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Thatcher A, Insel N. Familiarity and social relationships in degus ( Octodon degus). Ethology 2024; 130:e13487. [PMID: 39309638 PMCID: PMC11412554 DOI: 10.1111/eth.13487] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/03/2024] [Accepted: 05/24/2024] [Indexed: 09/25/2024]
Abstract
Degus (Octodon degus) are a highly gregarious species of caviomorph rodent native to South America. Kinship does not appear to play a role in degu social structure, and alloparenting is often observed between unrelated females. We hypothesize that female degus readily establish new, cooperative peer relationships. Here we examined changes in dyadic behavior as individuals became more familiar, testing the prediction that interactions between female strangers would quickly resemble those of cagemates. Adult degus underwent a several week series of 20 minute "reunion" social exposures, interleaving reunions with initial strangers and, as a control, familiar cagemates. Males showed initially higher levels of interaction with strangers that converged with cagemate levels over experience. Females could be split into two groups: those that consistently interacted more with strangers (SC-HIGH) and those that did not (SC-LOW); however, unlike males, the higher interaction levels observed between strangers did not change with familiarity. Following 10 reunion sessions female strangers were housed together to create "new cagemates". Even after co-housing, SC-HIGH (but not SC-LOW) females continued to interact more with the relatively unfamiliar peer than their prior cagemate, particularly in face-to-face and rear-sniffing interactions. A final set of reunions with new strangers found that individual differences in female responses to social novelty were preserved. These results reveal sex differences in the rules relating familiarization to social relationships in degus, and that female predispositions toward cooperation may be due to inherent responses to new individuals more than to how they negotiate relationships over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Amber Thatcher
- Department of Psychology, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
| | - Nathan Insel
- Department of Psychology, University of Montana, Missoula, Montana, USA
- Department of Psychology, Wilfrid Laurier University, Waterloo, Ontario, Canada
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Wild S, Alarcón-Nieto G, Aplin LM. The ontogeny of social networks in wild great tits ( Parus major). Behav Ecol 2024; 35:arae011. [PMID: 38495730 PMCID: PMC10941318 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arae011] [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: 09/18/2023] [Revised: 02/07/2024] [Accepted: 03/05/2024] [Indexed: 03/19/2024] Open
Abstract
Sociality impacts many biological processes and can be tightly linked to an individual's fitness. To maximize the advantages of group living, many social animals prefer to associate with individuals that provide the most benefits, such as kin, familiar individuals, or those of similar phenotypes. Such social strategies are not necessarily stable over time but can vary with changing selection pressures. In particular, young individuals transitioning to independence should continuously adjust their social behavior in light of developmental changes. However, social strategies exhibited during adolescence in animals are understudied, and the factors underlying social network formation during ontogeny remain elusive. Here, we tracked associations of wild great tits (Parus major) during the transition to independence and across their first year of life. Both spatial and social factors predicted dyadic associations. During the transition to independence in spring, fledglings initially preferred to associate with siblings and peers over non-parent adults. We found no evidence for preferred associations among juveniles of similar age or fledge weight during that time but weak evidence for some potential inheritance of the parental social network. By autumn, after juveniles had reached full independence, they exhibited social strategies similar to those of adults by establishing stable social ties based on familiarity that persisted through winter into the next spring. Overall, this research demonstrates dynamic changes in social networks during ontogeny in a species with a fast life history and limited parental care, which likely reflect changes in selective pressures. It further highlights the importance of long-term social bonds based on familiarity in this species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonja Wild
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Environmental Science & Policy, University of California Davis, One Shields Ave, Davis, CA-95616, USA
| | - Gustavo Alarcón-Nieto
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Migration, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- International Max Planck Research School for Quantitative Behaviour, Ecology and Evolution, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Universitätsstrasse 10, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Lucy M Aplin
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Am Obstberg 1, 78315 Radolfzell, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Winterthurerstrasse 190, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of Biology, Australian National University, 46 Sullivan’s Creek Road, Canberra, ACT 2600, Australia
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Meng L, Masuda N. Perturbation theory for evolution of cooperation on networks. J Math Biol 2023; 87:12. [PMID: 37335377 DOI: 10.1007/s00285-023-01941-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/06/2023] [Revised: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 05/20/2023] [Indexed: 06/21/2023]
Abstract
Network structure is a mechanism for promoting cooperation in social dilemma games. In the present study, we explore graph surgery, i.e., to slightly perturb the given network, towards a network that better fosters cooperation. To this end, we develop a perturbation theory to assess the change in the propensity of cooperation when we add or remove a single edge to/from the given network. Our perturbation theory is for a previously proposed random-walk-based theory that provides the threshold benefit-to-cost ratio, [Formula: see text], which is the value of the benefit-to-cost ratio in the donation game above which the cooperator is more likely to fixate than in a control case, for any finite networks. We find that [Formula: see text] decreases when we remove a single edge in a majority of cases and that our perturbation theory captures at a reasonable accuracy which edge removal makes [Formula: see text] small to facilitate cooperation. In contrast, [Formula: see text] tends to increase when we add an edge, and the perturbation theory is not good at predicting the edge addition that changes [Formula: see text] by a large amount. Our perturbation theory significantly reduces the computational complexity for calculating the outcome of graph surgery.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lingqi Meng
- Department of Mathematics, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260-2900, USA
| | - Naoki Masuda
- Department of Mathematics, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260-2900, USA.
- Computational and Data-Enabled Science and Engineering Program, University at Buffalo, State University of New York, Buffalo, NY, 14260-5030, USA.
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Chaine AS. Social Evolution: Big Benefits of BFFs. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R72-R74. [PMID: 33497633 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2020.11.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/22/2022]
Abstract
Having long-term familiar neighbors - rather than kin neighbors - can increase survival and double reproductive success in North American red squirrels. These benefits are so high they can slow senescence and may explain numerous social behaviors in this otherwise individualistic species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexis S Chaine
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS, UMR 5321, 2 route du CNRS, 09200 Moulis, France; Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse, 21 allée de Brienne, 31015 Toulouse, France.
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Abstract
Abstract
Genetic relatedness in animal societies is often a factor that drives the structure of social groups. In the marine world, most studies which have investigated this question have focused on marine mammals such as whales and dolphins. For sharks, recent studies have demonstrated preferential associations among individuals from which social communities emerge. Assortment patterns have been found according to phenotypic or behavioral traits, but the role of genetic relatedness in shaping the social structure of adult shark populations has, to the best of our knowledge, never been investigated. Here, we used a social network analysis crossed with DNA microsatellite genotyping to investigate the role of the genetic relatedness in the social structure of a blacktip reef shark (Carcharhinus melanopterus) population. Based on the data from 156 groups of sharks, we used generalized affiliation indices to isolate social preferences from nonsocial associations, controlling for the contribution of sex, size, gregariousness, spatial, and temporal overlap on social associations, to test for the influence of genetic relatedness on social structure. A double-permutation procedure was employed to confirm our results and account for issues arising from potentially elevated type I and type II error rates. Kinship was not a predictor of associations and affiliations among sharks at the dyad or community levels as individuals tended to associate independently of the genetic relatedness among them. The lack of parental care in this species may contribute to the breakdown of family links in the population early in life, thereby preventing the formation of kin-based social networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- Johann Mourier
- PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence “CORAIL”, EPHE, PSL Research University, UPVD, CNRS, USR CRIOBE, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
- MARBEC, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, Ifremer, IRD Sète, France
| | - Serge Planes
- PSL Research University, EPHE-UPVD-CNRS, USR 3278, Université de Perpignan, Perpignan, France
- Laboratoire d’Excellence “CORAIL”, EPHE, PSL Research University, UPVD, CNRS, USR CRIOBE, Papetoai, Moorea, French Polynesia
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Deng K, Liu W, Wang DH. Relatedness and spatial distance modulate intergroup interactions: experimental evidence from a social rodent. Curr Zool 2019; 65:527-534. [PMID: 31616483 PMCID: PMC6784511 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoy082] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2018] [Accepted: 11/05/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Kin selection theory predicts that individuals should generally behave less aggressively or more amicably towards relatives than nonkin. However, how individuals treat conspecifics depends on genetic relatedness but also on the ecological context, which influences the benefits and costs of their interactions. In this study, we used microsatellite DNA markers and behavioral tests to examine the influence of kinship and proximity on the social behavior of Mongolian gerbils Meriones unguiculatus living in different social groups, and whether these effects varied with sex and season. We recorded the duration of 4 behavioral categories (investigative, neutral, amicable, and agonistic) during a 10-min pairwise test. We found that genetic relatedness had significant effects on the duration of investigative, neutral, and amicable behavior, but not on agonistic behavior. We also found significant interaction effects of relatedness and distance between burrow systems (i.e., spatial distance) on investigative, neutral, and amicable behavior, which suggests that the effects of kinship on social behavior were restricted by spatial proximity. The interaction effect between sex and relatedness on amicable behavior showed that male gerbils became more intimate with individuals of the same sex that had higher pairwise relatedness than females. Furthermore, both male and female gerbils enhanced their aggression during the food-hoarding season, but the intensity of these changes was significantly higher in females. Overall, our results suggest that the effects of kinship and spatial proximity on social behavior exhibit sexual or seasonal patterns, thereby implying ecological context-dependent responses to out-group individuals in Mongolian gerbils.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ke Deng
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,Chengdu Institute of Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Chengdu, Sichuan, China
| | - Wei Liu
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
| | - De-Hua Wang
- State Key Laboratory of Integrated Management of Pest Insects and Rodents, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China.,University of Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, China
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Chaine AS, Shizuka D, Block TA, Zhang L, Lyon BE. Manipulating badges of status only fools strangers. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:1477-1485. [DOI: 10.1111/ele.13128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2018] [Revised: 02/14/2018] [Accepted: 06/19/2018] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alexis S. Chaine
- Station d'Ecologie Théorique et Expérimentale du CNRS (UMR5321); Evolutionary Ecology Group; 2 route du, CNRS 09200 Moulis France
- Institute for Advanced Studies in Toulouse; Toulouse School of Economics; 21 allée de Brienne 31015 Toulouse France
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences; University of Nebraska-Lincoln; NE 68588 USA
| | - Theadora A. Block
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Santa Cruz CA 95064 USA
| | - Lynn Zhang
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Santa Cruz CA 95064 USA
| | - Bruce E. Lyon
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; University of California; Santa Cruz CA 95064 USA
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9
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Kohn GM. Friends give benefits: autumn social familiarity preferences predict reproductive output. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.08.013] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
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Special case among passerine birds: long-tailed tits keep family bonds during migration. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2268-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Social dynamics in nonbreeding flocks of a cooperatively breeding bird: causes and consequences of kin associations. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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