changes in group composition than aggressive interaction patterns, which tend to be used more flexibly in new conditions.
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33
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Genetic, maternal, and environmental influences on sociality in a pedigreed primate population. Heredity (Edinb) 2022; 129:203-214. [PMID: 36056208 PMCID: PMC9519975 DOI: 10.1038/s41437-022-00558-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/07/2021] [Revised: 07/26/2022] [Accepted: 07/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
Various aspects of sociality in mammals (e.g., dyadic connectedness) are linked with measures of biological fitness (e.g., longevity). How within- and between-individual variation in relevant social traits arises in uncontrolled wild populations is challenging to determine but is crucial for understanding constraints on the evolution of sociality. We use an advanced statistical method, known as the 'animal model', which incorporates pedigree information, to look at social, genetic, and environmental influences on sociality in a long-lived wild primate. We leverage a longitudinal database spanning 20 years of observation on individually recognized white-faced capuchin monkeys (Cebus capucinus imitator), with a multi-generational pedigree. We analyze two measures of spatial association, using repeat sampling of 376 individuals (mean: 53.5 months per subject, range: 6-185 months per subject). Conditioned on the effects of age, sex, group size, seasonality, and El Niño-Southern Oscillation phases, we show low to moderate long-term repeatability (across years) of the proportion of time spent social (posterior mode [95% Highest Posterior Density interval]: 0.207 [0.169, 0.265]) and of average number of partners (0.144 [0.113, 0.181]) (latent scale). Most of this long-term repeatability could be explained by modest heritability (h2social: 0.152 [0.094, 0.207]; h2partners: 0.113 [0.076, 0.149]) with small long-term maternal effects (m2social: 0.000 [0.000, 0.045]; m2partners: 0.000 [0.000, 0.041]). Our models capture the majority of variance in our behavioral traits, with much of the variance explained by temporally changing factors, such as group of residence, highlighting potential limits to the evolvability of our trait due to social and environmental constraints.
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34
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Female horses are more socially dependent than geldings kept in riding clubs. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105714] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
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35
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Schino G, Manzoni C, Di Giovanni M. Social relationships among captive female Himalayan tahr. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13327] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Schino
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche Rome Italy
| | - Carola Manzoni
- Dipartimento di Bioscienze Università degli Studi di Milano Milan Italy
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36
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Papadaki K, Laliotis GP, Koutsouli P, Pafilis P, Bizelis I. Do sheep (
Ovis aries
) perform third‐party interventions? Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13326] [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]
Affiliation(s)
- Kallirroi Papadaki
- Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Department of Animal Science Agricultural University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - George P. Laliotis
- Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Department of Animal Science Agricultural University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Panagiota Koutsouli
- Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Department of Animal Science Agricultural University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Panayiotis Pafilis
- Section of Zoology – Marine Biology, Department of Biology National & Kapodistrian University of Athens Athens Greece
| | - Iosif Bizelis
- Laboratory of Animal Breeding and Husbandry, Department of Animal Science Agricultural University of Athens Athens Greece
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37
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Lee VE, Arnott G, Turner SP. Social behavior in farm animals: Applying fundamental theory to improve animal welfare. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:932217. [PMID: 36032304 PMCID: PMC9411962 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.932217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/29/2022] [Accepted: 07/13/2022] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
A fundamental understanding of behavior is essential to improving the welfare of billions of farm animals around the world. Despite living in an environment managed by humans, farm animals are still capable of making important behavioral decisions that influence welfare. In this review, we focus on social interactions as perhaps the most dynamic and challenging aspects of the lives of farm animals. Social stress is a leading welfare concern in livestock, and substantial variation in social behavior is seen at the individual and group level. Here, we consider how a fundamental understanding of social behavior can be used to: (i) understand agonistic and affiliative interactions in farm animals; (ii) identify how artificial environments influence social behavior and impact welfare; and (iii) provide insights into the mechanisms and development of social behavior. We conclude by highlighting opportunities to build on previous work and suggest potential fundamental hypotheses of applied relevance. Key areas for further research could include identifying the welfare benefits of socio–positive interactions, the potential impacts of disrupting important social bonds, and the role of skill in allowing farm animals to navigate competitive and positive social interactions. Such studies should provide insights to improve the welfare of farm animals, while also being applicable to other contexts, such as zoos and laboratories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Victoria E. Lee
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), Edinburgh, United Kingdom
- *Correspondence: Victoria E. Lee
| | - Gareth Arnott
- Institute for Global Food Security, School of Biological Sciences, Queen's University, Belfast, United Kingdom
| | - Simon P. Turner
- Animal Behaviour and Welfare, Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Scotland's Rural College (SRUC), Edinburgh, United Kingdom
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38
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Pinto P, Mendonça RS, Hirata S. Examining the costs and benefits of male-male associations in a group-living equid. Appl Anim Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.applanim.2022.105660] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
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39
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Does a high social status confer greater levels of trust from groupmates? An experimental study of leadership in domestic horses. Behav Processes 2022; 201:104708. [PMID: 35872161 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2022.104708] [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: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 06/16/2022] [Accepted: 07/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022]
Abstract
In collective movements, specific individuals may emerge as leaders. In this study on the domestic horse (Equus ferus caballus), we conducted experiments to establish if an individual is successfully followed due to its social status (including hierarchical rank and centrality). We first informed one horse about a hidden food location and recorded by how many it was followed when going back to this location. In this context, all horses lead their groupmates successfully. In a second step, we tested whether group members would trust some leaders more than others by removing the food before the informed individual led the group back to the food location. In addition, two control initiators with intermediate social status for which the food was not removed were tested. The results, confirmed by simulations, demonstrated that the proportions of followers for the unreliable initiator with highest social status are greater than the ones of the unreliable initiator with lowest social status. Our results suggest an existing relationship between having a high social status and a leadership role. Indeed, the status of a leader sometimes prevail at the detriment of the accuracy of the information, because an elevated social status apparently confers a high level of trust.
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40
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Greenfield MR, Durden WN, Jablonski TA, Moreland LD, Fabry AC, Gemma LY, Clifford HH. Associates from infancy influence postweaning juvenile associations for common bottlenose dolphins ( Tursiops truncatus) in Florida. J Mammal 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyac063] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
In many long-lived mammalian species, association patterns between individuals have been found to influence sociality, behavioral traits, survival, and longevity. In common bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops truncatus), the early stages of development are of particular importance as associations experienced as dependent calves may influence future association patterns. While behavioral characteristics associated with the transition from a dependent calf state to an independent juvenile state have been documented, there are limited studies that examine associations between these time periods. This study aims to document association longevity for bottlenose dolphins as they transition from calves to juveniles and determine the extent to which kinship plays a role in the development of these associations. Using social network analysis, a generalized linear mixed model (GLMM), and a tiered association scale, we found 53.7% of associations were retained from the calf to the juvenile phase. GLMM results indicated that preferred associates (half-weight index [HWI] > 0.178) from the calf state were 3.6 times more likely to associate in the juvenile state (0.178 > HWI > 0) and 5.67 times more likely to be preferred associates in the juvenile state compared to nonpreferred calf associates. The majority of juveniles, 76.92%, maintained a low–moderate to moderate level association (0.089–0.54) with their mother, and a few retained their mother as their top associate. Kin were preferred associates in 46.15% of cases and found to be the top juvenile associate in 26.92% of cases. Identifying continuity in associations, particularly from the calving state to the juvenile state, is imperative as mammalian association patterns may influence community structure, disease transmission, reproductive success, and predict survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michelle R Greenfield
- College of Veterinary Medicine, Cornell University , Ithaca, New York , USA
- Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute , Melbourne Beach, Florida , USA
| | - Wendy N Durden
- Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute , Melbourne Beach, Florida , USA
| | | | - Lydia D Moreland
- Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute , Melbourne Beach, Florida , USA
- Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute , Fort Pierce, Florida , USA
| | - Agatha C Fabry
- Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute , Melbourne Beach, Florida , USA
| | - Lisa Y Gemma
- Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute , Melbourne Beach, Florida , USA
| | - Heidy H Clifford
- Hubbs-SeaWorld Research Institute , Melbourne Beach, Florida , USA
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41
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Stronger maternal social bonds and higher rank are associated with accelerated infant maturation in Kinda baboons. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.04.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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42
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Brambilla A, von Hardenberg A, Canedoli C, Brivio F, Sueur C, Stanley CR. Long term analysis of social structure: evidence of age‐based consistent associations in male Alpine ibex. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Brambilla
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Alpine Wildlife Research Center, Gran Paradiso National Park Torino Italy
| | - Achaz von Hardenberg
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Chester Chester UK
| | - Claudia Canedoli
- Dept of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Milano Bicocca Milano Italy
| | | | - Cédric Sueur
- Univ. de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
- Inst. Universitaire de France, Saint‐Michel 103 Paris France
| | - Christina R. Stanley
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Chester Chester UK
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43
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Eisenbruch AB, Krasnow MM. Why Warmth Matters More Than Competence: A New Evolutionary Approach. PERSPECTIVES ON PSYCHOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2022; 17:1604-1623. [PMID: 35748187 DOI: 10.1177/17456916211071087] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/16/2022]
Abstract
Multiple lines of evidence suggest that there are two major dimensions of social perception, often called warmth and competence, and that warmth is prioritized over competence in multiple types of social decision-making. Existing explanations for this prioritization argue that warmth is more consequential for an observer's welfare than is competence. We present a new explanation for the prioritization of warmth based on humans' evolutionary history of cooperative partner choice. We argue that the prioritization of warmth evolved because ancestral humans faced greater variance in the warmth of potential cooperative partners than in their competence but greater variance in competence over time within cooperative relationships. These each made warmth more predictive than competence of the future benefits of a relationship, but because of differences in the distributions of these traits, not because of differences in their intrinsic consequentiality. A broad, synthetic review of the anthropological literature suggests that these conditions were characteristic of the ecologies in which human social cognition evolved, and agent-based models demonstrate the plausibility of these selection pressures. We conclude with future directions for the study of preferences and the further integration of social and evolutionary psychology.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Max M Krasnow
- Division of Continuing Education, Harvard University
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Mendonça RS, Pinto P, Maeda T, Inoue S, Ringhofer M, Yamamoto S, Hirata S. Population Characteristics of Feral Horses Impacted by Anthropogenic Factors and Their Management Implications. Front Ecol Evol 2022. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2022.848741] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Feral horses form relatively stable harems over time that are characterized by long-lasting bonds among their members, a characteristic that makes them an exceptional case of a social system among terrestrial ungulates. Their social system has been described as uniform despite the wide differences in their environment and demography. Horse populations subjected to human interference often show higher levels of population instability that can ultimately compromise their reproductive success. In this article, we describe demographic and dynamic changes of a Portuguese population of Garranos in Serra d’Arga (SA), which is impacted by human and predation pressures, over six breeding seasons. Furthermore, we tested several hypotheses related to the impact of anthropogenic disturbance on the structure and dynamics of this population. Our results revealed that the SA population had relatively little human interference at the start of the project in 2016. This was supported by the natural composition of the herd (total number of individuals, 206), which consisted of several single- and multi-male harems (n = 17 and 7, respectively) and bachelor males (n = 9). However, from 2017 to 2021, SA’s Garrano population suffered a drastic decline. Approximately two-thirds of the individuals and all bachelor males disappeared, and 76% of adult female transfers occurred after the death or disappearance of the harem male. Predatory pressures and poor management of the population, which allowed illegal human interference, contributed to this population crisis. A low population growth rate, reduced birth and foal survival rates, in addition to a delayed primiparous age were observed in this population and exacerbated after its drastic decline; suggesting the viability and survival of this Garrano population were compromised. Investigating the population demographic changes and their causes and consequences can provide guidelines for managing populations and help fight the extinction of horse breeds.
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Bernátková A, Oyunsaikhan G, Šimek J, Komárková M, Bobek M, Ceacero F. Influence of weather on the behaviour of reintroduced Przewalski’s horses in the Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area (Mongolia): implications for conservation. BMC ZOOL 2022; 7:32. [PMID: 37170378 PMCID: PMC10127430 DOI: 10.1186/s40850-022-00130-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/23/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2022] [Indexed: 11/10/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Background
Reintroduction is a common technique for re-establishing threatened species. However, the adaptation to novel habitats with distinct conditions poses a risk of failure. Weather conditions affect the behaviour of animals, and thus, their adaptation to new conditions and survival. Reintroduced Przewalski’s horses living in Mongolia’s continental arid climate with extreme temperature and precipitation variability, serve as an ideal model species for studying the behavioural response of selected groups to these harsh conditions.
Methods
The research was conducted in The Great Gobi B Strictly Protected Area, Mongolia. In summer 2018, three groups were recorded (Azaa, Tsetsen and Mares18) involving 29 individuals. In Spring 2019, 4 groups were recorded (Azaa, Tsetsen, Hustai1 and Mares19) involving 34 individuals. In Autumn 2019, 4 groups were recorded (Azaa, Tsetsen, Hustai2 and Tanan) involving 35 individuals. Thirteen weather variables were recorded in 10-min intervals, together with the percentage representation of selected behavioural categories (feeding, locomotion, resting, and social). The effect of weather on behaviour was analysed through GLMM. Influence of the group-history factors (recently reintroduced, long-term reintroduced and wild-born) was also analysed.
Results
Feeding significantly increased with cloudy and windy conditions and was more frequent in autumn than spring and summer. Locomotion was positively explained by temperature and cloudiness and was higher in summer than spring and autumn. Resting behaviour decreased with altitude and cloudiness, and the dispersion of the group was lower when resting. Increased social interactions were observed with higher temperatures and were more frequent in summer compared to spring and autumn. Differences were found in the display of the behaviours among the selected harems, showing interesting patterns when grouping them according to their origin and experience.
Conclusions
Weather patterns seem to influence the behaviour of Przewalski’s horse. These results might assist in further management plans for the species, especially in the view of intensifying climate change and alteration of weather patterns. As previously suggested, after approximately 1 year, horses adapt to novel conditions and display the typical behavioural pattern of wild-born Przewalski’s horses.
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Clements SJ, Zhao Q, Silk MJ, Hodgson DJ, Weegman MD. Modelling associations between animal social structure and demography. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Dal Pesco F, Trede F, Zinner D, Fischer J. Male-male social bonding, coalitionary support and reproductive success in wild Guinea baboons. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220347. [PMID: 35611539 PMCID: PMC9130795 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0347] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Male-male bonds may confer substantial fitness benefits. The adaptive value of these relationships is often attributed to coalitionary support, which aids in rank ascension and female defence, ultimately resulting in greater reproductive success. We investigated the link between male-male sociality and both coalitionary support and reproductive success in wild Guinea baboons. This species lives in a tolerant multi-level society with reproductive units comprising a male and 1-6 females at the core. Males are philopatric, form differentiated, stable and equitable affiliative relationships (strong bonds) with other males, and lack a clear rank hierarchy. Here, we analysed behavioural and paternity data for 30 males and 50 infants collected over 4 years in the Niokolo-Koba National Park, Senegal. Strongly bonded males supported each other more frequently during conflicts, but strong bonds did not promote reproductive success. Instead, males that spent less time socializing with other males were associated with a higher number of females and sired more offspring. Notably, reproductively active males still maintained bonds with other males, but adjusted their social investment in relation to life-history stage. Long-term data will be needed to test if the adaptive value of male bonding lies in longer male tenure and/or in promoting group cohesion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Federica Dal Pesco
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany,Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany,Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Franziska Trede
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany,Primate Genetics Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany,Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Dietmar Zinner
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Julia Fischer
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Göttingen, Germany,Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany,Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
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Morris-Drake A, Kennedy P, Braga Goncalves I, Radford AN. Variation between species, populations, groups and individuals in the fitness consequences of out-group conflict. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210148. [PMID: 35369741 PMCID: PMC8977661 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0148] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/05/2021] [Accepted: 12/02/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
Out-group conflict is rife in the natural world, occurring from primates to ants. Traditionally, research on this aspect of sociality has focused on the interactions between groups and their conspecific rivals, investigating contest function and characteristics, which group members participate and what determines who wins. In recent years, however, there has been increasing interest in the consequences of out-group conflict. In this review, we first set the scene by outlining the fitness consequences that can arise immediately to contest participants, as well as a broader range of delayed, cumulative and third-party effects of out-group conflict on survival and reproductive success. For the majority of the review, we then focus on variation in these fitness consequences of out-group conflict, describing known examples both between species and between populations, groups and individuals of the same species. Throughout, we suggest possible reasons for the variation, provide examples from a diverse array of taxa, and suggest what is needed to advance this burgeoning area of social evolution. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amy Morris-Drake
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Patrick Kennedy
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Ines Braga Goncalves
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
| | - Andrew N. Radford
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK
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Static and dynamic methods in social network analysis reveal the association patterns of desert-dwelling giraffe. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03167-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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50
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Gerber L, Connor RC, Allen SJ, Horlacher K, King SL, Sherwin WB, Willems EP, Wittwer S, Krützen M. Social integration influences fitness in allied male dolphins. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1664-1669.e3. [PMID: 35334228 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.03.027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2021] [Revised: 01/10/2022] [Accepted: 03/09/2022] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
Understanding determinants of differential reproductive success is at the core of evolutionary biology because of its connection to fitness. Early work has linked variation in reproductive success to differences in age,1 rank,2 or size,3,4 as well as habitat characteristics.5 More recently, studies in group-living taxa have revealed that social relationships also have measurable effects on fitness.6-8 The influence of social bonds on fitness is particularly interesting in males who compete over reproductive opportunities. In Shark Bay, Western Australia, groups of 4-14 unrelated male bottlenose dolphins cooperate in second-order alliances to compete with rival alliances over access to females.9-12 Nested within second-order alliances, pairs or trios of males, which can vary in composition, form first-order alliances to herd estrus females. Using 30 years of behavioral data, we examined how individual social factors, such as first-order alliance stability, social connectivity, and variation in social bond strength within second-order alliances, affect male fitness. Analyzing the reproductive careers of 85 males belonging to 10 second-order alliances, we found that the number of paternities a male achieved was positively correlated with his cumulative social bond strength but negatively correlated with his variation in bond strength. Thus, well-integrated males with more homogeneous social bonds to second-order allies obtained most paternities. Our findings provide novel insights into the fitness benefits of polyadic cooperation among unrelated males and highlight the adaptive value of social bonds in this context.
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Affiliation(s)
- Livia Gerber
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia.
| | - Richard C Connor
- Biology Department, UMASS Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA 02747, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, Marine Sciences Program, Florida International University, North Miami, FL 33181, USA
| | - Simon J Allen
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland; School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK; School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Kay Horlacher
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Stephanie L King
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TQ, UK; School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA 6009, Australia
| | - William B Sherwin
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre, School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, UNSW, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Erik P Willems
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Samuel Wittwer
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Krützen
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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