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Bliard L, Martin JS, Paniw M, Blumstein DT, Martin JGA, Pemberton JM, Nussey DH, Childs DZ, Ozgul A. Detecting context dependence in the expression of life history trade-offs. J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 39221784 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14173] [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: 12/08/2023] [Accepted: 08/11/2024] [Indexed: 09/04/2024]
Abstract
Life history trade-offs are one of the central tenets of evolutionary demography. Trade-offs, depicting negative covariances between individuals' life history traits, can arise from genetic constraints, or from a finite amount of resources that each individual has to allocate in a zero-sum game between somatic and reproductive functions. While theory predicts that trade-offs are ubiquitous, empirical studies have often failed to detect such negative covariances in wild populations. One way to improve the detection of trade-offs is by accounting for the environmental context, as trade-off expression may depend on environmental conditions. However, current methodologies usually search for fixed covariances between traits, thereby ignoring their context dependence. Here, we present a hierarchical multivariate 'covariance reaction norm' model, adapted from Martin (2023), to help detect context dependence in the expression of life-history trade-offs using demographic data. The method allows continuous variation in the phenotypic correlation between traits. We validate the model on simulated data for both intraindividual and intergenerational trade-offs. We then apply it to empirical datasets of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) and Soay sheep (Ovis aries) as a proof-of-concept showing that new insights can be gained by applying our methodology, such as detecting trade-offs only in specific environments. We discuss its potential for application to many of the existing long-term demographic datasets and how it could improve our understanding of trade-off expression in particular, and life history theory in general.
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Affiliation(s)
- Louis Bliard
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Zurich University, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jordan S Martin
- Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, Zurich University, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria Paniw
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Zurich University, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Conservation Biology, Estación Biológica de Doñana (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, California, Los Angeles, USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
| | - Julien G A Martin
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada
| | | | - Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Dylan Z Childs
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Zurich University, Zurich, Switzerland
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2
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Ortiz-Ross X, Blumstein DT. Cumulative adversity and survival in the wild. Ecol Lett 2024; 27:e14485. [PMID: 39140409 DOI: 10.1111/ele.14485] [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: 01/29/2024] [Revised: 07/11/2024] [Accepted: 07/12/2024] [Indexed: 08/15/2024]
Abstract
Protecting populations contending with co-occurring stressors requires a better understanding of how multiple early-life stressors affect the fitness of natural systems. However, the complexity of such research has limited its advancement and prevented us from answering new questions. In human studies, cumulative risk models predict adult health risk based on early adversity exposure. We apply a similar framework in wild yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer). We tested cumulative adversity indices (CAIs) across different adversity types and time windows. All CAIs were associated with decreased pup survival and were well supported. Moderate and acute, but not standardized CAIs were associated with decreased lifespan, supporting the cumulative stress hypothesis and the endurance of early adversity. Multivariate models showed that differences in lifespan were driven by weaning date, precipitation, and maternal loss, but they performed poorly compared with CAI models. We highlight the development, utility, and insights of CAI approaches for ecology and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xochitl Ortiz-Ross
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, California, USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
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3
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Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Philson CS, Zhang X, Blumstein DT. Social control is associated with increased reproductive skew in a wild mammal. Biol Lett 2024; 20:20240003. [PMID: 38835239 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2024.0003] [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: 01/02/2024] [Accepted: 04/10/2024] [Indexed: 06/06/2024] Open
Abstract
In group-living species, reproductive variation among individuals of the same sex is widespread. By identifying the mechanisms underlying this reproductive skew, we gain fundamental insights into the evolution and maintenance of sociality. A common mechanism, social control, is typically studied by quantifying dominance, which is one of many attributes of sociality that describes how individuals exert influence on others and is an incomprehensive measure of social control as it accounts only for direct relationships. Here, we use the global reaching centrality (GRC), which quantifies the degree of hierarchy in a social network by accounting for both direct and indirect social relationships. Using a wild, free-living population of adult female yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris), we found a positive relationship between the reproductive skew index and GRC: more despotic social groups have higher reproductive skew. The GRC was stronger predictor for skew than traditional measures of social control (i.e. dominance). This allows deeper insights into the diverse ways individuals control other group members' reproduction, a core component in the evolution of sociality. Future studies of skew across taxa may profit by using more comprehensive, network-based measures of social control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adriana A Maldonado-Chaparro
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- Department of Biology, Universidad del Rosario , Bogota D.C. 111221, Colombia
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior , Radolfzell 78457, Germany
| | - Conner S Philson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory , Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter , Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Xinping Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California , Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory , Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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4
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Freiler MK, Smith GT. Neuroendocrine mechanisms contributing to the coevolution of sociality and communication. Front Neuroendocrinol 2023; 70:101077. [PMID: 37217079 PMCID: PMC10527162 DOI: 10.1016/j.yfrne.2023.101077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/28/2022] [Revised: 04/19/2023] [Accepted: 05/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/24/2023]
Abstract
Communication is inherently social, so signaling systems should evolve with social systems. The 'social complexity hypothesis' posits that social complexity necessitates communicative complexity and is generally supported in vocalizing mammals. This hypothesis, however, has seldom been tested outside the acoustic modality, and comparisons across studies are confounded by varying definitions of complexity. Moreover, proximate mechanisms underlying coevolution of sociality and communication remain largely unexamined. In this review, we argue that to uncover how sociality and communication coevolve, we need to examine variation in the neuroendocrine mechanisms that coregulate social behavior and signal production and perception. Specifically, we focus on steroid hormones, monoamines, and nonapeptides, which modulate both social behavior and sensorimotor circuits and are likely targets of selection during social evolution. Lastly, we highlight weakly electric fishes as an ideal system in which to comparatively address the proximate mechanisms underlying relationships between social and signal diversity in a novel modality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Megan K Freiler
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States.
| | - G Troy Smith
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States; Center for the Integrative Study of Animal Behavior, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN, United States
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Williams DM, Beckert S, Martin JG, Blumstein DT. Agonistic and affiliative social relationships are associated with marmot docility but not boldness. Anim Behav 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2023.02.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 04/03/2023]
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6
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Philson CS, Blumstein DT. Group social structure has limited impact on reproductive success in a wild mammal. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac102] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The frequency and type of dyadic social interactions individuals partake in has important fitness consequences. Social network analysis is an effective tool to quantify the complexity and consequences of these behaviors on the individual level. Less work has used social networks to quantify the social structure—specific attributes of the pattern of all social interactions in a network—of animal social groups, and its fitness consequences for those individuals who comprise the group. We studied the association between social structure, quantified via five network measures, and annual reproductive success in wild, free-living female yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer). We quantified reproductive success in two ways: (1) if an individual successfully weaned a litter and (2) how many pups were weaned. Networks were constructed from 38 968 interactions between 726 unique individuals in 137 social groups across 19 years. Using generalized linear mixed models, we found largely no relationship between either measure of reproductive success and social structure. We found a modest relationship that females residing in more fragmentable social groups (i.e., groups breakable into two or more separate groups of two or more individuals) weaned larger litters. Prior work showed that yellow-bellied marmots residing in more fragmentable groups gained body mass faster—another important fitness correlate. Interestingly, we found no strong relationships between other attributes of social group structure, suggesting that in this facultatively social mammal, the position of individuals within their group, the individual social phenotype, may be more important for fitness than the emergent group social phenotype.
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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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Uchida K, Burkle AA, Blumstein DT. Take only pictures, leave only… Cameras influence marmot vigilance but not perceptions of risk. J Zool (1987) 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/jzo.13032] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- K. Uchida
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA USA
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences The University of Tokyo Tokyo Japan
| | - A. A. Burkle
- Department of Biology Western Colorado University Gunnison CO USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Crested Butte CO USA
| | - D. T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology University of California Los Angeles CA USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Crested Butte CO USA
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8
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Wrensford K, Gutierrez J, Cooper WE, Blumstein DT. Empirical studies of escape behavior find mixed support for the race for life model. Curr Zool 2022; 68:305-313. [PMID: 35592352 PMCID: PMC9113366 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab062] [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: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Escape theory has been exceptionally successful in conceptualizing and accurately predicting effects of numerous factors that affect predation risk and explaining variation in flight initiation distance (FID; predator-prey distance when escape begins). Less explored is the relative orientation of an approaching predator, prey, and its eventual refuge. The relationship between an approaching threat and its refuge can be expressed as an angle we call the "interpath angle" or "Φ," which describes the angle between the paths of predator and prey to the prey's refuge and thus expresses the degree to which prey must run toward an approaching predator. In general, we might expect that prey would escape at greater distances if they must flee toward a predator to reach its burrow. The "race for life" model makes formal predictions about how Φ should affect FID. We evaluated the model by studying escape decisions in yellow-bellied marmots Marmota flaviventer, a species which flees to burrows. We found support for some of the model's predictions, yet the relationship between Φ and FID was less clear. Marmots may not assess Φ in a continuous fashion; but we found that binning angle into 4 45° bins explained a similar amount of variation as models that analyzed angle continuously. Future studies of Φ, especially those that focus on how different species perceive relative orientation, will likely enhance our understanding of its importance in flight decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kwasi Wrensford
- Department of Integrative Biology, Museum of Vertebrate Zoology, University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720, USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | | | - William E Cooper
- Department of Biology, Indiana University Purdue University Fort Wayne, Fort Wayne, IN 46805, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 6121 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
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9
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Hibernation slows epigenetic ageing in yellow-bellied marmots. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:418-426. [PMID: 35256811 PMCID: PMC8986532 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01679-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2021] [Accepted: 01/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
Abstract
Species that hibernate generally live longer than would be expected based solely on their body size. Hibernation is characterized by long periods of metabolic suppression (torpor) interspersed by short periods of increased metabolism (arousal). The torpor–arousal cycles occur multiple times during hibernation, and it has been suggested that processes controlling the transition between torpor and arousal states cause ageing suppression. Metabolic rate is also a known correlate of longevity; we thus proposed the ‘hibernation–ageing hypothesis’ whereby ageing is suspended during hibernation. We tested this hypothesis in a well-studied population of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), which spend 7–8 months per year hibernating. We used two approaches to estimate epigenetic age: the epigenetic clock and the epigenetic pacemaker. Variation in epigenetic age of 149 samples collected throughout the life of 73 females was modelled using generalized additive mixed models (GAMM), where season (cyclic cubic spline) and chronological age (cubic spline) were fixed effects. As expected, the GAMM using epigenetic ages calculated from the epigenetic pacemaker was better able to detect nonlinear patterns in epigenetic ageing over time. We observed a logarithmic curve of epigenetic age with time, where the epigenetic age increased at a higher rate until females reached sexual maturity (two years old). With respect to circannual patterns, the epigenetic age increased during the active season and essentially stalled during the hibernation period. Taken together, our results are consistent with the hibernation–ageing hypothesis and may explain the enhanced longevity in hibernators. Species that hibernate generally have longer lifespans than expected based on their body size. The authors show epigenetic ageing patterns from a natural population of hibernating yellow-bellied marmots consistent with the hypothesis that ageing is suspended during hibernation.
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10
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OUP accepted manuscript. J Mammal 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyac015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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12
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Abstract
[Figure: see text].
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13
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O’Brien SL, Tammone MN, Cuello PA, Lacey EA. Multi-year assessment of variability in spatial and social relationships in a subterranean rodent, the highland tuco-tuco (Ctenomys opimus). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03034-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
In some species, populations routinely contain a mixture of lone and group-living individuals. Such facultative sociality may reflect individual differences in behavior as well as adaptive responses to variation in local environmental conditions. To explore interactions between individual- and population-level variabilities in behavior in a species provisionally described as facultatively social, we examined spatial and social relationships within a population of highland tuco-tucos (Ctenomys opimus) at Laguna de los Pozuelos, Jujuy Province, Argentina. Using data collected over 5 consecutive years, we sought to (1) confirm the regular occurrence of both lone and group-living individuals and (2) characterize the temporal consistency of individual social relationships. Our analyses revealed that although the study population typically contained lone as well as group-living animals, individual spatial and social relationships varied markedly over time. Specifically, the extent to which individuals remained resident in the same location across years varied, as did the number of conspecifics with which an animal lived, with an overall tendency for individuals to live in larger groups over successive years. Collectively, these analyses indicate that population-level patterns of behavior in C. opimus are consistent with facultative sociality but that this variation does not arise due to persistent differences in individual behavior (i.e., living alone versus with conspecifics). Instead, based on changes in spatial and social relationships across years, we suggest that variation in the tendency to live in groups is shaped primarily by local ecological and demographic conditions.
Significance statement
Characterizing variation in conspecific relationships is critical to understanding the adaptive bases for social behavior. Using data collected over 5 successive years, we examined temporal variation in spatial and social relationships within a population of highland tuco-tucos (C. opimus) from northern Argentina. In addition to providing the first multi-year assessment of the behavior and demography of this species, our analyses generate important insights into relationships between individual behavior and population-level patterns of social organization. The behavioral variability evident in our study population suggests that C. opimus is an ideal system in which to explore the causes and consequences of individual differences in social behavior.
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14
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Uchida K, Ng R, Vydro SA, Smith JE, Blumstein DT. The benefits of being dominant: health correlates of male social rank and age in a marmot. Curr Zool 2021; 68:19-26. [PMID: 35169626 PMCID: PMC8836331 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/19/2021] [Accepted: 04/22/2021] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The benefits of dominance may not come without costs, particularly for males. For example, the “immunocompetence handicap hypothesis” states that males with enhanced mating success allocate resources to enhance reproductive output at a cost to their current health, whereas the “resource quality hypothesis” predicts that high-ranking males may benefit from increased reproduction and good health. Whereas the predictions from each have been well tested in captive animals and in a variety of highly social primates, fewer studies have been carried out in free-living, facultatively social animals. Using adult male yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), we evaluated predictions of these hypotheses by examining the relationship between social rank and 2 health indicators—fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FCM) levels, and neutrophil/lymphocyte (N/L) ratios—after accounting for variation explained by age, body mass, and seasonality. We found that higher-ranking males tended to have a lower N/L ratio (reflecting good health) than lower-ranking individuals, whereas FCM levels were not significantly related to rank. In addition, heavier male marmots had lower N/L ratios, whereas body mass was not associated with FCM levels. We also found that older adult males had lower FCM levels (reflecting less physiological stress) but higher N/L ratios than younger adults. Finally, we found that FCM levels decreased as the active season progressed and FCM levels were associated with the time of the day. Overall, our results suggest that socially-dominant male marmots enjoyed better, not worse health in terms of lower N/L ratios.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kenta Uchida
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Rachel Ng
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Samuel A Vydro
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Jennifer E Smith
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- Department of Biology, Mills College, Oakland, CA 94613, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
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15
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Bond ML, König B, Ozgul A, Farine DR, Lee DE. Socially Defined Subpopulations Reveal Demographic Variation in a Giraffe Metapopulation. J Wildl Manage 2021. [DOI: 10.1002/jwmg.22044] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Monica L. Bond
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Barbara König
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies University of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
| | - Derek E. Lee
- Department of Biology Pennsylvania State University, University Park Pennsylvania USA
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16
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Williams DM, Wu C, Blumstein DT. Social position indirectly influences the traits yellow-bellied marmots use to solve problems. Anim Cogn 2021; 24:829-842. [PMID: 33559006 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-020-01464-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/29/2020] [Revised: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 12/18/2020] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Abstract
Animals adapt to changing environments by behaving flexibly when solving problems. Traits, such as sex and age, and specifically behavioral traits like persistence-the amount of time spent attempting to solve a problem, are positively associated with successful problem-solving. However, individuals face social pressures, such as aggression, which may directly alter an individual's behavior or interact with sex or age, when they attempt to problem-solve. We examined the direct and indirect effects of social position and individual behavioral traits on solving a novel puzzle box in facultatively social yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer), using both generalized linear mixed models and confirmatory path analysis. We found strong support that marmots who used a diversity of behaviors were more successful problem-solvers and weak support that those who received more aggression were less successful. Additionally, marmots who received more aggression were less behaviorally diverse, less behaviorally selective and less persistent while trying to open the puzzle box. Thus, we show that aggression indirectly decreases problem-solving success by acting on the behavioral traits that an individual uses. We conclude that specific social relationships, including the type of interaction and whether they are recipients or initiators, influences the ways in which an individual interacts with cognitive tests and should be considered in analysis of individual problem-solving.
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Affiliation(s)
- Dana M Williams
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California-Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Dr. S, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA. .,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, 8000 County Rd 317, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA.
| | - Catherine Wu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California-Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Dr. S, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, 8000 County Rd 317, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California-Los Angeles, 621 Charles E. Young Dr. S, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.,Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, 8000 County Rd 317, Crested Butte, CO, 81224, USA
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17
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18
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Variation of social strategies within and between individual black-tailed prairie dogs (Cynomys ludovicianus) during the reproductive season. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02950-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
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19
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Khalifeh A, Blumstein DT, Fontenele RS, Schmidlin K, Richet C, Kraberger S, Varsani A. Diverse cressdnaviruses and an anellovirus identified in the fecal samples of yellow-bellied marmots. Virology 2020; 554:89-96. [PMID: 33388542 DOI: 10.1016/j.virol.2020.12.017] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/19/2020] [Revised: 12/24/2020] [Accepted: 12/25/2020] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Over that last decade, coupling multiple strand displacement approaches with high throughput sequencing have resulted in the identification of genomes of diverse groups of small circular DNA viruses. Using a similar approach but with recovery of complete genomes by PCR, we identified a diverse group of single-stranded viruses in yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer) fecal samples. From 13 fecal samples we identified viruses in the family Genomoviridae (n = 7) and Anelloviridae (n = 1), and several others that ware part of the larger Cressdnaviricota phylum but not within established families (n = 19). There were also circular DNA molecules identified (n = 4) that appear to encode one viral-like gene and have genomes of <1545 nts. This study gives a snapshot of viruses associated with marmots based on fecal sampling.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Khalifeh
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Institute of the Environment & Sustainability, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, USA.
| | - Rafaela S Fontenele
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Kara Schmidlin
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Cécile Richet
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Simona Kraberger
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA
| | - Arvind Varsani
- The Biodesign Center for Fundamental and Applied Microbiomics, School of Life Sciences, Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, 85287, USA; Structural Biology Research Unit, Department of Clinical Laboratory Sciences, University of Cape Town, 7925, Cape Town, South Africa.
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Menz CS, Carter AJ, Best EC, Freeman NJ, Dwyer RG, Blomberg SP, Goldizen AW. Higher sociability leads to lower reproductive success in female kangaroos. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:200950. [PMID: 32968533 PMCID: PMC7481692 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
In social mammals, social integration is generally assumed to improve females' reproductive success. Most species demonstrating this relationship exhibit complex forms of social bonds and interactions. However, female eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) exhibit differentiated social relationships, yet do not appear to cooperate directly. It is unclear what the fitness consequences of such sociability could be in species that do not exhibit obvious forms of cooperation. Using 4 years of life history, spatial and social data from a wild population of approximately 200 individually recognizable female eastern grey kangaroos, we tested whether higher levels of sociability are associated with greater reproductive success. Contrary to expectations, we found that the size of a female's social network, her numbers of preferential associations with other females and her group sizes all negatively influenced her reproductive success. These factors influenced the survival of dependent young that had left the pouch rather than those that were still in the pouch. We also show that primiparous females (first-time breeders) were less likely to have surviving young. Our findings suggest that social bonds are not always beneficial for reproductive success in group-living species, and that female kangaroos may experience trade-offs between successfully rearing young and maintaining affiliative relationships.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. S. Menz
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - A. J. Carter
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - E. C. Best
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - N. J. Freeman
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - R. G. Dwyer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland 4556, Australia
| | - S. P. Blomberg
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - A. W. Goldizen
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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Heissenberger S, de Pinho GM, Martin JGA, Blumstein DT. Age and location influence the costs of compensatory and accelerated growth in a hibernating mammal. Behav Ecol 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
The increase of structural growth rates to compensate for a poor initial body condition, defined as compensatory growth, may have physiological costs, but little is known about its effects on individual fitness in the wild. Yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) are obligate hibernators and depend on fat accumulation acquired during an approximately 4-month summer to survive overwinter. We investigated the costs of survival and longevity of rapid growth in a wild population of yellow-bellied marmots. We used trapping data collected from 2002 to 2014 to calculate individual relative seasonal growth and assess its effects on longevity and annual survival of juveniles, yearlings, and adults. Sites were distributed in two main areas, down-valley and up-valley; the latter has a higher elevation and is an overall harsher environment. We found that relative seasonal growth had no effect on individual longevity or on juvenile and adult annual survival. For yearlings, the effect of relative seasonal growth on survival depended on the location: yearlings with high relative seasonal growth had lower survival if located up-valley, and higher survival if located down-valley. In conclusion, juveniles and adults do not appear to have detectable costs of rapid growth, although there are costs to yearling survival depending on environmental conditions. Substantial structural growth occurs when marmots are yearlings and our results are likely driven by the high conflicting demands of somatic growth versus maintenance at this stage. Thus, the costs of rapid growth are age and site dependent and may be seen in the short term for species facing temporal constraints on growth.
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Affiliation(s)
| | | | | | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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O’Brien SL, Tammone MN, Cuello PA, Lacey EA. Facultative sociality in a subterranean rodent, the highland tuco-tuco (Ctenomys opimus). Biol J Linn Soc Lond 2020. [DOI: 10.1093/biolinnean/blaa011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Understanding why social relationships vary among conspecifics is central to studies of animal behaviour. For many species, patterns of space use provide important insights into social behaviour. To characterize the social organization of the highland tuco-tuco (Ctenomys opimus), we used visual observations and radiotelemetry to quantify spatial relationships among adults in a population at Laguna de los Pozuelos, Jujuy Province, Argentina. Specifically, we sought to confirm anecdotal reports that these subterranean rodents are social, meaning that adults share burrow systems and nest sites. Our data indicate that the animals live in spatially distinct groups, although the number of individuals per group varies markedly. Although these relationships were robust with regard to location (above vs. below ground) and type of data (visual vs. telemetry), some groups identified during the daytime fissioned during the night. We suggest that the population of C. opimus at Pozuelos is facultatively social, meaning that individuals display predictable, adaptive differences in social relationships with conspecifics. More generally, our findings add to the growing number of subterranean species of rodents recognized as social, thereby generating new opportunities for comparative studies of these animals aimed at assessing the causes and consequences of variation in social organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shannon L O’Brien
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
| | - Mauro N Tammone
- INIBIOMA-CONICET and Programa de Estudios Aplicados a la Conservación del Parque Nacional Nanhuel Huapi (CENAC-PHHN, CONICET), Rio Negro, Argentina
| | - Pablo A Cuello
- Instituto Argentino de Investigaciones de Zonas Aridas (IADIZA-CCT CONICET), Mendoza, Argentina
| | - Eileen A Lacey
- Museum of Vertebrate Zoology and Department of Integrative Biology, University of California, Berkeley, CA, USA
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Aliperti JR, Van Vuren DH, Rossi AJ, Armitage KB. Litter relocation behavior in two species of ground‐dwelling squirrels. Ethology 2019. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12979] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Jaclyn R. Aliperti
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology University of California Davis, Davis California
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Crested Butte Colorado
| | - Dirk H. Van Vuren
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology University of California Davis, Davis California
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Crested Butte Colorado
| | - Aviva J. Rossi
- Department of Wildlife, Fish, and Conservation Biology University of California Davis, Davis California
| | - Kenneth B. Armitage
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory Crested Butte Colorado
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology University of Kansas Lawrence Kansas
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Pinho GM, Ortiz-Ross X, Reese AN, Blumstein DT. Correlates of maternal glucocorticoid levels in a socially flexible rodent. Horm Behav 2019; 116:104577. [PMID: 31442430 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
While it is generally accepted that social isolation has detrimental effects on social species, little is known about the importance of social interactions in less social species-particularly for wild reproductive females. We studied socially-flexible yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) and asked whether features of the social environment are associated with maternal fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations. Since changes in maternal baseline glucocorticoids may have positive or negative consequences for offspring fitness, we were also interested in estimating their relationship with measures of reproductive success. We fitted generalized linear mixed effects models to a dataset including maternal FGM measurements, social network metrics, maternal/alloparental care, and pup FGM and survival. Agonistic interactions were positively associated with maternal FGM levels, while mothers that engaged in relatively more affiliative interactions had reduced FGM levels when living in environments with low predator pressure. Pups associated with mothers exhibiting high FGM levels had low annual survival rates, received less maternal/alloparental care and had higher FGM levels. Interestingly, offspring from mothers with high FGM levels were more likely to survive the summer when born in small litters. In sum, social interactions likely influence and are influenced by glucocorticoid levels of facultatively social females. Potential benefits of social bonds may be context-specific, and agonistic interactions may be tightly correlated with fitness. Female marmots exhibiting high FGM levels had overall low reproductive success, which is predicted by the cort-fitness hypothesis. However, under adverse conditions, offspring summer survival can be maximized if pups are born in small litters.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela M Pinho
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA.
| | | | - Andrew N Reese
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, 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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Armenta TC, Cole SW, Geschwind DH, Blumstein DT, Wayne RK. Gene expression shifts in yellow-bellied marmots prior to natal dispersal. Behav Ecol 2019; 30:267-277. [PMID: 30971856 PMCID: PMC6450206 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/ary175] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2018] [Revised: 11/12/2018] [Accepted: 11/26/2018] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
The causes and consequences of vertebrate natal dispersal have been studied extensively, yet little is known about the molecular mechanisms involved. We used RNA-seq to quantify transcriptomic gene expression in blood of wild yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) prior to dispersing from or remaining philopatric to their natal colony. We tested 3 predictions. First, we hypothesized dispersers and residents will differentially express genes and gene networks since dispersal is physiologically demanding. Second, we expected differentially expressed genes to be involved in metabolism, circadian processes, and immune function. Finally, in dispersing individuals, we predicted differentially expressed genes would change as a function of sampling date relative to dispersal date. We detected 150 differentially expressed genes, including genes that have critical roles in lipid metabolism and antigen defense. Gene network analysis revealed a module of 126 coexpressed genes associated with dispersal that was enriched for extracellular immune function. Of the dispersal-associated genes, 22 altered expression as a function of days until dispersal, suggesting that dispersal-associated genes do not initiate transcription on the same time scale. Our results provide novel insights into the fundamental molecular changes required for dispersal and suggest evolutionary conservation of functional pathways during this behavioral process.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tiffany C Armenta
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
| | - Steve W Cole
- Department of Medicine, Division of Hematology-Oncology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel H Geschwind
- Department of Psychiatry and Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
| | - Robert K Wayne
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, CA, USA
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Blumstein DT, Williams DM, Lim AN, Kroeger S, Martin JGA. Strong social relationships are associated with decreased longevity in a facultatively social mammal. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.1934. [PMID: 29343594 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans in strong social relationships are more likely to live longer because social relationships may buffer stressors and thus have protective effects. However, a shortcoming of human studies is that they often rely on self-reporting of these relationships. By contrast, observational studies of non-human animals permit detailed analyses of the specific nature of social relationships. Thus, discoveries that some social animals live longer and healthier lives if they are involved in social grooming, forage together or have more affiliative associates emphasizes the potential importance of social relationships on health and longevity. Previous studies have focused on the impact of social metrics on longevity in obligately social species. However, if sociality indeed has a key role in longevity, we might expect that affiliative relationships should also influence longevity in less social species. We focused on socially flexible yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) and asked whether female longevity covaries with the specific nature of social relationships. We quantified social relationships with social network statistics that were based on affiliative interactions, and then estimated the correlation between longevity and sociality using bivariate models. We found a significant negative phenotypic correlation between affiliative social relationship strength and longevity; marmots with greater degree, closeness and those with a greater negative average shortest path length died at younger ages. We conclude that sociality plays an important role in longevity, but how it does so may depend on whether a species is obligately or facultatively social.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA .,The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Dana M Williams
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Alexandra N Lim
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Svenja Kroeger
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Julien G A Martin
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
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31
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Blumstein DT, Diaz A, Yin L. Marmots do not consistently use their left eye to respond to an approaching threat but those that did fled sooner. Curr Zool 2018; 64:727-731. [PMID: 30538732 PMCID: PMC6280102 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2017] [Accepted: 01/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
In many vertebrates, the brain's right hemisphere which is connected to the left visual field specializes in the processing of information about threats while the left hemisphere which is connected to the right visual field specializes in the processing of information about conspecifics. This is referred to as hemispheric lateralization. But individuals that are too predictable in their response to predators could have reduced survival and we may expect selection for somewhat unpredictable responses. We studied hemispheric lateralization in yellow-bellied marmots Marmota flaviventer, a social rodent that falls prey to a variety of terrestrial and aerial predators. We first asked if they have lateralized responses to a predatory threat. We then asked if the eye that they used to assess risk influenced their perceptions of risk. We recorded the direction marmots were initially looking and then walked toward them until they fled. We recorded the distance that they responded to our experimental approach by looking, the eye with which they looked at us, and the distance at which they fled (i.e., flight initiation distance; FID). We found that marmots had no eye preference with which they looked at an approaching threat. Furthermore, the population was not comprised of individuals that responded in consistent ways. However, we found that marmots that looked at the approaching person with their left eye had larger FIDs suggesting that risk assessment was influenced by the eye used to monitor the threat. These findings are consistent with selection to make prey less predictable for their predators, despite underlying lateralization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, USA
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
| | - Alexis Diaz
- Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
| | - Lijie Yin
- School of Life Sciences, Peking University, Beijing, China
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Nandini S, Keerthipriya P, Vidya TNC. Group size differences may mask underlying similarities in social structure: a comparison of female elephant societies. Behav Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arx135] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
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Social security: social relationship strength and connectedness influence how marmots respond to alarm calls. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2374-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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35
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Kershenbaum A, Blumstein DT. Introduction to the special column: communication, cooperation, and cognition in predators. Curr Zool 2017; 63:295-299. [PMID: 29491988 PMCID: PMC5804181 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zox027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Arik Kershenbaum
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
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Hayes LD, Ebensperger LA, Kelt DA, Meserve PL, Pillay N, Viblanc VA, Schradin C. Long-term field studies on rodents. J Mammal 2017. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyw180] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
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37
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Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Read DW, Blumstein DT. Can individual variation in phenotypic plasticity enhance population viability? Ecol Modell 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.ecolmodel.2017.02.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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38
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Petelle MB, Dang BN, Blumstein DT. The effect of maternal glucocorticoid levels on juvenile docility in yellow-bellied marmots. Horm Behav 2017; 89:86-91. [PMID: 28062231 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects can have significant and long-term consequences on offspring behavior and survival, while consistent individual differences (i.e., personality) can have profound impacts on individual fitness. Thus, both can influence population dynamics. However, the underlying mechanisms that determine variation in personality traits are poorly understood. Maternal effects are one potential mechanism that may explain personality variation. We capitalized on a long-term study of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) to identify maternal effects on juvenile docility. To do so, we partitioned the variance in juvenile docility using a quantitative genetic modeling approach to isolate potential maternal effects. We also directly tested whether maternal stress, measured through fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels during lactation of 82 mothers, was associated with offspring docility. Docility scores were estimated for 645 juveniles trapped between 2002 and 2012. We found an interaction between maternal glucocorticoid levels and dam age on juvenile docility. We also found significant maternal, litter, permanent environment, and year effects. These results suggest that a mother's life history stage interacts with stress to influence offspring personality. This early life influence can have long lasting effects on an individual's docility throughout life.
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Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Petelle
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State Qwaqwa, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa.
| | - Brian N Dang
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
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Duboscq J, Neumann C, Agil M, Perwitasari-Farajallah D, Thierry B, Engelhardt A. Degrees of freedom in social bonds of crested macaque females. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.11.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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Matějů J, Kratochvíl L, Pavelková Z, Pavelková Řičánková V, Vohralík V, Němec P. Absolute, not relative brain size correlates with sociality in ground squirrels. Proc Biol Sci 2016; 283:20152725. [PMID: 27009231 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2015.2725] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/12/2015] [Accepted: 02/24/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
The social brain hypothesis (SBH) contends that cognitive demands associated with living in cohesive social groups favour the evolution of large brains. Although the correlation between relative brain size and sociality reported in various groups of birds and mammals provides broad empirical support for this hypothesis, it has never been tested in rodents, the largest mammalian order. Here, we test the predictions of the SBH in the ground squirrels from the tribe Marmotini. These rodents exhibit levels of sociality ranging from solitary and single-family female kin groups to egalitarian polygynous harems but feature similar ecologies and life-history traits. We found little support for the association between increase in sociality and increase in relative brain size. Thus, sociality does not drive the evolution of encephalization in this group of rodents, a finding inconsistent with the SBH. However, body mass and absolute brain size increase with sociality. These findings suggest that increased social complexity in the ground squirrels goes hand in hand with larger body mass and brain size, which are tightly coupled to each other.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jan Matějů
- Museum Karlovy Vary, Pod Jelením skokem 30, Karlovy Vary 360 01, Czech Republic
| | - Lukáš Kratochvíl
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, Praha 2 128 44, Czech Republic
| | - Zuzana Pavelková
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, Praha 2 128 44, Czech Republic
| | - Věra Pavelková Řičánková
- Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, Branišovská 31, České Budějovice 370 05, Czech Republic
| | - Vladimír Vohralík
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, Praha 2 128 44, Czech Republic
| | - Pavel Němec
- Faculty of Science, Charles University in Prague, Viničná 7, Praha 2 128 44, Czech Republic
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Assessing the sensitivity of foraging and vigilance to internal state and environmental variables in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2195-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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43
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Yang WJ, Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Blumstein DT. A cost of being amicable in a hibernating mammal. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Miller CT, Freiwald WA, Leopold DA, Mitchell JF, Silva AC, Wang X. Marmosets: A Neuroscientific Model of Human Social Behavior. Neuron 2016; 90:219-33. [PMID: 27100195 PMCID: PMC4840471 DOI: 10.1016/j.neuron.2016.03.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 187] [Impact Index Per Article: 23.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/22/2016] [Revised: 03/18/2016] [Accepted: 03/18/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
The common marmoset (Callithrix jacchus) has garnered interest recently as a powerful model for the future of neuroscience research. Much of this excitement has centered on the species' reproductive biology and compatibility with gene editing techniques, which together have provided a path for transgenic marmosets to contribute to the study of disease as well as basic brain mechanisms. In step with technical advances is the need to establish experimental paradigms that optimally tap into the marmosets' behavioral and cognitive capacities. While conditioned task performance of a marmoset can compare unfavorably with rhesus monkey performance on conventional testing paradigms, marmosets' social behavior and cognition are more similar to that of humans. For example, marmosets are among only a handful of primates that, like humans, routinely pair bond and care cooperatively for their young. They are also notably pro-social and exhibit social cognitive abilities, such as imitation, that are rare outside of the Apes. In this Primer, we describe key facets of marmoset natural social behavior and demonstrate that emerging behavioral paradigms are well suited to isolate components of marmoset cognition that are highly relevant to humans. These approaches generally embrace natural behavior, which has been rare in conventional primate testing, and thus allow for a new consideration of neural mechanisms underlying primate social cognition and signaling. We anticipate that through parallel technical and paradigmatic advances, marmosets will become an essential model of human social behavior, including its dysfunction in neuropsychiatric disorders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cory T Miller
- Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Dr., La Jolla, CA 92093, USA.
| | - Winrich A Freiwald
- Laboratory of Neural Systems, The Rockefeller University, 1230 York Ave., New York, NY 10065, USA
| | - David A Leopold
- Section on Cognitive Neurophysiology and Imaging, Laboratory of Neuropsychology, National Institute of Mental Health, National Institutes of Health, 6001 Executive Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Jude F Mitchell
- Department of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, University of Rochester, 358 Meliora Hall, Rochester, NY 14627, USA
| | - Afonso C Silva
- Section on Cerebral Microcirculation, Laboratory of Functional and Molecular Imaging, National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke, National Institutes of Health, 6001 Executive Blvd., Bethesda, MD 20892, USA
| | - Xiaoqin Wang
- Laboratory of Auditory Neurophysiology, Department of Biomedical Engineering, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Ave., Baltimore, MD 21205, USA
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45
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Fitness and hormonal correlates of social and ecological stressors of female yellow-bellied marmots. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
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Monclús R, Anderson AM, Blumstein DT. Do Yellow-Bellied Marmots Perceive Enhanced Predation Risk When they are Farther from safety? An experimental study. Ethology 2015. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.12397] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Raquel Monclús
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Los Angeles CA USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory; Crested Butte CO USA
- Laboratoire d'Ethologie Expérimentale et Comparée; Université Paris 13, Sorbonne-Paris Cité; Villetaneuse France
| | - Alexandra M. Anderson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Los Angeles CA USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory; Crested Butte CO USA
| | - Daniel T. Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Los Angeles CA USA
- The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory; Crested Butte CO USA
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Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Martin JGA, Armitage KB, Oli MK, Blumstein DT. Environmentally induced phenotypic variation in wild yellow-bellied marmots. J Mammal 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/jmammal/gyu006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
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Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Hubbard L, Blumstein DT. Group size affects social relationships in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris). Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
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Fuong H, Maldonado-Chaparro A, Blumstein DT. Are social attributes associated with alarm calling propensity? Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru235] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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Williams DM, Samia DS, Cooper WE, Blumstein DT. The flush early and avoid the rush hypothesis holds after accounting for spontaneous behavior. Behav Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/aru098] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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