1
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Huang P, Arlet ME, Balasubramaniam KN, Beisner BA, Bliss-Moreau E, Brent LJN, Duboscq J, García-Nisa I, Kaburu SSK, Kendal R, Konečná M, Marty PR, McCowan B, Micheletta J, Ostner J, Schülke O, Schino G, Majolo B. Relationship between dominance hierarchy steepness and rank-relatedness of benefits in primates. Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae066. [PMID: 39193469 PMCID: PMC11347755 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/10/2024] [Revised: 07/31/2024] [Accepted: 08/11/2024] [Indexed: 08/29/2024] Open
Abstract
In animal social groups, the extent to which individuals consistently win agonistic interactions and their ability to monopolize resources represent 2 core aspects of their competitive regime. However, whether these two aspects are closely correlated within groups has rarely been studied. Here, we tested the hypothesis that hierarchy steepness, which is generally used to represent power differentials between group members, predicts the variation in the distribution of fitness-related benefits (i.e. fecundity, infant survival, mating success, and feeding success) in relation to individual dominance ranks. We tested this hypothesis in primate groups using comparative phylogenetic meta-analytical techniques. Specifically, we reviewed published and unpublished studies to extract data on individual dominance ranks, their access to fitness-related benefits, and hierarchy steepness. We collected and included in our analysis a total of 153 data points, representing 27 species (including 2 chimpanzee sub-species). From these, we used 4 common methods to measure individual dominance ranks and hierarchy steepness, i.e. D ij -based normalized David's scores, randomized Elo-ratings, and David's scores and Elo-ratings estimated in Bayesian frameworks. We found that hierarchy steepness had no effect on the strength of the relationship between dominance rank and access to fitness-related benefits. Our results suggest that hierarchy steepness does not reflect between-group variation in the extent to which individual dominance affects the acquisition of fitness-related benefits in primates. Although the ability to win agonistic encounters is essential, we speculate that other behavioral strategies adopted by individuals may play crucial roles in resource acquisition in animal competitive regimes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pengzhen Huang
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Brayford Wharf East, Lincoln, LN5 7AY, United Kingdom
- School of Ecology, Hainan University, Hainan, China
| | - Malgorzata E Arlet
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, 61614 Poznań, Poland
| | - Krishna N Balasubramaniam
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, United Kingdom
| | - Brianne A Beisner
- Animal Resources Division, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA 30329, United States
| | - Eliza Bliss-Moreau
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, United Kingdom
| | - Julie Duboscq
- Unité Eco‑Anthropologie (EA), UMR 7206, Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, CNRS, Université Paris Cité, Musée de l’Homme 17 Place du Trocadéro, 75016 Paris, France
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Iván García-Nisa
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Stefano S K Kaburu
- School of Animal, Rural & Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Southwell NG25 0QF, United Kingdom
| | - Rachel Kendal
- Department of Anthropology, Durham University, Durham DH1 3LE, United Kingdom
| | - Martina Konečná
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic
| | - Pascal R Marty
- Wildlife Park Goldau, Parkstrasse 38, CH-6410 Goldau, Switzerland
| | - Brenda McCowan
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, United States
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), University of California at Davis, Davis, CA 95616, United States
| | - Jérôme Micheletta
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, Department of Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth PO1 2UP, United Kingdom
| | - Julia Ostner
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Social Evolution in Primates Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Schülke
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
- Social Evolution in Primates Group, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Gabriele Schino
- Istituto di Scienze e Tecnologie della Cognizione, Consiglio Nazionale delle Ricerche, Rome, Italy
| | - Bonaventura Majolo
- School of Psychology, University of Lincoln, Brayford Wharf East, Lincoln, LN5 7AY, United Kingdom
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2
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Bartolomucci A, Tung J, Harris KM. The fortunes and misfortunes of social life across the life course: A new era of research from field, laboratory and comparative studies. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2024; 162:105655. [PMID: 38583652 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2024.105655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/29/2024] [Revised: 03/31/2024] [Accepted: 04/03/2024] [Indexed: 04/09/2024]
Abstract
Social gradients in health and aging have been reported in studies across many human populations, and - as the papers included in this special collection highlight - also occur across species. This paper serves as a general introduction to the special collection of Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Reviews entitled "Social dimensions of health and aging: population studies, preclinical research, and comparative research using animal models". Authors of the fourteen reviews are primarily members of a National Institute of Aging-supported High Priority Research Network on "Animal Models for the Social Dimensions of Health and Aging". The collection is introduced by a foreword, commentaries, and opinion pieces by leading experts in related fields. The fourteen reviews are divided into four sections: Section 1: Biodemography and life course studies; Section 2: Social behavior and healthy aging in nonhuman primates; Section 3: Social factors, stress, and hallmarks of aging; Section 4: Neuroscience and social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandro Bartolomucci
- Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, MN, USA; Department of Medicine and Surgery, University of Parma, Parma, Italy.
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada; Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Kathleen Mullan Harris
- Department of Sociology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA; Carolina Population Center, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, NC, USA.
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3
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Holmes KG, Krützen M, Ridley AR, Allen SJ, Connor RC, Gerber L, Flaherty Stamm C, King SL. Juvenile social play predicts adult reproductive success in male bottlenose dolphins. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2024; 121:e2305948121. [PMID: 38857400 PMCID: PMC11194510 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2305948121] [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: 04/14/2023] [Accepted: 03/14/2024] [Indexed: 06/12/2024] Open
Abstract
For over a century, the evolution of animal play has sparked scientific curiosity. The prevalence of social play in juvenile mammals suggests that play is a beneficial behavior, potentially contributing to individual fitness. Yet evidence from wild animals supporting the long-hypothesized link between juvenile social play, adult behavior, and fitness remains limited. In Western Australia, adult male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops aduncus) form multilevel alliances that are crucial for their reproductive success. A key adult mating behavior involves allied males using joint action to herd individual females. Juveniles of both sexes invest significant time in play that resembles adult herding-taking turns in mature male (actor) and female (receiver) roles. Using a 32-y dataset of individual-level association patterns, paternity success, and behavioral observations, we show that juvenile males with stronger social bonds are significantly more likely to engage in joint action when play-herding in actor roles. Juvenile males also monopolized the actor role and produced an adult male herding vocalization ("pops") when playing with females. Notably, males who spent more time playing in the actor role as juveniles achieved more paternities as adults. These findings not only reveal that play behavior provides male dolphins with mating skill practice years before they sexually mature but also demonstrate in a wild animal population that juvenile social play predicts adult reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathryn G. Holmes
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA6009, Australia
| | - Michael Krützen
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA6009, Australia
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich8057, Switzerland
| | - Amanda R. Ridley
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA6009, Australia
| | - Simon J. Allen
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA6009, Australia
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich8057, Switzerland
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BristolBS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
| | - Richard C. Connor
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA6009, Australia
- Biology Department, University of Massachusetts Dartmouth, North Dartmouth, MA02747
- Department of Biological Sciences and Institute of Environment, Florida International University, North Miami, FL33181
| | - Livia Gerber
- Evolutionary Genetics Group, Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich8057, Switzerland
- Australian National Wildlife Collection, National Research Collections Australia, Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation, Canberra, ACT2601, Australia
| | | | - Stephanie L. King
- Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Western Australia, Crawley, WA6009, Australia
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, BristolBS8 1TQ, United Kingdom
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4
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Csikós V, Dóra F, Láng T, Darai L, Szendi V, Tóth A, Cservenák M, Dobolyi A. Social Isolation Induces Changes in the Monoaminergic Signalling in the Rat Medial Prefrontal Cortex. Cells 2024; 13:1043. [PMID: 38920671 PMCID: PMC11201939 DOI: 10.3390/cells13121043] [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: 04/21/2024] [Revised: 06/02/2024] [Accepted: 06/13/2024] [Indexed: 06/27/2024] Open
Abstract
(1) Background: The effects of short-term social isolation during adulthood have not yet been fully established in rats behaviourally, and not at all transcriptomically in the medial prefrontal cortex (mPFC). (2) Methods: We measured the behavioural effects of housing adult male rats in pairs or alone for 10 days. We also used RNA sequencing to measure the accompanying gene expression alterations in the mPFC of male rats. (3) Results: The isolated animals exhibited reduced sociability and social novelty preference, but increased social interaction. There was no change in their aggression, anxiety, or depression-like activity. Transcriptomic analysis revealed a differential expression of 46 genes between the groups. The KEGG pathway analysis showed that differentially expressed genes are involved in neuroactive ligand-receptor interactions, particularly in the dopaminergic and peptidergic systems, and addiction. Subsequent validation confirmed the decreased level of three altered genes: regulator of G protein signalling 9 (Rgs9), serotonin receptor 2c (Htr2c), and Prodynorphin (Pdyn), which are involved in dopaminergic, serotonergic, and peptidergic function, respectively. Antagonizing Htr2c confirmed its role in social novelty discrimination. (4) Conclusions: Social homeostatic regulations include monoaminergic and peptidergic systems of the mPFC.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vivien Csikós
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Fanni Dóra
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, 1094 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Tamás Láng
- Laboratory of Neuromorphology, Department of Anatomy, Histology and Embryology, Semmelweis University, 1094 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Luca Darai
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Vivien Szendi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Attila Tóth
- In Vivo Electrophysiology Research Group, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Melinda Cservenák
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
| | - Arpád Dobolyi
- Laboratory of Molecular and Systems Neurobiology, Department of Physiology and Neurobiology, Eötvös Loránd University, 1117 Budapest, Hungary
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5
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Rosenbaum S, Malani A, Lea AJ, Tung J, Alberts SC, Archie EA. Testing frameworks for early life effects: the developmental constraints and adaptive response hypotheses do not explain key fertility outcomes in wild female baboons. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2024:2024.04.23.590627. [PMID: 38712305 PMCID: PMC11071398 DOI: 10.1101/2024.04.23.590627] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 05/08/2024]
Abstract
In evolutionary ecology, two classes of explanations are frequently invoked to explain "early life effects" on adult outcomes. Developmental constraints (DC) explanations contend that costs of early adversity arise from limitations adversity places on optimal development. Adaptive response (AR) hypotheses propose that later life outcomes will be worse when early and adult environments are poorly "matched." Here, we use recently proposed mathematical definitions for these hypotheses and a quadratic-regression based approach to test the long-term consequences of variation in developmental environments on fertility in wild baboons. We evaluate whether low rainfall and/or dominance rank during development predict three female fertility measures in adulthood, and whether any observed relationships are consistent with DC and/or AR. Neither rainfall during development nor the difference between rainfall in development and adulthood predicted any fertility measures. Females who were low-ranking during development had an elevated risk of losing infants later in life, and greater change in rank between development and adulthood predicted greater risk of infant loss. However, both effects were statistically marginal and consistent with alternative explanations, including adult environmental quality effects. Consequently, our data do not provide compelling support for either of these common explanations for the evolution of early life effects.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Anup Malani
- University of Chicago Law School & National Bureau of Economic Research
| | - Amanda J Lea
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary, Anthropology; Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology & Biology, Duke University
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Departments of Evolutionary Anthropology & Biology, Duke University
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6
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Papageorgiou D, Nyaguthii B, Farine DR. Compromise or choose: shared movement decisions in wild vulturine guineafowl. Commun Biol 2024; 7:95. [PMID: 38218910 PMCID: PMC10787764 DOI: 10.1038/s42003-024-05782-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/31/2023] [Accepted: 01/04/2024] [Indexed: 01/15/2024] Open
Abstract
Shared-decision making is beneficial for the maintenance of group-living. However, little is known about whether consensus decision-making follows similar processes across different species. Addressing this question requires robust quantification of how individuals move relative to each other. Here we use high-resolution GPS-tracking of two vulturine guineafowl (Acryllium vulturinum) groups to test the predictions from a classic theoretical model of collective motion. We show that, in both groups, all individuals can successfully initiate directional movements, although males are more likely to be followed than females. When multiple group members initiate simultaneously, follower decisions depend on directional agreement, with followers compromising directions if the difference between them is small or choosing the majority direction if the difference is large. By aligning with model predictions and replicating the findings of a previous field study on olive baboons (Papio anubis), our results suggest that a common process governs collective decision-making in moving animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Danai Papageorgiou
- University of Zurich, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Department of Collective Behavior, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany.
- University of Konstanz, Department of Biology, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany.
- Kenya Wildlife Service, P.O. Box 40241-001000, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, College for Life Sciences, Wallotstrasse 19, Berlin, 14193, Germany.
| | - Brendah Nyaguthii
- University of Eldoret, School of Natural Resource Management, Department of Wildlife, 1125-30100, Eldoret, Kenya
- Mpala Research Centre, P.O. Box 92, Nanyuki, 10400, Kenya
- National Museums of Kenya, Department of Ornithology, P.O. Box 40658-001000, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Damien R Farine
- University of Zurich, Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057, Zurich, Switzerland.
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Department of Collective Behavior, Universitätsstraße 10, Konstanz, 78457, Germany.
- National Museums of Kenya, Department of Ornithology, P.O. Box 40658-001000, Nairobi, Kenya.
- Australian National University, Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, 46 Sullivans Creek Road, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia.
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7
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Beck KB, Farine DR, Firth JA, Sheldon BC. Variation in local population size predicts social network structure in wild songbirds. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2348-2362. [PMID: 37837224 PMCID: PMC10952437 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
The structure of animal societies is a key determinant of many ecological and evolutionary processes. Yet, we know relatively little about the factors and mechanisms that underpin detailed social structure. Among other factors, social structure can be influenced by habitat configuration. By shaping animal movement decisions, heterogeneity in habitat features, such as vegetation and the availability of resources, can influence the spatiotemporal distribution of individuals and subsequently key socioecological properties such as the local population size and density. Differences in local population size and density can impact opportunities for social associations and may thus drive substantial variation in local social structure. Here, we investigated spatiotemporal variation in population size at 65 distinct locations in a small songbird, the great tit (Parus major) and its effect on social network structure. We first explored the within-location consistency of population size from weekly samples and whether the observed variation in local population size was predicted by the underlying habitat configuration. Next, we created social networks from the birds' foraging associations at each location for each week and examined if local population size affected social structure. We show that population size is highly repeatable within locations across weeks and years and that some of the observed variation in local population size was predicted by the underlying habitat, with locations closer to the forest edge having on average larger population sizes. Furthermore, we show that local population size affected social structure inferred by four global network metrics. Using simple simulations, we then reveal that much of the observed social structure is shaped by social processes. Across different population sizes, the birds' social structure was largely explained by their preference to forage in flocks. In addition, over and above effects of social foraging, social preferences between birds (i.e. social relationships) shaped certain network features such as the extent of realized social connections. Our findings thus suggest that individual social decisions substantially contribute to shaping certain social network features over and above effects of population size alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B. Beck
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of BiologyAustralian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
- Department of Collective BehaviourMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviourKonstanzGermany
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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8
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Tuliozi B, Mantovani R, Schoepf I, Tsuruta S, Mancin E, Sartori C. Genetic correlations of direct and indirect genetic components of social dominance with fitness and morphology traits in cattle. Genet Sel Evol 2023; 55:84. [PMID: 38037008 PMCID: PMC10687847 DOI: 10.1186/s12711-023-00845-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2022] [Accepted: 10/02/2023] [Indexed: 12/02/2023] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Within the same species, individuals show marked variation in their social dominance. Studies on a handful of populations have indicated heritable genetic variation for this trait, which is determined by both the genetic background of the individual (direct genetic effect) and of its opponent (indirect genetic effect). However, the evolutionary consequences of selection for this trait are largely speculative, as it is not a usual target of selection in livestock populations. Moreover, studying social dominance presents the challenge of working with a phenotype with a mean value that cannot change in the population, as for every winner of an agonistic interaction there will necessarily be a loser. Thus, to investigate what could be the evolutionary response to selection for social dominance, it is necessary to focus on traits that might be correlated with it. This study investigated the genetic correlations of social dominance, both direct and indirect, with several morphology and fitness traits. We used a dataset of agonistic contests involving cattle (Bos taurus): during these contests, pairs of cows compete in ritualized interactions to assess social dominance. The outcomes of 37,996 dominance interactions performed by 8789 cows over 20 years were combined with individual data for fertility, mammary health, milk yield and morphology and analysed using bivariate animal models including indirect genetic effects. RESULTS We found that winning agonistic interactions has a positive genetic correlation with more developed frontal muscle mass, lower fertility, and poorer udder health. We also discovered that the trends of changes in the estimated breeding values of social dominance, udder health and more developed muscle mass were consistent with selection for social dominance in the population. CONCLUSIONS We present evidence that social dominance is genetically correlated with fitness traits, as well as empirical evidence of the possible evolutionary trade-offs between these traits. We show that it is feasible to estimate genetic correlations involving dyadic social traits.
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Affiliation(s)
- Beniamino Tuliozi
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA.
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy.
| | - Roberto Mantovani
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Ivana Schoepf
- Department of Sciences, Augustana Campus, University of Alberta, 4901 46 Ave, Camrose, AB, T4V 2R3, Canada
| | - Shogo Tsuruta
- Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, Athens, GA, 30602, USA
| | - Enrico Mancin
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
| | - Cristina Sartori
- Department of Agronomy, Food, Natural Resources, Animals and Environment, University of Padova, Viale Dell'Università 16, 35020, Legnaro, Italy
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9
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Newman LE, Testard C, DeCasien AR, Chiou KL, Watowich MM, Janiak MC, Pavez-Fox MA, Sanchez Rosado MR, Cooper EB, Costa CE, Petersen RM, Montague MJ, Platt ML, Brent LJN, Snyder-Mackler N, Higham JP. The biology of aging in a social world: Insights from free-ranging rhesus macaques. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 154:105424. [PMID: 37827475 PMCID: PMC10872885 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105424] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2023] [Revised: 09/27/2023] [Accepted: 10/09/2023] [Indexed: 10/14/2023]
Abstract
Social adversity can increase the age-associated risk of disease and death, yet the biological mechanisms that link social adversities to aging remain poorly understood. Long-term naturalistic studies of nonhuman animals are crucial for integrating observations of social behavior throughout an individual's life with detailed anatomical, physiological, and molecular measurements. Here, we synthesize the body of research from one such naturalistic study system, Cayo Santiago, which is home to the world's longest continuously monitored free-ranging population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta). We review recent studies of age-related variation in morphology, gene regulation, microbiome composition, and immune function. We also discuss ecological and social modifiers of age-markers in this population. In particular, we summarize how a major natural disaster, Hurricane Maria, affected rhesus macaque physiology and social structure and highlight the context-dependent and domain-specific nature of aging modifiers. Finally, we conclude by providing directions for future study, on Cayo Santiago and elsewhere, that will further our understanding of aging across different domains and how social adversity modifies aging processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E Newman
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA.
| | - Camille Testard
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
| | - Alex R DeCasien
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MD, USA
| | - Kenneth L Chiou
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - Marina M Watowich
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Mareike C Janiak
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Melissa A Pavez-Fox
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
| | | | - Eve B Cooper
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Christina E Costa
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
| | - Rachel M Petersen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Michael J Montague
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael L Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA; Marketing Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA; School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ, USA
| | - James P Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
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10
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Palmer EI, Betty EL, Murphy S, Perrott MR, Smith ANH, Stockin KA. Reproductive biology of male common dolphins ( Delphinus delphis) in New Zealand waters. MARINE BIOLOGY 2023; 170:153. [PMID: 37811127 PMCID: PMC10558376 DOI: 10.1007/s00227-023-04266-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 08/02/2023] [Indexed: 10/10/2023]
Abstract
Reproductive parameters were assessed in 64 male common dolphins (Delphinus delphis) examined post-mortem from strandings and bycatch in New Zealand between 1999 and 2020. The stages of male sexual maturation were assessed using morphological measurements and histological examination of testicular tissue. Age was determined via growth layer groups (GLGs) in teeth. The average age (ASM) and length (LSM) at attainment of sexual maturity were estimated to be 8.8 years and 198.3 cm, respectively. Individual variation in ASM (7.5-10 years) and LSM (190-220 cm) was observed in New Zealand common dolphins. However, on average, sexual maturity was attained at a similar length but at a marginally younger age (< 1 year) in New Zealand compared to populations in the Northern Hemisphere. All testicular variables proved better predictors of sexual maturity compared to demographic variables (age and total body length), with combined testes weight the best outright predictor of sexual maturity. Reproductive seasonality was observed in male common dolphins, with a significant increase in combined testes weight in austral summer. This aligns with most other studied populations, where seasonality in reproduction is typically observed. Given the known anthropogenic impacts on New Zealand common dolphins, we recommend that these findings be used as a baseline from which to monitor population-level changes as part of conservation management efforts. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00227-023-04266-5.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily I. Palmer
- Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, 0745 Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Emma L. Betty
- Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, 0745 Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Sinéad Murphy
- Marine and Freshwater Research Centre, Department of Natural Resources & the Environment, School of Science and Computing, Atlantic Technological University, ATU Galway City, Old Dublin Road, Galway, H91 T8NW Ireland
| | - Matthew R. Perrott
- School of Veterinary Sciences, Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand
| | - Adam N. H. Smith
- School of Mathematical and Computational Sciences, Massey University, 0745 Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Karen A. Stockin
- Cetacean Ecology Research Group, School of Natural Sciences, Massey University, 0745 Auckland, New Zealand
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11
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Takaya K, Taguchi Y, Ise T. Individual identification of endangered amphibians using deep learning and smartphone images: case study of the Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus). Sci Rep 2023; 13:16212. [PMID: 37758778 PMCID: PMC10533547 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-40814-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/07/2023] [Accepted: 08/16/2023] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Information obtained via individual identification is invaluable for ecology and conservation. Physical tags, such as PIT tags and GPS, have been used for individual identification; however, these methods could impact on animal behavior and survival rates, and the tags may become lost. Although non-invasive methods that do not affect the target species (such as manual photoidentification) are available, these techniques utilize stripes and spots that are unique to the individual, which requires training, and applying them to large datasets is challenging. Many studies that have applied deep learning for identification have focused on species-level identification, but few have addressed individual-level identification. In this study, we developed an image-based identification method based on deep learning that uses the head spot pattern of the Japanese giant salamander (Andrias japonicus), an endemic and endangered species in Japan. We trained and evaluated a dataset collected over two days from 11 individuals in captivity, which included 7075 images taken by a smartphone camera. Individuals were photographed three times a day at approximately 11:00 (morning), 15:00 (afternoon), and 18:00 (evening). As a result, individual identification by our method, which used the EfficientNetV2 achieved 99.86% accuracy, kappa coefficient of 0.99, and an F1 score of 0.99. Performance was lower for the evening model than for the morning and afternoon models, which were trained and evaluated using photographs taken at the corresponding time of the day. The proposed method does not require direct contact with the target species, and the effect on the animals is minimal; moreover, individual-level information can be obtained under natural conditions. In the future, smartphone images can be applied to citizen science surveys and individual-level big data collection, which is difficult using current methods.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kosuke Takaya
- Graduate School of Agriculture, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan.
| | - Yuki Taguchi
- Hiroshima City Asa Zoological Park, Hiroshima, Japan
| | - Takeshi Ise
- Field Science Education and Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
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12
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Tung J, Lange EC, Alberts SC, Archie EA. Social and early life determinants of survival from cradle to grave: A case study in wild baboons. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 152:105282. [PMID: 37321362 PMCID: PMC10529797 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2023.105282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/17/2023] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/10/2023] [Indexed: 06/17/2023]
Abstract
Field studies of natural mammal populations present powerful opportunities to investigate the determinants of health and aging using fine-grained observations of known individuals across the life course. Here, we synthesize five decades of findings from one such study: the wild baboons of the Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya. First, we discuss the profound associations between early life adversity, adult social conditions, and key aging outcomes in this population, especially survival. Second, we review potential mediators of the relationship between early life adversity and survival in our population. Notably, our tests of two leading candidate mediators-social isolation and glucocorticoid levels-fail to identify a single, strong mediator of early life effects on adult survival. Instead, early adversity, social isolation, and glucocorticoids are independently linked to adult lifespans, suggesting considerable scope for mitigating the negative consequences of early life adversity. Third, we review our work on the evolutionary rationale for early life effects on mortality, which currently argues against clear predictive adaptive responses. Finally, we end by highlighting major themes emerging from the study of sociality, development, and aging in the Amboseli baboons, as well as important open questions for future work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jenny Tung
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA; Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Canada; Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA.
| | - Elizabeth C Lange
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA; Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA; Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA; Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
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13
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Phillips SR. MHC-B Diversity and Signs of Respiratory Illness in Wild, East African Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii ). BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.08.02.551731. [PMID: 37577711 PMCID: PMC10418158 DOI: 10.1101/2023.08.02.551731] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 08/15/2023]
Abstract
Many traits, intrinsic and extrinsic to an organism, contribute to interindividual variation in immunity in wild habitats. The vertebrate Major Histocompatibility Complex (MHC) includes genes encoding antigen-presenting molecules that are highly variable, and that variation often predicts susceptibility/resistance to and recovery from pathogen infection. I compare MHC-B variation at two long-term chimpanzee research sites, Kibale National Park in Uganda and Gombe National Park in Tanzania. Using decades of respiratory health data available for these chimpanzees, I test hypotheses associated with maintenance of diversity at MHC loci, including heterozygote, divergent allele, and rare allele advantage hypotheses, and predictions for unique function of MHC-B in great apes. I found, despite confirmation of recent shared ancestry between Kibale and Gombe chimpanzees, including an overlapping MHC-B allele repertoire and similar MHC-B phenotype compositions, chimpanzees from the two research sites experienced differences in the occurrence of respiratory signs and had different associations of MHC-B diversity with signs of respiratory illness. Kibale chimpanzees with heterozygous genotypes and different peptide-binding supertypes were observed less often with respiratory signs than those homozygous or possessing the same supertypes, but this same association was not observed among Gombe chimpanzees. Gombe chimpanzees with specific MHC-B phenotypes that enable engagement of Natural Killer (NK) cells were observed more often with respiratory signs than chimpanzees with other phenotypes, but this was not observed at Kanyawara. This study emphasizes local adaptation in shaping genetic and phenotypic traits in different infectious disease contexts, even among close genetic relatives of the same subspecies, and highlights utility for continued and simultaneous tracking of host immune genes and specific pathogens in wild species.
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14
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McLean EM, Moorad JA, Tung J, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Genetic variance and indirect genetic effects for affiliative social behavior in a wild primate. Evolution 2023; 77:1607-1621. [PMID: 37094802 PMCID: PMC10309972 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad066] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Affiliative social behaviors are linked to fitness components in multiple species. However, the role of genetic variance in shaping such behaviors remains largely unknown, limiting our understanding of how affiliative behaviors can respond to natural selection. Here, we employed the "animal model" to estimate environmental and genetic sources of variance and covariance in grooming behavior in the well-studied Amboseli wild baboon population. We found that the tendency for a female baboon to groom others ("grooming given") is heritable (h2 = 0.22 ± 0.048), and that several environmental variables-including dominance rank and the availability of kin as grooming partners-contribute to variance in this grooming behavior. We also detected small but measurable variance due to the indirect genetic effect of partner identity on the amount of grooming given within dyadic grooming partnerships. The indirect and direct genetic effects for grooming given were positively correlated (r = 0.74 ± 0.09). Our results provide insight into the evolvability of affiliative behavior in wild animals, including the possibility for correlations between direct and indirect genetic effects to accelerate the response to selection. As such they provide novel information about the genetic architecture of social behavior in nature, with important implications for the evolution of cooperation and reciprocity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily M McLean
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Oxford College, Emory University, Oxford, GA, United States
| | - Jacob A Moorad
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
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15
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Delmé C, Jackson N, Class B, Strickland K, Potvin DA, Frère CH. Adaptive significance of affiliative behaviour differs between sexes in a wild reptile population. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20230805. [PMID: 37339740 PMCID: PMC10281801 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.0805] [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: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/22/2023] Open
Abstract
In recent years, we have begun to appreciate that social behaviours might exhibit repeatable among-individual variation. Such behavioural traits may even covary and have critical evolutionary implications. Importantly, some social behaviours such as aggressiveness have been shown to provide fitness benefits, including higher reproductive success and survival. However, fitness consequences of affiliative behaviours, especially between or among sexes, can be more challenging to establish. Using a longitudinal behavioural dataset (2014-2021) collected on eastern water dragons (Intellagama lesueurii), we investigated whether various aspects of affiliative behaviour (i) were repeatable across years, (ii) covaried with each other at the among-individual level, and (iii) influenced individuals' fitness. In particular, we considered affiliative behaviours towards opposite-sex and same-sex conspecifics separately. We found that social traits were repeatable and covaried with each other similarly for both sexes. More notably, we found that male reproductive success was positively correlated with the number of female associates and the proportion of time spent with females, while females' reproductive success was not correlated with any of the measured social behaviour metrics. Overall, these findings suggest that selection may be acting differently on social behaviour of male and female eastern water dragons.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Delmé
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - N. Jackson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - B. Class
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
- Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Munich, Germany
| | - K. Strickland
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - D. A. Potvin
- School of Science, Technology and Engineering, University of the Sunshine Coast, Queensland, Australia
| | - C. H. Frère
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
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16
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Lange EC, Zeng S, Campos FA, Li F, Tung J, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Early life adversity and adult social relationships have independent effects on survival in a wild primate. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eade7172. [PMID: 37196090 PMCID: PMC10191438 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.ade7172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/07/2022] [Accepted: 04/11/2023] [Indexed: 05/19/2023]
Abstract
Adverse conditions in early life can have negative consequences for adult health and survival in humans and other animals. What variables mediate the relationship between early adversity and adult survival? Adult social environments represent one candidate: Early life adversity is linked to social adversity in adulthood, and social adversity in adulthood predicts survival outcomes. However, no study has prospectively linked early life adversity, adult social behavior, and adult survival to measure the extent to which adult social behavior mediates this relationship. We do so in a wild baboon population in Amboseli, Kenya. We find weak mediation and largely independent effects of early adversity and adult sociality on survival. Furthermore, strong social bonds and high social status in adulthood can buffer some negative effects of early adversity. These results support the idea that affiliative social behavior is subject to natural selection through its positive relationship with survival, and they highlight possible targets for intervention to improve human health and well-being.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Lange
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Oswego, Oswego NY, USA
| | - Shuxi Zeng
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | - Fernando A. Campos
- Department of Anthropology, The University of Texas at San Antonio, San Antonio TX, USA
| | - Fan Li
- Department of Statistical Science, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- University of Leipzig, Faculty of Life Science, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame IN, USA
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham NC, USA
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17
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Bercovitch FB. Conservation and evolution: Inbreeding, small populations, and sex differences in life history. Primates 2023; 64:277-283. [PMID: 37145305 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-023-01069-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 04/13/2023] [Indexed: 05/06/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Fred B Bercovitch
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto, Japan.
- Anne Innis Dagg Foundation, Toronto, Canada.
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18
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Beck KB, Sheldon BC, Firth JA. Social learning mechanisms shape transmission pathways through replicate local social networks of wild birds. eLife 2023; 12:85703. [PMID: 37128701 PMCID: PMC10154030 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of novel behaviours via social learning can lead to rapid population-level changes whereby the social connections between individuals shape information flow. However, behaviours can spread via different mechanisms and little is known about how information flow depends on the underlying learning rule individuals employ. Here, comparing four different learning mechanisms, we simulated behavioural spread on replicate empirical social networks of wild great tits and explored the relationship between individual sociality and the order of behavioural acquisition. Our results reveal that, for learning rules dependent on the sum and strength of social connections to informed individuals, social connectivity was related to the order of acquisition, with individuals with increased social connectivity and reduced social clustering adopting new behaviours faster. However, when behavioural adoption depends on the ratio of an individuals' social connections to informed versus uninformed individuals, social connectivity was not related to the order of acquisition. Finally, we show how specific learning mechanisms may limit behavioural spread within networks. These findings have important implications for understanding whether and how behaviours are likely to spread across social systems, the relationship between individuals' sociality and behavioural acquisition, and therefore for the costs and benefits of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B Beck
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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19
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Bracken AM, Christensen C, O'Riain MJ, Fürtbauer I, King AJ. Postpartum cessation of urban space use by a female baboon living at the edge of the City of Cape Town. Ecol Evol 2023; 13:e9963. [PMID: 37200910 PMCID: PMC10186196 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.9963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Revised: 03/15/2023] [Accepted: 03/15/2023] [Indexed: 05/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Species with slow life history strategies that invest in few offspring with extended parental care need to adapt their behavior to cope with anthropogenic changes that occur within their lifetime. Here we show that a female chacma baboon (Papio ursinus) that commonly ranges within urban space in the City of Cape Town, South Africa, stops using urban space after giving birth. This change of space use occurs without any significant change in daily distance traveled or social interactions that would be expected with general risk-sensitive behavior after birth. Instead, we suggest this change occurs because of the specific and greater risks the baboons experience within the urban space compared to natural space, and because leaving the troop (to enter urban space) may increase infanticide risk. This case study can inform methods used to manage the baboons' urban space use in Cape Town and provides insight into how life history events alter individuals' use of anthropogenic environments.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna M. Bracken
- School of BiodiversityOne Health and Veterinary MedicineGraham Kerr BuildingGlasgowG12 8QQUK
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and EngineeringSwansea UniversitySA2 8PPSwanseaUK
| | - Charlotte Christensen
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and EngineeringSwansea UniversitySA2 8PPSwanseaUK
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZürichWinterthurerstrasse 1908057ZürichSwitzerland
| | - M. Justin O'Riain
- Department of Biological Sciences, Institute for Communities and Wildlife in AfricaUniversity of Cape TownCape TownSouth Africa
| | - Ines Fürtbauer
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and EngineeringSwansea UniversitySA2 8PPSwanseaUK
| | - Andrew J. King
- Biosciences, School of Biosciences, Geography and Physics, Faculty of Science and EngineeringSwansea UniversitySA2 8PPSwanseaUK
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20
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Roatti V, Cowlishaw G, Huchard E, Carter A. Social network inheritance and differentiation in wild baboons. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230219. [PMID: 37234491 PMCID: PMC10206475 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Immatures' social development may be fundamental to understand important biological processes, such as social information transmission through groups, that can vary with age and sex. Our aim was to determine how social networks change with age and differ between sexes in wild immature baboons, group-living primates that readily learn socially. Our results show that immature baboons inherited their mothers' networks and differentiated from them as they aged, increasing their association with partners of similar age and the same sex. Males were less bonded to their matriline and became more peripheral with age compared to females. Our results may pave the way to further studies testing a new hypothetical framework: in female-philopatric societies, social information transmission may be constrained at the matrilineal level by age- and sex-driven social clustering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittoria Roatti
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Guy Cowlishaw
- Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Elise Huchard
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, CNRS, University of Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Alecia Carter
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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21
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Fogel AS, Oduor PO, Nyongesa AW, Kimwele CN, Alberts SC, Archie EA, Tung J. Ecology and age, but not genetic ancestry, predict fetal loss in a wild baboon hybrid zone. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 180:618-632. [PMID: 38445762 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/06/2022] [Revised: 12/08/2022] [Accepted: 12/15/2022] [Indexed: 03/07/2024]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Pregnancy failure represents a major fitness cost for any mammal, particularly those with slow life histories such as primates. Here, we quantified the risk of fetal loss in wild hybrid baboons, including genetic, ecological, and demographic sources of variance. We were particularly interested in testing the hypothesis that hybridization increases fetal loss rates. Such an effect would help explain how baboons may maintain genetic and phenotypic integrity despite interspecific gene flow. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed outcomes for 1020 pregnancies observed over 46 years in a natural yellow baboon-anubis baboon hybrid zone. Fetal losses and live births were scored based on records of female reproductive state and the appearance of live neonates. We modeled the probability of fetal loss as a function of a female's genetic ancestry (the proportion of her genome estimated to be descended from anubis [vs. yellow] ancestors), age, number of previous fetal losses, dominance rank, group size, climate, and habitat quality using binomial mixed effects models. RESULTS Female genetic ancestry did not predict fetal loss. Instead, the risk of fetal loss is elevated for very young and very old females. Fetal loss is most robustly predicted by ecological factors, including poor habitat quality prior to a home range shift and extreme heat during pregnancy. DISCUSSION Our results suggest that gene flow between yellow and anubis baboons is not impeded by an increased risk of fetal loss for hybrid females. Instead, ecological conditions and female age are key determinants of this component of female reproductive success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle S Fogel
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Peter O Oduor
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Albert W Nyongesa
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Charles N Kimwele
- Department of Veterinary Anatomy and Physiology, University of Nairobi, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, Indiana, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, North Carolina, USA
- Canadian Institute for Advanced Research, Toronto, Ontario, Canada
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Saxony, Germany
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22
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Xu X, Ye Y, Briggs E, Wang C, Qing B, Song Z, Ding C. Why do parents produce small broods of offspring that have lower body mass, survival, and lifetime reproductive success? A case study in a long-lived bird. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2023. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-023-03301-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 03/06/2023]
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23
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Newman LE, Testard C, DeCasien AR, Chiou KL, Watowich MM, Janiak MC, Pavez-Fox MA, Rosado MRS, Cooper EB, Costa CE, Petersen RM, Montague MJ, Platt ML, Brent LJ, Snyder-Mackler N, Higham JP. The biology of aging in a social world:insights from free-ranging rhesus macaques. BIORXIV : THE PREPRINT SERVER FOR BIOLOGY 2023:2023.01.28.525893. [PMID: 36747827 PMCID: PMC9900930 DOI: 10.1101/2023.01.28.525893] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Abstract
Social adversity can increase the age-associated risk of disease and death, yet the biological mechanisms that link social adversities to aging remain poorly understood. Long-term naturalistic studies of nonhuman animals are crucial for integrating observations of social behavior throughout an individual's life with detailed anatomical, physiological, and molecular measurements. Here, we synthesize the body of research from one such naturalistic study system, Cayo Santiago Island, which is home to the world's longest continuously monitored free-ranging population of rhesus macaques. We review recent studies of age-related variation in morphology, gene regulation, microbiome composition, and immune function. We also discuss ecological and social modifiers of age-markers in this population. In particular, we summarize how a major natural disaster, Hurricane Maria, affected rhesus macaque physiology and social structure and highlight the context-dependent and domain-specific nature of aging modifiers. Finally, we conclude by providing directions for future study, on Cayo Santiago and elsewhere, that will further our understanding of aging across different domains and how social adversity modifies aging processes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Laura E. Newman
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, New York, USA
| | - Camille Testard
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Alex R. DeCasien
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, National Institutes of Mental Health, Bethesda, Maryland, USA
| | - Kenneth L. Chiou
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - Marina M. Watowich
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, USA
| | - Mareike C. Janiak
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA
| | | | | | - Eve B. Cooper
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, New York, USA
| | - Christina E. Costa
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, New York, USA
| | - Rachel M. Petersen
- Department of Biological Sciences, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN, USA
| | - Michael J. Montague
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Michael L. Platt
- Department of Neuroscience, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Department of Psychology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
- Marketing Department, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| | - Lauren J.N. Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Noah Snyder-Mackler
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
- School of Life Sciences, Arizona State University, Tempe, Arizona, USA
| | - James P. Higham
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, New York, USA
- The New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology (NYCEP), New York, New York, USA
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24
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Gokcekus S, Firth JA, Regan C, Cole EF, Sheldon BC, Albery GF. Social familiarity and spatially variable environments independently determine reproductive fitness in a wild bird. Am Nat 2023; 201:813-824. [DOI: 10.1086/724382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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25
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Martin JS, Jaeggi AV, Koski SE. The social evolution of individual differences: Future directions for a comparative science of personality in social behavior. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2023; 144:104980. [PMID: 36463970 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2022.104980] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/05/2022] [Revised: 11/21/2022] [Accepted: 11/29/2022] [Indexed: 12/05/2022]
Abstract
Personality is essential for understanding the evolution of cooperation and conflict in behavior. However, personality science remains disconnected from the field of social evolution, limiting our ability to explain how personality and plasticity shape phenotypic adaptation in social behavior. Researchers also lack an integrative framework for comparing personality in the contextualized and multifaceted behaviors central to social interactions among humans and other animals. Here we address these challenges by developing a social evolutionary approach to personality, synthesizing theory, methods, and organizing questions in the study of individuality and sociality in behavior. We critically review current measurement practices and introduce social reaction norm models for comparative research on the evolution of personality in social environments. These models demonstrate that social plasticity affects the heritable variance of personality, and that individual differences in social plasticity can further modify the rate and direction of adaptive social evolution. Future empirical studies of frequency- and density-dependent social selection on personality are crucial for further developing this framework and testing adaptive theory of social niche specialization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan S Martin
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Adrian V Jaeggi
- Human Ecology Group, Institute of Evolutionary Medicine, University of Zurich, Switzerland.
| | - Sonja E Koski
- Organismal and Evolutionary Biology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
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26
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Welklin JF, Lantz SM, Khalil S, Moody NM, Karubian J, Webster MS. Photoperiod and rainfall are associated with seasonal shifts in social structure in a songbird. Behav Ecol 2022. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac110] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Seasonally breeding animals often exhibit different social structures during non-breeding and breeding periods that coincide with seasonal environmental variation and resource abundance. However, we know little about the environmental factors associated with when seasonal shifts in social structure occur. This lack of knowledge contrasts with our well-defined knowledge of the environmental cues that trigger a shift to breeding physiology in seasonally breeding species. Here, we identified some of the main environmental factors associated with seasonal shifts in social structure and initiation of breeding in the red-backed fairywren (Malurus melanocephalus), an Australian songbird. Social network analyses revealed that social groups, which are highly territorial during the breeding season, interact in social “communities” on larger home ranges during the non-breeding season. Encounter rates among non-breeding groups were related to photoperiod and rainfall, with shifting photoperiod and increased rainfall associated with a shift toward territorial breeding social structure characterized by reductions in home range size and fewer encounters among non-breeding social groups. Similarly, onset of breeding was highly seasonal and was also associated with non-breeding season rainfall, with greater rainfall leading to earlier breeding. These findings reveal that for some species, the environmental factors associated with the timing of shifts in social structure across seasonal boundaries can be similar to those that determine timing of breeding. This study increases our understanding of the environmental factors associated with seasonal variation in social structure and how the timing of these shifts may respond to changing climates.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph F Welklin
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University , 215 Tower Rd, Ithaca, NY 14853 , USA
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology , 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850 , USA
| | - Samantha M Lantz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University , 400 Lindy Boggs Center, New Orleans, LA 70118 , USA
| | - Sarah Khalil
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology , 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850 , USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University , 400 Lindy Boggs Center, New Orleans, LA 70118 , USA
| | - Nicole M Moody
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University , 400 Lindy Boggs Center, New Orleans, LA 70118 , USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Brown University , 80 Waterman St, Providence, RI 02912 , USA
| | - Jordan Karubian
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Tulane University , 400 Lindy Boggs Center, New Orleans, LA 70118 , USA
| | - Michael S Webster
- Department of Neurobiology and Behavior, Cornell University , 215 Tower Rd, Ithaca, NY 14853 , USA
- Cornell Lab of Ornithology , 159 Sapsucker Woods Rd, Ithaca, NY 14850 , USA
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27
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Behringer V, Berghänel A, Deschner T, Lee SM, Fruth B, Hohmann G. Transition to siblinghood causes a substantial and long-lasting increase in urinary cortisol levels in wild bonobos. eLife 2022; 11:77227. [PMID: 36040310 PMCID: PMC9489214 DOI: 10.7554/elife.77227] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2022] [Accepted: 08/29/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
In animals with slow ontogeny and long-term maternal investment, immatures are likely to experience the birth of a younger sibling before reaching maturity. In these species, the birth of a sibling marks a major event in an offspring’s early life as the older siblings experience a decrease in maternal support. The transition to siblinghood (TTS) is often considered to be stressful for the older offspring, but physiological evidence is lacking. To explore the TTS in wild bonobos, we investigated physiological changes in urinary cortisol (stress response), neopterin (cell-mediated immunity), and total triiodothyronine (T3, metabolic rate), as well as changes in behaviors that reflect the mother–offspring relationship. Following a sibling’s birth, urinary cortisol levels of the older offspring increased fivefold, independent of their age, and remained elevated for 7 months. The cortisol level increase was associated with declining neopterin levels; however, T3 levels and behavioral measures did not change. Our results indicate that the TTS is accompanied by elevated cortisol levels and that this change does not coincide with nutritional weaning and attainment of physical independence. Our results suggest that bonobos and humans experience TTS in similar ways and that this developmental event may have emerged in the last common ancestor.
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Affiliation(s)
- Verena Behringer
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andreas Berghänel
- Department of Interdisciplinary Life Sciences, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Vienna, Germany
| | - Tobias Deschner
- Institute of Cognitive Science, University of Osnabrück, Osnabrück, Germany
| | - Sean M Lee
- Department of Anthropology, George Washington University, Washington, United States
| | - Barbara Fruth
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Gottfried Hohmann
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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28
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Taberer TR, Mead J, Hartley M, Harvey ND. Impact of female contraception for population management on behavior and social interactions in a captive troop of Guinea baboons (Papio papio). Zoo Biol 2022; 42:254-267. [PMID: 36036425 DOI: 10.1002/zoo.21728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/15/2021] [Revised: 08/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/20/2022] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
As part of a population management strategy for a troop of Guinea baboons (Papio papio) at Yorkshire Wildlife Park, adult females were given a Suprelorin contraceptive implant. There was no information on the effect of contraception on behavior in this species, so behavioral data were collected before and after implant placement to determine any impact on the troops' welfare. Social interactions, affiliative, agonistic, and self-directed displacement behaviors (SDBs) in all adults were monitored via focal sampling. Preimplant data were collected in August/September 2019 before Suprelorin placement on November 2019, and postimplant data were collected in August/September 2020, allowing for comparison while controlling for seasonal differences in behavior. We found a significant reduction of SDBs after intervention, suggesting that contraception has a positive impact on group welfare, as SDBs are key behavioral indicators of stress and anxiety in nonhuman primates. Additionally, the rate of substate change per hour (i.e., the number of times the baboon changed their behavior), duration of sentry behavior, and the frequency of agonistic bouts were significantly lower postimplant, further suggesting improvements in welfare. There were also no significant decreases in the duration of positive social interactions, such as allogrooming and play. The results show that Suprelorin did not have a detrimental impact on the behavior of adults in the troop and may have even improved welfare. The use of Suprelorin in females could be considered as an effective population management strategy for primates existing in similar social systems.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Jasmine Mead
- Yorkshire Wildlife Park, Doncaster, South Yorkshire, UK
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29
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Bonnell TR, Henzi SP, Barrett L. Using network synchrony to identify drivers of social dynamics. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220537. [PMID: 35765841 PMCID: PMC9240667 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Social animals frequently show dynamic social network patterns, the consequences of which are felt at the individual and group level. It is often difficult, however, to identify what drivers are responsible for changes in these networks. We suggest that patterns of network synchronization across multiple social groups can be used to better understand the relative contributions of extrinsic and intrinsic drivers. When groups are socially separated, but share similar physical environments, the extent to which network measures across multiple groups covary (i.e. network synchrony) can provide an estimate of the relative roles of extrinsic and intrinsic drivers. As a case example, we use allogrooming data from three adjacent vervet monkey groups to generate dynamic social networks. We found that network strength was strongly synchronized across the three groups, pointing to shared extrinsic environmental conditions as the driver. We also found low to moderate levels of synchrony in network modularity, suggesting that intrinsic social processes may be more important in driving changes in subgroup formation in this population. We conclude that patterns of network synchronization can help guide future research in identifying the proximate mechanisms behind observed social dynamics in animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Bonnell
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - S. Peter Henzi
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Louise Barrett
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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30
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Ashby B, Farine DR. Social information use shapes the coevolution of sociality and virulence. Evolution 2022; 76:1153-1169. [PMID: 35420704 PMCID: PMC9322624 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14491] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/02/2020] [Revised: 02/14/2022] [Accepted: 02/20/2022] [Indexed: 01/21/2023]
Abstract
Social contacts can facilitate the spread of both survival-related information and infectious diseases, but little is known about how these processes combine to shape host and parasite evolution. Here, we use a theoretical model that captures both infection and information transmission processes to investigate how host sociality (contact effort) and parasite virulence (disease-associated mortality rate) (co)evolve. We show that selection for sociality (and in turn, virulence) depends on both the intrinsic costs and benefits of social information and infection as well as their relative prevalence in the population. Specifically, greater sociality and lower virulence evolve when the risk of infection is either low or high and social information is neither very common nor too rare. Lower sociality and higher virulence evolve when the prevalence patterns are reversed. When infection and social information are both at moderate levels in the population, the direction of selection depends on the relative costs and benefits of being infected or informed. We also show that sociality varies inversely with virulence, and that parasites may be unable to prevent runaway selection for higher contact efforts. Together, these findings provide new insights for our understanding of group living and how apparently opposing ecological processes can influence the evolution of sociality and virulence in a range of ways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Ashby
- Department of Mathematical SciencesUniversity of BathBathSomersetUK,Department of MathematicsSimon Fraser UniversityBurnabyBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland,Max Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany,Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective BehaviourUniversity of KonstanzKonstanzGermany
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31
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Bonnet T, Morrissey MB, de Villemereuil P, Alberts SC, Arcese P, Bailey LD, Boutin S, Brekke P, Brent LJN, Camenisch G, Charmantier A, Clutton-Brock TH, Cockburn A, Coltman DW, Courtiol A, Davidian E, Evans SR, Ewen JG, Festa-Bianchet M, de Franceschi C, Gustafsson L, Höner OP, Houslay TM, Keller LF, Manser M, McAdam AG, McLean E, Nietlisbach P, Osmond HL, Pemberton JM, Postma E, Reid JM, Rutschmann A, Santure AW, Sheldon BC, Slate J, Teplitsky C, Visser ME, Wachter B, Kruuk LEB. Genetic variance in fitness indicates rapid contemporary adaptive evolution in wild animals. Science 2022; 376:1012-1016. [PMID: 35617403 DOI: 10.1126/science.abk0853] [Citation(s) in RCA: 51] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Abstract
The rate of adaptive evolution, the contribution of selection to genetic changes that increase mean fitness, is determined by the additive genetic variance in individual relative fitness. To date, there are few robust estimates of this parameter for natural populations, and it is therefore unclear whether adaptive evolution can play a meaningful role in short-term population dynamics. We developed and applied quantitative genetic methods to long-term datasets from 19 wild bird and mammal populations and found that, while estimates vary between populations, additive genetic variance in relative fitness is often substantial and, on average, twice that of previous estimates. We show that these rates of contemporary adaptive evolution can affect population dynamics and hence that natural selection has the potential to partly mitigate effects of current environmental change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Timothée Bonnet
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Pierre de Villemereuil
- Institut de Systématique, Évolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), École Pratique des Hautes Études, PSL, MNHN, CNRS, SU, UA, Paris, France.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Departments of Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| | - Peter Arcese
- Forest and Conservation Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Liam D Bailey
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stan Boutin
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Patricia Brekke
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, UK
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Glauco Camenisch
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anne Charmantier
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Tim H Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Andrew Cockburn
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | - David W Coltman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Alexandre Courtiol
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Eve Davidian
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Simon R Evans
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - John G Ewen
- Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, UK
| | | | - Christophe de Franceschi
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Lars Gustafsson
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Oliver P Höner
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Thomas M Houslay
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Lukas F Keller
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Zoological Museum, University of Zurich,, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Marta Manser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Andrew G McAdam
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Colorado, Boulder, CO, USA
| | - Emily McLean
- Biology Department, Oxford College, Emory University, Oxford, GA, USA
| | - Pirmin Nietlisbach
- School of Biological Sciences, Illinois State University, Normal, IL, USA
| | - Helen L Osmond
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia
| | | | - Erik Postma
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Jane M Reid
- Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), Trondheim, Norway.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Alexis Rutschmann
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Anna W Santure
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jon Slate
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Céline Teplitsky
- Centre d'Écologie Fonctionnelle et Évolutive, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Montpellier, France
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Bettina Wachter
- Departments of Evolutionary Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Loeske E B Kruuk
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, Australia.,Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
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32
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Azar B. Profile of Susan C. Alberts. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2022; 119:e2204770119. [PMID: 35537052 PMCID: PMC9171906 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2204770119] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
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33
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Galezo AA, Nolas MA, Fogel AS, Mututua RS, Warutere JK, Siodi IL, Altmann J, Archie EA, Tung J, Alberts SC. Mechanisms of inbreeding avoidance in a wild primate. Curr Biol 2022; 32:1607-1615.e4. [PMID: 35216670 PMCID: PMC9007874 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.01.082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2021] [Revised: 01/27/2022] [Accepted: 01/31/2022] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
Abstract
Inbreeding often imposes net fitness costs,1-5 leading to the expectation that animals will engage in inbreeding avoidance when the costs of doing so are not prohibitive.4-9 However, one recent meta-analysis indicates that animals of many species do not avoid mating with kin in experimental settings,6 and another reports that behavioral inbreeding avoidance generally evolves only when kin regularly encounter each other and inbreeding costs are high.9 These results raise questions about the processes that separate kin, how these processes depend on kin class and context, and whether kin classes differ in how effectively they avoid inbreeding via mate choice-in turn, demanding detailed demographic and behavioral data within individual populations. Here, we address these questions in a wild mammal population, the baboons of the Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya. We find that death and dispersal are very effective at separating opposite-sex pairs of close adult kin. Nonetheless, adult kin pairs do sometimes co-reside, and we find strong evidence for inbreeding avoidance via mate choice in kin classes with relatedness ≥0.25. Notably, maternal kin avoid inbreeding more effectively than paternal kin despite having identical coefficients of relatedness, pointing to kin discrimination as a potential constraint on effective inbreeding avoidance. Overall, demographic and behavioral processes ensure that inbred offspring are rare in undisturbed social groups (1% of offspring). However, in an anthropogenically disturbed social group with reduced male dispersal, we find inbreeding rates 10× higher. Our study reinforces the importance of demographic and behavioral contexts for understanding the evolution of inbreeding avoidance.9.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison A Galezo
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Melina A Nolas
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Box 90383, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Center for Animals and Public Policy, Tufts Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine, North Grafton, MA 01536, USA
| | - Arielle S Fogel
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Box 90383, Durham, NC 27708, USA; University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Box 103855, Durham, NC 27705, USA
| | - Raphael S Mututua
- Amboseli Baboon Research Project, Amboseli National Park, Box 18, Namanga, Kenya
| | - J Kinyua Warutere
- Amboseli Baboon Research Project, Amboseli National Park, Box 18, Namanga, Kenya
| | - I Long'ida Siodi
- Amboseli Baboon Research Project, Amboseli National Park, Box 18, Namanga, Kenya
| | - Jeanne Altmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, 401 Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN 46556, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Box 90383, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Duke University Population Research Institute, Duke University, Box 90989, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Box 90338, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Box 90383, Durham, NC 27708, USA; Duke University Population Research Institute, Duke University, Box 90989, Durham, NC 27708, USA.
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34
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Senigaglia V, Christiansen F, Bejder L, Sprogis K, Cantor M. Human food provisioning impacts the social environment, home range and fitness of a marine top predator. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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35
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Sharma N, Gadagkar R, Pinter-Wollman N. A reproductive heir has a central position in multilayer social networks of paper wasps. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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36
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Social Disruption Impairs Predatory Threat Assessment in African Elephants. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12040495. [PMID: 35203203 PMCID: PMC8868390 DOI: 10.3390/ani12040495] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/13/2021] [Revised: 02/09/2022] [Accepted: 02/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary The sharing of social and ecological information is vitally important for group-living animals, especially among cognitively advanced species (e.g., primates, cetaceans and elephants) that can acquire detailed knowledge over their long lifetimes. In our study, we compared the ability of elephants from two very different populations to assess the threat associated with different numbers of roaring lions. The population in Amboseli (Kenya) consists of stable family groups and experiences relatively low levels of human disturbance, while the population in Pilanesberg (South Africa) was founded in the early 1980’s from young and often unrelated orphan elephants. We broadcast lion roars to families of elephants in both these populations and recorded how they responded to differing levels of threat (one versus three lions). The Amboseli population successfully increased their defensive bunching behaviour to the greater threat associated with three lions, whereas the Pilanesberg elephants appeared unable to make the same distinction. Our findings indicate that profound disruption experienced early in life and the lack of older adults to learn from has impaired the ability of the Pilanesberg elephants to make accurate assessments of predatory threat. We suggest that, in addition to population size, conservation practitioners need to consider the crucial role of social structure and knowledge transmission in these highly social and long-lived species. Abstract The transmission of reliable information between individuals is crucial for group-living animals. This is particularly the case for cognitively advanced mammals with overlapping generations that acquire detailed social and ecological knowledge over long lifetimes. Here, we directly compare the ecological knowledge of elephants from two populations, with radically different developmental histories, to test whether profound social disruption affects their ability to assess predatory threat. Matriarchs (≤50 years of age) and their family groups received playbacks of three lions versus a single lion roaring. The family groups in the natural Amboseli population (Kenya) reliably assessed the greater predatory threat presented by three lions roaring versus one. However, in the socially disrupted Pilanesberg population (South Africa), no fine-scale distinctions were made between the numbers of roaring lions. Our results suggest that the removal of older and more experienced individuals in highly social species, such as elephants, is likely to impact the acquisition of ecological knowledge by younger group members, particularly through the lack of opportunity for social learning and cultural transmission of knowledge. This is likely to be exacerbated by the trauma experienced by juvenile elephants that witnessed the culling of family members and were translocated to new reserves. With increasing levels of anthropogenic disturbance, it is important that conservation practitioners consider the crucial role that population structure and knowledge transfer plays in the functioning and resilience of highly social and long-lived species.
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Wiśniewska M, Puga-Gonzalez I, Lee P, Moss C, Russell G, Garnier S, Sueur C. Simulated poaching affects global connectivity and efficiency in social networks of African savanna elephants—An exemplar of how human disturbance impacts group-living species. PLoS Comput Biol 2022; 18:e1009792. [PMID: 35041648 PMCID: PMC8797174 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1009792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 01/28/2022] [Accepted: 12/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective harvest, such as poaching, impacts group-living animals directly through mortality of individuals with desirable traits, and indirectly by altering the structure of their social networks. Understanding the relationship between disturbance-induced, structural network changes and group performance in wild animals remains an outstanding problem. To address this problem, we evaluated the immediate effect of disturbance on group sociality in African savanna elephants—an example, group-living species threatened by poaching. Drawing on static association data from ten free-ranging groups, we constructed one empirically based, population-wide network and 100 virtual networks; performed a series of experiments ‘poaching’ the oldest, socially central or random individuals; and quantified the immediate change in the theoretical indices of network connectivity and efficiency of social diffusion. Although the social networks never broke down, targeted elimination of the socially central conspecifics, regardless of age, decreased network connectivity and efficiency. These findings hint at the need to further study resilience by modeling network reorganization and interaction-mediated socioecological learning, empirical data permitting. The main contribution of our work is in quantifying connectivity together with global efficiency in multiple social networks that feature the sociodemographic diversity likely found in wild elephant populations. The basic design of our simulation makes it adaptable for hypothesis testing about the consequences of anthropogenic disturbance or lethal management on social interactions in a variety of group-living species with limited, real-world data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maggie Wiśniewska
- Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Ivan Puga-Gonzalez
- Institutt for global utvikling og samfunnsplanlegging, Universitetet i Agder, Kristiansand, Norway
- Center for Modeling Social Systems at NORCE, Kristiansand, Norway
| | - Phyllis Lee
- Amboseli Trust for Elephants, Nairobi, Kenya
- Faculty of Natural Science, University of Stirling, Stirling, United Kingdom
| | | | - Gareth Russell
- Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Simon Garnier
- Department of Biological Sciences, New Jersey Institute of Technology, Newark, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC, UMR 7178, Strasbourg, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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Lerch BA, Abbott KC, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Better baboon break-ups: collective decision theory of complex social network fissions. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20212060. [PMID: 34875192 PMCID: PMC8651414 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.2060] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/16/2021] [Accepted: 11/16/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Many social groups are made up of complex social networks in which each individual associates with a distinct subset of its groupmates. If social groups become larger over time, competition often leads to a permanent group fission. During such fissions, complex social networks present a collective decision problem and a multidimensional optimization problem: it is advantageous for each individual to remain with their closest allies after a fission, but impossible for every individual to do so. Here, we develop computational algorithms designed to simulate group fissions in a network-theoretic framework. We focus on three fission algorithms (democracy, community and despotism) that fall on a spectrum from a democratic to a dictatorial collective decision. We parameterize our social networks with data from wild baboons (Papio cynocephalus) and compare our simulated fissions with actual baboon fission events. We find that the democracy and community algorithms (egalitarian decisions where each individual influences the outcome) better maintain social networks during simulated fissions than despotic decisions (driven primarily by a single individual). We also find that egalitarian decisions are better at predicting the observed individual-level outcomes of observed fissions, although the observed fissions often disturbed their social networks more than the simulated egalitarian fissions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A. Lerch
- Department of Biology, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, Chapel Hill, USA
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Karen C. Abbott
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, OH, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
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Fogel AS, McLean EM, Gordon JB, Archie EA, Tung J, Alberts SC. Genetic ancestry predicts male-female affiliation in a natural baboon hybrid zone. Anim Behav 2021; 180:249-268. [PMID: 34866638 PMCID: PMC8635413 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2021.07.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Opposite-sex social relationships are important predictors of fitness in many animals, including several group-living mammals. Consequently, understanding sources of variance in the tendency to form opposite-sex relationships is important for understanding social evolution. Genetic contributions are of particular interest due to their importance in long-term evolutionary change, but little is known about genetic effects on male-female relationships in social mammals, especially outside of the mating context. Here, we investigate the effects of genetic ancestry on male-female affiliative behaviour in a hybrid zone between the yellow baboon, Papio cynocephalus, and the anubis baboon, Papio anubis, in a population in which male-female social bonds are known predictors of life span. We place our analysis within the context of other social and demographic predictors of affiliative behaviour in baboons. Genetic ancestry was the most consistent predictor of opposite-sex affiliative behaviour we observed, with the exception of strong effects of dominance rank. Our results show that increased anubis genetic ancestry is associated with a subtle, but significantly higher, probability of opposite-sex affiliative behaviour, in both males and females. Additionally, pairs of anubis-like males and anubis-like females were the most likely to socially affiliate, resulting in moderate assortativity in grooming and proximity behaviour as a function of genetic ancestry. Our findings indicate that opposite-sex affiliative behaviour partially diverged during baboon evolution to differentiate yellow and anubis baboons, despite overall similarities in their social structures and mating systems. Furthermore, they suggest that affiliative behaviour may simultaneously promote and constrain baboon admixture, through additive and assortative effects of ancestry, respectively.
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Affiliation(s)
- Arielle S. Fogel
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| | - Emily M. McLean
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Oxford College of Emory University, Oxford, GA, U.S.A
| | | | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, U.S.A
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- Duke Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, U.S.A
- Institute of Primate Research, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
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Malalaharivony HS, Fichtel C, Heistermann M, Kappeler PM. Maternal stress effects on infant development in wild Verreaux's sifaka (Propithecus verreauxi). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03085-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/17/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Maternal effects mediated by nutrients or specific endocrine states of the mother can affect infant development. Specifically, pre- and postnatal maternal stress associated with elevated glucocorticoid (GC) output is known to influence the phenotype of the offspring, including their physical and behavioral development. These developmental processes, however, remain relatively poorly studied in wild vertebrates, including primates with their relatively slow life histories. Here, we investigated the effects of maternal stress, assessed by fecal glucocorticoid output, on infant development in wild Verreaux’s sifakas (Propithecus verreauxi), a group-living Malagasy primate. In a first step, we investigated factors predicting maternal fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) concentrations, how they impact infants’ physical and behavioral development during the first 6 months of postnatal life as well as early survival during the first 1.5 years of postnatal life. We collected fecal samples of mothers for hormone assays and behavioral data of 12 infants from two birth cohorts, for which we also assessed growth rates. Maternal fGCM concentrations were higher during the late prenatal but lower during the postnatal period compared to the early/mid prenatal period and were higher during periods of low rainfall. Infants of mothers with higher prenatal fGCM concentrations exhibited faster growth rates and were more explorative in terms of independent foraging and play. Infants of mothers with high pre- and postnatal fGCM concentrations were carried less and spent more time in nipple contact. Time mothers spent carrying infants predicted infant survival: infants that were more carried had lower survival, suggesting that they were likely in poorer condition and had to be cared for longer. Thus, the physical and behavioral development of these young primates were impacted by variation in maternal fGCM concentrations during the first 6 months of their lives, presumably as an adaptive response to living in a highly seasonal, but unpredictable environment.
Significance statement
The early development of infants can be impacted by variation in maternal condition. These maternal effects can be mediated by maternal stress (glucocorticoid hormones) and are known to have downstream consequences for behavior, physiology, survival, and reproductive success well into adulthood. However, the direction of the effects of maternal physiological GC output on offspring development is highly variable, even within the same species. We contribute comparative data on maternal stress effects on infant development in a Critically Endangered primate from Madagascar. We describe variation in maternal glucocorticoid output as a function of ecological and reproductive factors and show that patterns of infant growth, behavioral development, and early survival are predicted by maternal glucocorticoids. Our study demonstrates how mothers can influence offspring fitness in response to challenging environmental conditions.
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Beck KB, Farine DR, Kempenaers B. Social network position predicts male mating success in a small passerine. Behav Ecol 2021; 32:856-864. [PMID: 34690546 PMCID: PMC8528538 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arab034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/26/2020] [Revised: 03/17/2021] [Accepted: 03/24/2021] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals differ in the quantity and quality of their associations with conspecifics. The resulting variation in the positions that individuals occupy within their social environment can affect several aspects of life history, including reproduction. While research increasingly shows how social factors can predict dyadic mating patterns (who will breed with whom), much less is known about how an individual's social position affects its overall likelihood to acquire mating partner(s). We studied social networks of socially monogamous blue tits (Cyanistes caeruleus) to investigate whether the number and strength of connections to opposite-sex conspecifics, the ratio between same- and opposite-sex connections, and the tendency to move between social groups in the months prior to breeding affect individuals' success in acquiring 1) a breeding partner and 2) an extrapair partner. After controlling for differences in spatial location, we show that males that moved more often between social groups were more likely to acquire a breeding partner. Moreover, adult males that associated with more females were more likely to sire extrapair young. The number of female associates also predicted the proportion of familiar female breeding neighbors, suggesting that familiarity among neighbors may facilitate opportunities for extrapair matings. In females, none of the network metrics significantly predicted the likelihood of acquiring a breeding or extrapair partner. Our study suggests that the positioning of males within their social environment prior to breeding can translate into future mating success, adding an important new dimension to studies of (extrapair) mating behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B Beck
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstraße 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Bart Kempenaers
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Eberhard-Gwinner-Straße, 82319 Seewiesen, Germany
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Marescot L, Franz M, Benhaiem S, Hofer H, Scherer C, East ML, Kramer-Schadt S. 'Keeping the kids at home' can limit the persistence of contagious pathogens in social animals. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2523-2535. [PMID: 34118063 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13555] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2021] [Accepted: 06/05/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Social networks are considered to be 'highly modular' when individuals within one module are more connected to each other than they are to individuals in other modules. It is currently unclear how highly modular social networks influence the persistence of contagious pathogens that generate lifelong immunity in their hosts when between-group interactions are age dependent. This trait occurs in social species with communal nurseries, where juveniles are reared together for a substantial period in burrows or similar forms of containment and are thus in isolation from contact with individuals in other social groups. Our main objective was to determine whether, and to what extent, such age-dependent patterns of between-group interactions consistently increased the fade-out probability of contagious pathogens that generate lifelong immunity in their hosts. We hypothesised that in populations of species where juveniles are raised in communal nurseries, a high proportion of recovered adults in a group would form a 'protective barrier' around susceptible juveniles against pathogen transmission, thereby increasing the probability of epidemic fade-out in the population. To test this idea, we implemented a spatially implicit individual-based susceptible-infected-recovered (SIR) model for a large range of generic host and pathogen traits. Our results indicated that (a) the probability of epidemic fade-out was consistently higher in populations with communal nurseries, especially for highly contagious pathogens (high basic reproduction number, R0 ) and (b) communal nurseries can counteract the cost of group living in terms of infection risk to a greater extent than variation in other traits. We discuss our findings in relation to herd immunity and outline the importance of considering the network structure of a given host population before implementing management measures such as vaccinations, since interventions focused on individuals with high between-group contact should be particularly effective for controlling pathogen spread in hosts with communal nurseries.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lucile Marescot
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.,CEFE, CNRS, University Montpellier, University Paul Valéry, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Mathias Franz
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Sarah Benhaiem
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Heribert Hofer
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Veterinary Medicine, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biology, Chemistry, Pharmacy, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Cédric Scherer
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Marion L East
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Stephanie Kramer-Schadt
- Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany.,Institute of Ecology, Technische Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
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Pigeon G, Landes J, Festa-Bianchet M, Pelletier F. Do Early-Life Conditions Drive Variation in Senescence of Female Bighorn Sheep? Front Cell Dev Biol 2021; 9:637692. [PMID: 34095112 PMCID: PMC8173223 DOI: 10.3389/fcell.2021.637692] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/04/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 01/16/2023] Open
Abstract
The rate of senescence may vary among individuals of a species according to individual life histories and environmental conditions. According to the principle of allocation, changes in mortality driven by environmental conditions influence how organisms allocate resources among costly functions. In several vertebrates, environmental conditions during early life impose trade-offs in allocation between early reproduction and maintenance. The effects of conditions experienced during early life on senescence, however, remain poorly documented in wild populations. We examined how several early-life environmental conditions affected reproductive and survival senescence in wild bighorn sheep. We found long-term effects of high population density at birth, precipitations during the winter before birth, and temperature during the winter following birth that decreased survival after 7 years of age. High temperature during the first summer and autumn of life and high Pacific decadal oscillation decreased reproductive success at old ages. However, harsh early-life environment did not influence the rate of senescence in either survival or reproduction. Contrary to our expectation, we found no trade-off between reproductive allocation prior to senescence and senescence. Our results do show that early-life environmental conditions are important drivers of later survival and reproductive success and contribute to intra-specific variation in late-life fitness, but not aging patterns. These conditions should therefore be considered when studying the mechanisms of senescence and the determinants of variation in both survival and reproductive senescence at older ages.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gabriel Pigeon
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Faculty of Environmental Science and Nature Management, Norwegian University of Life Sciences, Ås, Norway
| | - Julie Landes
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Vieillissement, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
| | | | - Fanie Pelletier
- Département de Biologie, Université de Sherbrooke, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
- Centre de Recherche sur le Vieillissement, Sherbrooke, QC, Canada
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Brown JG. Ticks, Hair Loss, and Non-Clinging Babies: A Novel Tick-Based Hypothesis for the Evolutionary Divergence of Humans and Chimpanzees. Life (Basel) 2021; 11:435. [PMID: 34066043 PMCID: PMC8150933 DOI: 10.3390/life11050435] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2021] [Revised: 04/12/2021] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023] Open
Abstract
Human straight-legged bipedalism represents one of the earliest events in the evolutionary split between humans (Homo spp.) and chimpanzees (Pan spp.), although its selective basis is a mystery. A carrying-related hypothesis has recently been proposed in which hair loss within the hominin lineage resulted in the inability of babies to cling to their mothers, requiring mothers to walk upright to carry their babies. However, a question remains for this model: what drove the hair loss that resulted in upright walking? Observers since Darwin have suggested that hair loss in humans may represent an evolutionary strategy for defence against ticks. The aim of this review is to propose and evaluate a novel tick-based evolutionary hypothesis wherein forest fragmentation in hominin paleoenvironments created conditions that were favourable for tick proliferation, selecting for hair loss in hominins and grooming behaviour in chimpanzees as divergent anti-tick strategies. It is argued that these divergent anti-tick strategies resulted in different methods for carrying babies, driving the locomotor divergence of humans and chimpanzees.
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Enigk DK, Emery Thompson M, Machanda ZP, Wrangham RW, Muller MN. Female-directed aggression by adolescent male chimpanzees primarily constitutes dominance striving, not sexual coercion. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PHYSICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2021; 176:66-79. [PMID: 33938563 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/20/2020] [Revised: 04/06/2021] [Accepted: 04/17/2021] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES Chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) are notable for exhibiting high levels of male-to-female aggression. Much of this aggression from adult males serves sexually coercive functions. Despite being smaller and lower-ranking than adult males, adolescent males also engage in regular aggression against adult females. Here, we test whether the primary function of this aggression is sexual coercion, as in adult males, or, alternatively, whether adolescent males use aggression to establish social dominance over females. MATERIALS AND METHODS We analyzed 1771 copulations and 1812 instances of male-initiated aggression between adolescent males (aged nine through 14 years) and adult females across 21 years of observation of the Kanyawara chimpanzee community in Kibale National Park, Uganda. RESULTS Our test of the sexual coercion hypothesis revealed that adolescent males did not selectively target cycling females for aggression, nor did aggression against cycling females predict rates of copulation with those females. Our test of the social dominance hypothesis showed that males succeeded in dominating all adult females before, or soon after, dominating their first adult male. Additionally, we found that adolescent males dominated females approximately in the order of the females' own ranks, from the bottom to the top of the female hierarchy. DISCUSSION Our data illustrate that the establishment of social dominance was more important than sexual coercion in explaining patterns of adolescent male aggression toward females. In comparison, evidence for sexual coercion was clear and compelling in adult males. These findings highlight that the primary function of male-to-female aggression differs between adolescent and adult males.
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Affiliation(s)
- Drew K Enigk
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA
| | - Melissa Emery Thompson
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.,Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
| | - Zarin P Machanda
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda.,Department of Anthropology, Tufts University, Medford, USA
| | - Richard W Wrangham
- Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda.,Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
| | - Martin N Muller
- Department of Anthropology, University of New Mexico, Albuquerque, New Mexico, USA.,Kibale Chimpanzee Project, Fort Portal, Uganda
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Liu J, He XZ, Zheng XL, Zhang Y, Wang Q. Larval social cues influence testicular investment in an insect. Curr Zool 2021; 68:1-8. [PMID: 35169624 PMCID: PMC8836345 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab028] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/31/2021] [Accepted: 03/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/11/2022] Open
Abstract
Socio-sexual environment can have critical impacts on reproduction and survival of animals. Consequently, they need to prepare themselves by allocating more resources to competitive traits that give them advantages in the particular social setting they have been perceiving. Evidence shows that a male usually raises his investment in sperm after he detects the current or future increase of sperm competition because relative sperm numbers can determine his paternity share. This leads to the wide use of testis size as an index of the sperm competition level, yet testis size does not always reflect sperm production. To date, it is not clear whether male animals fine-tune their resource allocation to sperm production and other traits as a response to social cues during their growth and development. Using a polygamous insect Ephestia kuehniella, we tested whether and how larval social environment affected sperm production, testis size, and body weight. We exposed the male larvae to different juvenile socio-sexual cues and measured these traits. We demonstrate that regardless of sex ratio, group-reared males produced more eupyrenes (fertile and nucleate sperm) but smaller testes than singly reared ones, and that body weight and apyrene (infertile and anucleate sperm) numbers remained the same across treatments. We conclude that the presence of larval social, but not sexual cues is responsible for the increase of eupyrene production and decrease of testis size. We suggest that male larvae increase investment in fertile sperm cells and reduce investment in other testicular tissues in the presence of conspecific juvenile cues.
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Affiliation(s)
- Junyan Liu
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4100, New Zealand
| | - Xiong Z He
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4100, New Zealand
| | - Xia-Lin Zheng
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agric-Environment and Agric-Products Safety, National Demonstration Centre for Experimental Plant Science Education, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Yujing Zhang
- Guangxi Key Laboratory of Agric-Environment and Agric-Products Safety, National Demonstration Centre for Experimental Plant Science Education, College of Agriculture, Guangxi University, Nanning 530004, China
| | - Qiao Wang
- School of Agriculture and Environment, Massey University, Palmerston North 4100, New Zealand
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Bond ML, Lee DE, Farine DR, Ozgul A, König B. Sociability increases survival of adult female giraffes. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20202770. [PMID: 33563118 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.2770] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies increasingly show that social connectedness plays a key role in determining survival, in addition to natural and anthropogenic environmental factors. Few studies, however, integrated social, non-social and demographic data to elucidate what components of an animal's socio-ecological environment are most important to their survival. Female giraffes (Giraffa camelopardalis) form structured societies with highly dynamic group membership but stable long-term associations. We examined the relative contributions of sociability (relationship strength, gregariousness and betweenness), together with those of the natural (food sources and vegetation types) and anthropogenic environment (distance from human settlements), to adult female giraffe survival. We tested predictions about the influence of sociability and natural and human factors at two social levels: the individual and the social community. Survival was primarily driven by individual- rather than community-level social factors. Gregariousness (the number of other females each individual was observed with on average) was most important in explaining variation in female adult survival, more than other social traits and any natural or anthropogenic environmental factors. For adult female giraffes, grouping with more other females, even as group membership frequently changes, is correlated with better survival, and this sociability appears to be more important than several attributes of their non-social environment.
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Affiliation(s)
- M L Bond
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Wild Nature Institute, Concord, NH, USA
| | - D E Lee
- Wild Nature Institute, Concord, NH, USA.,Department of Biology, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA, USA
| | - D R Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany.,Center for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - A Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - B König
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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48
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Ogino M, Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Farine DR. Drivers of alloparental provisioning of fledglings in a colonially breeding bird. Behav Ecol 2021. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/araa137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Reproduction is costly. Despite this, evidence suggests that parents sometimes feed unrelated offspring. Several hypotheses could explain this puzzling phenomenon. Adults could feed unrelated offspring that are 1) of their close social associates to facilitate these juveniles’ integration into their social network (the social inheritance hypothesis), 2) potential extrapair offspring, 3) at a similar developmental stage as their own, 4) coercing feeding by begging, or 5) less-developed (to enhance their survival, which could benefit the adult or its offspring; the group augmentation hypothesis). Colonial breeders are ideal for investigating the relative importance of these hypotheses because offspring are often kept in crèches where adults can exhibit allofeeding. Using automated monitoring of replicated captive zebra finch (Taeniopygia guttata) colonies, we found that while parents selectively fed their own offspring, they also consistently fed unrelated offspring (32.48% of feeding events). Social relationships among adults prior to breeding did not predict allofeeding, nor was allofeeding directed toward potential genetic offspring. Instead, adults with more-developed offspring preferentially fed less-developed non-offspring over non-offspring at a similar developmental stage as their own offspring, and this tendency was not explained by differences in begging behavior. Our study suggests that allofeeding is consistent with group augmentation, potentially benefiting adults through colony maintenance or increased offspring survival.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Ogino
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Adriana A Maldonado-Chaparro
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
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49
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Bonnell TR, Vilette C. Constructing and analysing time‐aggregated networks: The role of bootstrapping, permutation and simulation. Methods Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/2041-210x.13351] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Bonnell
- Department of Psychology University of Lethbridge Lethbridge Alberta Canada
- Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit University of South Africa Florida Gauteng South Africa
| | - Chloé Vilette
- Department of Psychology University of Lethbridge Lethbridge Alberta Canada
- Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit University of South Africa Florida Gauteng South Africa
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50
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Brandell EE, Fountain-Jones NM, Gilbertson ML, Cross PC, Hudson PJ, Smith DW, Stahler DR, Packer C, Craft ME. Group density, disease, and season shape territory size and overlap of social carnivores. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:87-101. [PMID: 32654133 PMCID: PMC9844152 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13294] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/07/2019] [Accepted: 05/22/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The spatial organization of a population can influence the spread of information, behaviour and pathogens. Group territory size and territory overlap and components of spatial organization, provide key information as these metrics may be indicators of habitat quality, resource dispersion, contact rates and environmental risk (e.g. indirectly transmitted pathogens). Furthermore, sociality and behaviour can also shape space use, and subsequently, how space use and habitat quality together impact demography. Our study aims to identify factors shaping the spatial organization of wildlife populations and assess the impact of epizootics on space use. We further aim to explore the mechanisms by which disease perturbations could cause changes in spatial organization. Here we assessed the seasonal spatial organization of Serengeti lions and Yellowstone wolves at the group level. We use network analysis to describe spatial organization and connectivity of social groups. We then examine the factors predicting mean territory size and mean territory overlap for each population using generalized additive models. We demonstrate that lions and wolves were similar in that group-level factors, such as number of groups and shaped spatial organization more than population-level factors, such as population density. Factors shaping territory size were slightly different than factors shaping territory overlap; for example, wolf pack size was an important predictor of territory overlap, but not territory size. Lion spatial networks were more highly connected, while wolf spatial networks varied seasonally. We found that resource dispersion may be more important for driving territory size and overlap for wolves than for lions. Additionally, canine distemper epizootics may have altered lion spatial organization, highlighting the importance of including infectious disease epizootics in studies of behavioural and movement ecology. We provide insight about when we might expect to observe the impacts of resource dispersion, disease perturbations, and other ecological factors on spatial organization. Our work highlights the importance of monitoring and managing social carnivore populations at the group level. Future research should elucidate the complex relationships between demographics, social and spatial structure, abiotic and biotic conditions and pathogen infections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ellen E. Brandell
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics & Department of Biology, Huck Institute for Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA 16802
| | | | - Marie L.J. Gilbertson
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108
| | - Paul C. Cross
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, Montana, USA 59715
| | - Peter J. Hudson
- Center for Infectious Disease Dynamics & Department of Biology, Huck Institute for Life Sciences, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, Pennsylvania, USA 16802
| | - Douglas W. Smith
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Wolf Project, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, USA
| | - Daniel R. Stahler
- Yellowstone Center for Resources, Wolf Project, P.O. Box 168, Yellowstone National Park, WY 82190, USA
| | - Craig Packer
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108
| | - Meggan E. Craft
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, Minnesota 55108
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