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Goodale E, Magrath RD. Species diversity and interspecific information flow. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:999-1014. [PMID: 38279871 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13055] [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: 08/02/2023] [Revised: 01/14/2024] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 01/29/2024]
Abstract
Interspecific information flow is known to affect individual fitness, population dynamics and community assembly, but there has been less study of how species diversity affects information flow and thereby ecosystem functioning and services. We address this question by first examining differences among species in the sensitivity, accuracy, transmissibility, detectability and value of the cues and signals they produce, and in how they receive, store and use information derived from heterospecifics. We then review how interspecific information flow occurs in communities, involving a diversity of species and sensory modes, and how this flow can affect ecosystem-level functions, such as decomposition, seed dispersal or algae removal on coral reefs. We highlight evidence that some keystone species are particularly critical as a source of information used by eavesdroppers, and so have a disproportionate effect on information flow. Such keystone species include community informants producing signals, particularly about predation risk, that influence other species' landscapes of fear, and aggregation initiators creating cues or signals about resources. We suggest that the presence of keystone species means that there will likely be a positive relationship in many communities between species diversity and information through a 'sampling effect', in which larger pools of species are more likely to include the keystone species by chance. We then consider whether the number and relative abundance of species, irrespective of the presence of keystone species, matter to interspecific information flow; on this issue, the theory is less developed, and the evidence scant and indirect. Higher diversity could increase the quantity or quality of information that is used by eavesdroppers because redundancy increases the reliability of information or because the species provide complementary information. Alternatively, there could be a lack of a relationship between species diversity and information if there is widespread information parasitism where users are not sources, or if information sourced from heterospecifics is of lower value than that gained personally or sourced from conspecifics. Recent research suggests that species diversity does have information-modulated community and ecosystem consequences, especially in birds, such as the diversity of species at feeders increasing resource exploitation, or the number of imitated species increasing responses to vocal mimics. A first step for future research includes comprehensive observations of information flow among different taxa and habitats. Then studies should investigate whether species diversity influences the cumulative quality or quantity of information at the community level, and consequently ecosystem-level processes. An applied objective is to conserve species in part for their value as sources of information for other species, including for humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eben Goodale
- Department of Health and Environmental Science, Xi'an Jiaotong-Liverpool University, Suzhou, 215123, China
| | - Robert D Magrath
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, ACT, 2600, Australia
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Brandl HB, Abdu S, Farine DR. Experimental manipulation of food availability and macroparasite prevalence reveal differential effects on space use in wild rodents. J Anim Ecol 2024. [PMID: 38706185 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14089] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/04/2024] [Accepted: 04/21/2024] [Indexed: 05/07/2024]
Abstract
Research Highlight: Mistrick, J., Veitch, J. S. M., Kitchen, S. M., Clague, S., Newman, B. C., Hall, R. J., Budischak, S. A., Forbes, K. M., & Craft, M. E. (2024). Effects of food supplementation and helminth removal on space use and spatial overlap in wild rodent populations. Journal of Animal Ecology. http://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.14067. The spread of pathogens has been of long-standing interest, even before dramatic outbreaks of avian influenza and the coronavirus pandemic spiked broad public interest. However, the dynamics of pathogen spread in wild populations are complex, with multiple effects shaping where animals go (their space use), population density and, more fundamentally, the resultant patterns of contacts (direct or indirect) among individuals. Thus, experimental studies exploring the dynamics of contact under different sets of conditions are needed. In the current field study, Mistrick et al. (2024) used a multifactorial experimental design, manipulating food availability and individual pathogen infection state in wild bank voles (Clethrionomys glareolus). They found that while food availability, individual traits and seasonality can affect how far individual voles moved, the degree of overlap between individual voles remained largely the same despite a high variation in population density-which itself was affected by food availability. These results highlight how biotic and abiotic factors can shape patterns of space use and balance the level of spatial overlap through multiple pathways.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hanja B Brandl
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, Universität Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Salamatu Abdu
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Damien R Farine
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
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Buckingham LJ, Ashby B. Separation of evolutionary timescales in coevolving species. J Theor Biol 2024; 579:111688. [PMID: 38096978 DOI: 10.1016/j.jtbi.2023.111688] [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: 07/19/2023] [Revised: 10/24/2023] [Accepted: 11/27/2023] [Indexed: 12/23/2023]
Abstract
Many coevolutionary processes, including host-parasite and host-symbiont interactions, involve one species or trait which evolves much faster than the other. Whether or not a coevolutionary trajectory converges depends on the relative rates of evolutionary change in the two species, and so current adaptive dynamics approaches generally either determine convergence stability by considering arbitrary (often comparable) rates of evolutionary change or else rely on necessary or sufficient conditions for convergence stability. We propose a method for determining convergence stability in the case where one species is expected to evolve much faster than the other. This requires a second separation of timescales, which assumes that the faster evolving species will reach its evolutionary equilibrium (if one exists) before a new mutation arises in the more slowly evolving species. This method, which is likely to be a reasonable approximation for many coevolving species, both provides straightforward conditions for convergence stability and is less computationally expensive than traditional analysis of coevolution models, as it reduces the trait space from a two-dimensional plane to a one-dimensional manifold. In this paper, we present the theory underlying this new separation of timescales and provide examples of how it could be used to determine coevolutionary outcomes from models.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lydia J Buckingham
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK; Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, UK.
| | - Ben Ashby
- Department of Mathematical Sciences, University of Bath, Bath, UK; Milner Centre for Evolution, University of Bath, Bath, UK; Department of Mathematics, Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada; The Pacific Institute on Pathogens, Pandemics and Society (PIPPS), Simon Fraser University, Burnaby, BC, Canada
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Mörchen J, Luhn F, Wassmer O, Kunz JA, Kulik L, van Noordwijk MA, Rianti P, Rahmaeti T, Utami Atmoko SS, Widdig A, Schuppli C. Orangutan males make increased use of social learning opportunities, when resource availability is high. iScience 2024; 27:108940. [PMID: 38333693 PMCID: PMC10850741 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.108940] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/10/2023] [Revised: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 01/15/2024] [Indexed: 02/10/2024] Open
Abstract
Humans' colonization of diverse habitats relied on our ancestors' abilities to innovate and share innovations with others. While ecological impacts on innovations are well studied, their effect on social learning remains poorly understood. We examined how food availability affects social learning in migrant orangutan unflanged males, who may learn from local orangutans through peering (i.e., observational social learning). We analyzed 1,384 dyadic associations, including 360 peering events, among 46 wild Sumatran orangutan and 25 Bornean orangutan males, collected over 18 years. Migrants' peering rates significantly increased with higher food availability and time spent in proximity to others. Furthermore, migrants in the more sociable Sumatran population exhibited significantly higher peering rates compared to the Borneans, suggesting intrinsic and/or developmental effects of food availability on social learning. These findings emphasize the importance of investigating ecological effects on social learning on the immediate, developmental, and intrinsic levels for our understanding of cultural evolution.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julia Mörchen
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Primate Behaviour and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Frances Luhn
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Olivia Wassmer
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Julia A. Kunz
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology of Montpellier (ISEM), University of Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, 34095 Montpellier, France
| | - Lars Kulik
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Maria A. van Noordwijk
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Comparative Socioecology, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Puji Rianti
- Primate Research Center, Institute of Research and Community Service, IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
- Animal Biosystematics and Ecology Division, Department of Biology, IPB University, Bogor 16680, Indonesia
| | - Tri Rahmaeti
- Department of Biology, Graduate Program, Faculty of Biology and Agriculture, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta 12520, Indonesia
| | - Sri Suci Utami Atmoko
- Department of Biology, Graduate Program, Faculty of Biology and Agriculture, Universitas Nasional, Jakarta 12520, Indonesia
| | - Anja Widdig
- Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Primate Behaviour and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- German Centre for Integrative Biodiversity Research (iDiv), Halle-Jena-Leipzig, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Caroline Schuppli
- Development and Evolution of Cognition Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
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Romano V, Puga-Gonzalez I, MacIntosh AJJ, Sueur C. The role of social attraction and social avoidance in shaping modular networks. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231619. [PMID: 38420628 PMCID: PMC10898973 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231619] [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: 10/25/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/02/2024]
Abstract
How interactions between individuals contribute to the emergence of complex societies is a major question in behavioural ecology. Nonetheless, little remains known about the type of immediate social structure (i.e. social network) that emerges from relationships that maximize beneficial interactions (e.g. social attraction towards informed individuals) and minimize costly relationships (e.g. social avoidance of infected group mates). We developed an agent-based model where individuals vary in the degree to which individuals signal benefits versus costs to others and, on this basis, choose with whom to interact depending on simple rules of social attraction (e.g. access to the highest benefits) and social avoidance (e.g. avoiding the highest costs). Our main findings demonstrate that the accumulation of individual decisions to avoid interactions with highly costly individuals, but that are to some extent homogeneously beneficial, leads to more modular networks. On the contrary, individuals favouring interactions with highly beneficial individuals, but that are to some extent homogeneously costly, lead to less modular networks. Interestingly, statistical models also indicate that when individuals have multiple potentially beneficial partners to interact with, and no interaction cost exists, this also leads to more modular networks. Yet, the degree of modularity is contingent upon the variability in benefit levels held by individuals. We discuss the emergence of modularity in the systems and their consequences for understanding social trade-offs.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valéria Romano
- IMBE, Aix Marseille Univ., Avignon Univ., CNRS, IRD, Marseille, France
| | - Ivan Puga-Gonzalez
- Center for Modelling Social Systems (CMSS) at NORCE, Kristiansand, Norway
| | | | - Cédric Sueur
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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Gupte PR, Albery GF, Gismann J, Sweeny A, Weissing FJ. Novel pathogen introduction triggers rapid evolution in animal social movement strategies. eLife 2023; 12:e81805. [PMID: 37548365 PMCID: PMC10449382 DOI: 10.7554/elife.81805] [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: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2023] [Indexed: 08/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal sociality emerges from individual decisions on how to balance the costs and benefits of being sociable. Novel pathogens introduced into wildlife populations should increase the costs of sociality, selecting against gregariousness. Using an individual-based model that captures essential features of pathogen transmission among social hosts, we show how novel pathogen introduction provokes the rapid evolutionary emergence and coexistence of distinct social movement strategies. These strategies differ in how they trade the benefits of social information against the risk of infection. Overall, pathogen-risk-adapted populations move more and have fewer associations with other individuals than their pathogen-risk-naive ancestors, reducing disease spread. Host evolution to be less social can be sufficient to cause a pathogen to be eliminated from a population, which is followed by a rapid recovery in social tendency. Our conceptual model is broadly applicable to a wide range of potential host-pathogen introductions and offers initial predictions for the eco-evolutionary consequences of wildlife pathogen spillover scenarios and a template for the development of theory in the ecology and evolution of animals' movement decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Pratik Rajan Gupte
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of GroningenGroningenNetherlands
| | - Gregory F Albery
- Georgetown UniversityWashingtonUnited States
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu BerlinBerlinGermany
| | - Jakob Gismann
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of GroningenGroningenNetherlands
| | - Amy Sweeny
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of EdinburghEdinburghUnited Kingdom
| | - Franz J Weissing
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of GroningenGroningenNetherlands
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Cooney DB. Assortment and Reciprocity Mechanisms for Promotion of Cooperation in a Model of Multilevel Selection. Bull Math Biol 2022; 84:126. [PMID: 36136162 DOI: 10.1007/s11538-022-01082-8] [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: 05/04/2022] [Accepted: 09/05/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Abstract
In the study of the evolution of cooperation, many mechanisms have been proposed to help overcome the self-interested cheating that is individually optimal in the Prisoners' Dilemma game. These mechanisms include assortative or networked social interactions, other-regarding preferences considering the payoffs of others, reciprocity rules to establish cooperation as a social norm, and multilevel selection involving simultaneous competition between individuals favoring cheaters and competition between groups favoring cooperators. In this paper, we build on recent work studying PDE replicator equations for multilevel selection to understand how within-group mechanisms of assortment, other-regarding preferences, and both direct and indirect reciprocity can help to facilitate cooperation in concert with evolutionary competition between groups. We consider a group-structured population in which interactions between individuals consist of Prisoners' Dilemma games and study the dynamics of multilevel competition determined by the payoffs individuals receive when interacting according to these within-group mechanisms. We find that the presence of each of these mechanisms acts synergistically with multilevel selection for the promotion of cooperation, decreasing the strength of between-group competition required to sustain long-time cooperation and increasing the collective payoff achieved by the population. However, we find that only other-regarding preferences allow for the achievement of socially optimal collective payoffs for Prisoners' Dilemma games in which average payoff is maximized by an intermediate mix of cooperators and defectors. For the other three mechanisms, the multilevel dynamics remain susceptible to a shadow of lower-level selection, as the collective outcome fails to exceed the payoff of the all-cooperator group.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel B Cooney
- Department of Mathematics and Center for Mathematical Biology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA.
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