1
|
García-Ruiz I, Taborsky M. Nepotism mediates enforced cooperation in asymmetric negotiations. iScience 2024; 27:110334. [PMID: 39100926 PMCID: PMC11295936 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.110334] [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: 03/27/2024] [Revised: 05/07/2024] [Accepted: 06/18/2024] [Indexed: 08/06/2024] Open
Abstract
In cooperative societies, group members typically exchange different commodities among each other, which involves an incessant negotiation process. How is the conflict of fitness interests resolved in this continual bargaining process between unequal partners, so that maintaining the cooperative interaction is the best option for all parties involved? Theory predicts that relatedness between group members may alleviate the conflict of fitness interests, thereby promoting the evolution of cooperation. To evaluate the relative importance of relatedness and direct fitness effects in the negotiation process, we experimentally manipulated both the relatedness and mutual behavioral responses of dominant breeders and subordinate helpers in the cooperatively breeding cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher. Results show that coercion by breeders is crucial for the performance of alloparental egg care by helpers, but that kinship significantly decreases the need for coercion as predicted by theory. This illustrates the relative importance of kinship and enforcement in the bargaining process.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Irene García-Ruiz
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY 10027, USA
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, 3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
- Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin), 14193 Berlin, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Pacheco XP, Madden JR. Does the social network structure of wild animal populations differ from that of animals in captivity? Behav Processes 2021; 190:104446. [PMID: 34147575 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2021.104446] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/02/2020] [Revised: 08/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
The social behaviour of wild animals living in groups leads to social networks with structures that produce group-level effects and position individuals within them with differential consequences for an individual's fitness. Social dynamics in captivity can differ greatly from those in wild conspecifics given the different constraints on social organization in wild populations, e.g. group size, predation pressure, distribution of resources (food, mates), which are all regulated by human carers in captive populations. The social networks of animals in zoos is expected to differ from those of free-living conspecifics. While many studies have described the social networks of a wide diversity of wild and captive animals, none has directly compared the networks of multiple groups of a single species both in the wild and in captivity. Meerkats, Suricata suricatta, are an excellent species to compare the social networks of wild and captive groups. We replicated the methods of Madden et al. (2009, 2011), who studied eight groups in the wild, in fifteen captive groups. We tested how network structures and individual positions in grooming, foraging competition and dominance networks differed between wild and captive groups. Groups of wild and captive meerkats differed in various aspects of their social network structure. Differences in the network may be due to individuals occupying different network positions and the difference in the number and strength of their connections to other individuals. This distinct way of interacting and associating could be a result of group specific attributes, such as group size, and/or the attributes of the donor and recipient, including sex, status or age. Critically, the differences may be explained by the dissimilar living environment that each encounters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Xareni P Pacheco
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, Washington Singer Building, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK; Centre for Research in Applied Biological Sciences, Autonomous University of the State of Mexico, Instituto Literario 100, Centro, 50000 Toluca, Mexico.
| | - Joah R Madden
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, Psychology, Washington Singer Building, University of Exeter, Perry Road, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Albery GF, Newman C, Ross JB, MacDonald DW, Bansal S, Buesching C. Negative density-dependent parasitism in a group-living carnivore. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20202655. [PMID: 33323092 PMCID: PMC7779509 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/22/2020] [Accepted: 11/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals living at high population densities commonly experience greater exposure to disease, leading to increased parasite burdens. However, social animals can benefit immunologically and hygienically from cooperation, and individuals may alter their socio-spatial behaviour in response to infection, both of which could counteract density-related increases in exposure. Consequently, the costs and benefits of sociality for disease are often uncertain. Here, we use a long-term study of a wild European badger population (Meles meles) to investigate how within-population variation in host density determines infection with multiple parasites. Four out of five parasite taxa exhibited consistent spatial hotspots of infection, which peaked among badgers living in areas of low local population density. Combined movement, survival, spatial and social network analyses revealed that parasite avoidance was the likely cause of this negative density dependence, with possible roles for localized mortality, encounter-dilution effects, and micronutrient-enhanced immunity. These findings demonstrate that animals can organize their societies in space to minimize parasite infection, with important implications for badger behavioural ecology and for the control of badger-associated diseases.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
| | - Chris Newman
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Julius Bright Ross
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - David W. MacDonald
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Shweta Bansal
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA
| | - Christina Buesching
- Wildlife Conservation Research Unit, The Recanati-Kaplan Centre, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Irving K. Barber Faculty of Sciences, Okanagan Department of Biology, The University of British Columbia, Kelowna, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
Pacheco XP. How consistently do personality attributes relate to an individual’s position within a social network: a comparison across groups of captive meerkats. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02880-7] [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]
|
5
|
Reciprocal allogrooming among unrelated Norway rats (Rattus norvegicus) is affected by previously received cooperative, affiliative and aggressive behaviours. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2406-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
|
6
|
Duboscq J, Romano V, Sueur C, MacIntosh AJJ. Scratch that itch: revisiting links between self-directed behaviour and parasitological, social and environmental factors in a free-ranging primate. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2016; 3:160571. [PMID: 28018646 PMCID: PMC5180144 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160571] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2016] [Accepted: 10/04/2016] [Indexed: 05/14/2023]
Abstract
Different hypotheses explain variation in the occurrence of self-directed behaviour such as scratching and self-grooming: a parasite hypothesis linked with ectoparasite load, an environmental hypothesis linked with seasonal conditions and a social hypothesis linked with social factors. These hypotheses are not mutually exclusive but are often considered separately. Here, we revisited these hypotheses together in female Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata fuscata) of Kōjima islet, Japan. We input occurrences of scratching and self-grooming during focal observations in models combining parasitological (lice load), social (dominance rank, social grooming, aggression received and proximity), and environmental (rainfall, temperature and season) variables. Using an information-theory approach, we simultaneously compared the explanatory value of models against each other using variation in Akaike's information criterion and Akaike's weights. We found that evidence for models with lice load, with or without environmental-social parameters, was stronger than that for other models. In these models, scratching was positively associated with lice load and social grooming whereas self-grooming was negatively associated with lice load and positively associated with social grooming, dominance rank and number of female neighbours. This study indicates that the study animals scratch primarily because of an immune/stimulus itch, possibly triggered by ectoparasite bites/movements. It also confirms that self-grooming could act as a displacement activity in the case of social uncertainty. We advocate that biological hypotheses be more broadly considered even when investigating social processes, as one does not exclude the other.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Duboscq
- Kyoto University Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto, Japan; Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Strasbourg, France; Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Valéria Romano
- Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Strasbourg, France; Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Strasbourg, France; Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, France
| | - Andrew J J MacIntosh
- Kyoto University Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto, Japan; Kyoto University Primate Research Institute, Inuyama, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
7
|
Duboscq J, Romano V, Sueur C, MacIntosh AJ. Network centrality and seasonality interact to predict lice load in a social primate. Sci Rep 2016; 6:22095. [PMID: 26915589 PMCID: PMC4768153 DOI: 10.1038/srep22095] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/09/2015] [Accepted: 02/04/2016] [Indexed: 01/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Lice are socially-transmitted ectoparasites. Transmission depends upon their host's degree of contact with conspecifics. While grooming facilitates ectoparasite transmission via body contact, it also constrains their spread through parasite removal. We investigated relations between parasite burden and sociality in female Japanese macaques following two opposing predictions: i) central females in contact/grooming networks harbour more lice, related to their numerous contacts; ii) central females harbour fewer lice, related to receiving more grooming. We estimated lice load non-invasively using the conspicuous louse egg-picking behaviour performed by macaques during grooming. We tested for covariation in several centrality measures and lice load, controlling for season, female reproductive state and dominance rank. Results show that the interaction between degree centrality (number of partners) and seasonality predicted lice load: females interacting with more partners had fewer lice than those interacting with fewer partners in winter and summer, whereas there was no relationship between lice load and centrality in spring and fall. This is counter to the prediction that increased contact leads to greater louse burden but fits the prediction that social grooming limits louse burden. Interactions between environmental seasonality and both parasite and host biology appeared to mediate the role of social processes in louse burden.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julie Duboscq
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, Strasbourg, France
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Strasbourg, France
| | - Valeria Romano
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, Strasbourg, France
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Strasbourg, France
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique, Département Ecologie, Physiologie et Ethologie, Strasbourg, France
- Université de Strasbourg, Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien, Strasbourg, France
- Unit of Social Ecology, CP231, Université libre de Bruxelles, Campus Plaine, Brussels, Belgium
| | - Andrew J.J. MacIntosh
- Kyoto University Primate Research Institute, Inuyama, Japan
- Kyoto University Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto, Japan
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Taborsky M, Frommen JG, Riehl C. Correlated pay-offs are key to cooperation. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2016; 371:20150084. [PMID: 26729924 PMCID: PMC4760186 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2015.0084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 81] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 11/24/2015] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
The general belief that cooperation and altruism in social groups result primarily from kin selection has recently been challenged, not least because results from cooperatively breeding insects and vertebrates have shown that groups may be composed mainly of non-relatives. This allows testing predictions of reciprocity theory without the confounding effect of relatedness. Here, we review complementary and alternative evolutionary mechanisms to kin selection theory and provide empirical examples of cooperative behaviour among unrelated individuals in a wide range of taxa. In particular, we focus on the different forms of reciprocity and on their underlying decision rules, asking about evolutionary stability, the conditions selecting for reciprocity and the factors constraining reciprocal cooperation. We find that neither the cognitive requirements of reciprocal cooperation nor the often sequential nature of interactions are insuperable stumbling blocks for the evolution of reciprocity. We argue that simple decision rules such as 'help anyone if helped by someone' should get more attention in future research, because empirical studies show that animals apply such rules, and theoretical models find that they can create stable levels of cooperation under a wide range of conditions. Owing to its simplicity, behaviour based on such a heuristic may in fact be ubiquitous. Finally, we argue that the evolution of exchange and trading of service and commodities among social partners needs greater scientific focus.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Michael Taborsky
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Joachim G Frommen
- Behavioural Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, CH-3032 Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Christina Riehl
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| |
Collapse
|
9
|
Kingma SA, Santema P, Taborsky M, Komdeur J. Group augmentation and the evolution of cooperation. Trends Ecol Evol 2014; 29:476-84. [PMID: 24996259 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2014.05.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2013] [Revised: 05/02/2014] [Accepted: 05/30/2014] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
The group augmentation (GA) hypothesis states that if helpers in cooperatively breeding animals raise the reproductive success of the group, the benefits of living in a resulting larger group--improved survival or future reproductive success--favour the evolution of seemingly altruistic helping behaviour. The applicability of the GA hypothesis remains debatable, however, partly owing to the lack of a clear conceptual framework and a shortage of appropriate empirical studies. We conceptualise here the GA hypothesis and illustrate that benefits of GA can accrue via different evolutionary mechanisms that relate closely to well-supported general concepts of group living and cooperation. These benefits reflect several plausible explanations for the evolutionary maintenance of helping behaviour in cooperatively breeding animals.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sjouke A Kingma
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK; Behavioural Ecology and Self-Organization Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, Radolfzell, Germany.
| | - Peter Santema
- Behavioural Ecology and Self-Organization Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands; Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern, Hinterkappelen, Switzerland
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Behavioural Ecology and Self-Organization Group, Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
10
|
Host and parasite diversity jointly control disease risk in complex communities. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2013; 110:16916-21. [PMID: 24082092 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1310557110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Host-parasite interactions are embedded within complex communities composed of multiple host species and a cryptic assemblage of other parasites. To date, however, surprisingly few studies have explored the joint effects of host and parasite richness on disease risk, despite growing interest in the diversity-disease relationship. Here, we combined field surveys and mechanistic experiments to test how transmission of the virulent trematode Ribeiroia ondatrae was affected by the diversity of both amphibian hosts and coinfecting parasites. Within natural wetlands, host and parasite species richness correlated positively, consistent with theoretical predictions. Among sites that supported Ribeiroia, however, host and parasite richness interacted to negatively affect Ribeiroia transmission between its snail and amphibian hosts, particularly in species-poor assemblages. In laboratory and outdoor experiments designed to decouple the relative contributions of host and parasite diversity, increases in host richness decreased Ribeiroia infection by 11-65%. Host richness also tended to decrease total infections by other parasite species (four of six instances), such that more diverse host assemblages exhibited ∼40% fewer infections overall. Importantly, parasite richness further reduced both per capita and total Ribeiroia infection by 15-20%, possibly owing to intrahost competition among coinfecting species. These findings provide evidence that parasitic and free-living diversity jointly regulate disease risk, help to resolve apparent contradictions in the diversity-disease relationship, and emphasize the challenges of integrating research on coinfection and host heterogeneity to develop a community ecology-based approach to infectious diseases.
Collapse
|
11
|
Schneider TC, Kappeler PM. Social systems and life-history characteristics of mongooses. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2013; 89:173-98. [PMID: 23865895 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12050] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2012] [Revised: 06/01/2013] [Accepted: 06/19/2013] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
The diversity of extant carnivores provides valuable opportunities for comparative research to illuminate general patterns of mammalian social evolution. Recent field studies on mongooses (Herpestidae), in particular, have generated detailed behavioural and demographic data allowing tests of assumptions and predictions of theories of social evolution. The first studies of the social systems of their closest relatives, the Malagasy Eupleridae, also have been initiated. The literature on mongooses was last reviewed over 25 years ago. In this review, we summarise the current state of knowledge on the social organisation, mating systems and social structure (especially competition and cooperation) of the two mongoose families. Our second aim is to evaluate the contributions of these studies to a better understanding of mammalian social evolution in general. Based on published reports or anecdotal information, we can classify 16 of the 34 species of Herpestidae as solitary and nine as group-living; there are insufficient data available for the remainder. There is a strong phylogenetic signal of sociality with permanent complex groups being limited to the genera Crossarchus, Helogale, Liberiictis, Mungos, and Suricata. Our review also indicates that studies of solitary and social mongooses have been conducted within different theoretical frameworks: whereas solitary species and transitions to gregariousness have been mainly investigated in relation to ecological determinants, the study of social patterns of highly social mongooses has instead been based on reproductive skew theory. In some group-living species, group size and composition were found to determine reproductive competition and cooperative breeding through group augmentation. Infanticide risk and inbreeding avoidance connect social organisation and social structure with reproductive tactics and life histories, but their specific impact on mongoose sociality is still difficult to evaluate. However, the level of reproductive skew in social mongooses is not only determined by the costs and benefits of suppressing each other's breeding attempts, but also influenced by resource abundance. Thus, dispersal, as a consequence of eviction, is also linked to the costs of co-breeding in the context of food competition. By linking these facts, we show that the socio-ecological model and reproductive skew theory share some determinants of social patterns. We also conclude that due to their long bio-geographical isolation and divergent selection pressures, future studies of the social systems of the Eupleridae will be of great value for the elucidation of general patterns in carnivore social evolution.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Tilman C Schneider
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, Göttingen, 37077, Germany
| | | |
Collapse
|
12
|
Holekamp KE, Swanson EM, Van Meter PE. Developmental constraints on behavioural flexibility. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2013; 368:20120350. [PMID: 23569298 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2012.0350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 32] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
We suggest that variation in mammalian behavioural flexibility not accounted for by current socioecological models may be explained in part by developmental constraints. From our own work, we provide examples of constraints affecting variation in behavioural flexibility, not only among individuals, but also among species and higher taxonomic units. We first implicate organizational maternal effects of androgens in shaping individual differences in aggressive behaviour emitted by female spotted hyaenas throughout the lifespan. We then compare carnivores and primates with respect to their locomotor and craniofacial adaptations. We inquire whether antagonistic selection pressures on the skull might impose differential functional constraints on evolvability of skulls and brains in these two orders, thus ultimately affecting behavioural flexibility in each group. We suggest that, even when carnivores and primates would theoretically benefit from the same adaptations with respect to behavioural flexibility, carnivores may nevertheless exhibit less behavioural flexibility than primates because of constraints imposed by past adaptations in the morphology of the limbs and skull. Phylogenetic analysis consistent with this idea suggests greater evolutionary lability in relative brain size within families of primates than carnivores. Thus, consideration of developmental constraints may help elucidate variation in mammalian behavioural flexibility.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Kay E Holekamp
- Department of Zoology, Michigan State University, 203 Natural Sciences, MI 48824, USA.
| | | | | |
Collapse
|
13
|
Akinyi MY, Tung J, Jeneby M, Patel NB, Altmann J, Alberts SC. Role of Grooming in Reducing Tick Load in Wild Baboons ( Papio cynocephalus). Anim Behav 2013; 85:559-568. [PMID: 24659824 PMCID: PMC3961061 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2012.12.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 98] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Nonhuman primate species spend a conspicuous amount of time grooming during social interactions, a behavior that probably serves both social and health-related functions. While the social implications of grooming have been relatively well studied, less attention has been paid to the health benefits, especially the removal of ectoparasites, which may act as vectors in disease transmission. In this study, we examined the relationship between grooming behavior, tick load (number of ticks), and haemoprotozoan infection status in a population of wild free-ranging baboons (Papio cynocephalus). We found that the amount of grooming received was influenced by an individual's age, sex and dominance rank. The amount of grooming received, in turn, affected the tick load of an individual. Baboons with higher tick loads had lower packed red cell volume (PCV or haematocrit), one general measure of health status. We detected a tick-borne haemoprotozoan, Babesia microti, but its low prevalence in the population precluded identifying sources of variance in infection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Mercy Y Akinyi
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, P.O.Box 24481-00502, Nairobi, Kenya ; Department of Medical Physiology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197- 00100, Nairobi, Kenya ; Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708-0338, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708-0338, USA ; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Box 90383, Durham, NC 27708-0338, USA ; Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University Box 90420, Durham, NC 27708-0338, USA
| | - Maamun Jeneby
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, P.O.Box 24481-00502, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Nilesh B Patel
- Department of Medical Physiology, University of Nairobi, P.O. Box 30197- 00100, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Jeanne Altmann
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, P.O.Box 24481-00502, Nairobi, Kenya ; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, P.O.Box 24481-00502, Nairobi, Kenya ; Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708-0338, USA
| |
Collapse
|
14
|
Clutton-Brock T, Huchard E. Social competition and its consequences in female mammals. J Zool (1987) 2013. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.12023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 117] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - E. Huchard
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
|
16
|
|
17
|
The social network structure of a wild meerkat population: 3. Position of individuals within networks. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2011. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-011-1194-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
|
18
|
Thompson KPJ. Grooming the Naked Ape: Do Perceptions of Disease and Aggression Vulnerability Influence Grooming Behaviour in Humans? A Comparative Ethological Perspective. CURRENT PSYCHOLOGY 2010. [DOI: 10.1007/s12144-010-9089-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
19
|
Leu ST, Kappeler PM, Bull CM. Refuge sharing network predicts ectoparasite load in a lizard. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2010; 64:1495-1503. [PMID: 20802788 PMCID: PMC2926892 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-010-0964-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 67] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/11/2010] [Revised: 03/23/2010] [Accepted: 04/15/2010] [Indexed: 12/02/2022]
Abstract
Living in social groups facilitates cross-infection by parasites. However, empirical studies on indirect transmission within wildlife populations are scarce. We investigated whether asynchronous overnight refuge sharing among neighboring sleepy lizards, Tiliqua rugosa, facilitates indirect transmission of its ectoparasitic tick, Amblyomma limbatum. We fitted 18 neighboring lizards with GPS recorders, observed their overnight refuge use each night over 3 months, and counted their ticks every fortnight. We constructed a transmission network to estimate the cross-infection risk based on asynchronous refuge sharing frequencies among all lizards and the life history traits of the tick. Although self-infection was possible, the network provided a powerful predictor of measured tick loads. Highly connected lizards that frequently used their neighbors’ refuges were characterized by higher tick loads. Thus, indirect contact had a major influence on transmission pathways and parasite loads. Furthermore, lizards that used many different refuges had lower cross- and self-infection risks and lower tick loads than individuals that used relatively fewer refuges. Increasing the number of refuges used by a lizard may be an important defense mechanism against ectoparasite transmission in this species. Our study provides important empirical data to further understand how indirectly transmitted parasites move through host populations and influence individual parasite loads.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Stephan T. Leu
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, 5001 Australia
| | - Peter M. Kappeler
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute of Zoology & Anthropology, University of Göttingen, Kellnerweg 6, Göttingen, 37077 Germany
| | - C. Michael Bull
- School of Biological Sciences, Flinders University, GPO Box 2100, Adelaide, 5001 Australia
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Hillegass MA, Waterman JM, Roth JD. Parasite removal increases reproductive success in a social African ground squirrel. Behav Ecol 2010. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arq041] [Citation(s) in RCA: 68] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
|
21
|
|
22
|
Drewe JA. Who infects whom? Social networks and tuberculosis transmission in wild meerkats. Proc Biol Sci 2009; 277:633-42. [PMID: 19889705 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2009.1775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 158] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Transmission of infectious diseases is strongly influenced by who contacts whom. Despite the global distribution of tuberculosis (TB) in free-living wild mammal populations, little is known of the mechanisms of social transmission of Mycobacterium bovis between individuals. Here, I use a network approach to examine for correlations between five distinct types of intra- and intergroup social interaction and changes in TB status of 110 wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta) in five social groups over two years. Contrary to predictions, the most socially interactive animals were not at highest risk of acquiring infection, indicating that in addition to contact frequency, the type and direction of interactions must be considered when quantifying disease risk. Within social groups, meerkats that groomed others most were more likely to become infected than individuals who received high levels of grooming. Conversely, receiving, but not initiating, aggression was associated with M. bovis infection. Incidence of intergroup roving by male meerkats was correlated with the rovers themselves subsequently testing TB-positive, suggesting a possible route for transmission of infection between social groups. Exposure time was less important than these social interactions in influencing TB risk. This study represents a novel application of social network analysis using empirical data to elucidate the role of specific interactions in the transmission of an infectious disease in a free-living wild animal population.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Julian A Drewe
- Department of Veterinary Medicine, University of Cambridge, Madingley Road, Cambridge CB3 0ES, UK.
| |
Collapse
|
23
|
The social network structure of a wild meerkat population: 2. Intragroup interactions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2009. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-009-0820-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
|