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Abraham JO, Lin B, Miller AE, Henry LP, Demmel MY, Warungu R, Mwangi M, Lobura PM, Pallares LF, Ayroles JF, Pringle RM, Rubenstein DI. Determinants of microbiome composition: Insights from free-ranging hybrid zebras (Equus quagga × grevyi). Mol Ecol 2024:e17370. [PMID: 38682799 DOI: 10.1111/mec.17370] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2023] [Revised: 04/12/2024] [Accepted: 04/17/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024]
Abstract
The composition of mammalian gut microbiomes is highly conserved within species, yet the mechanisms by which microbiome composition is transmitted and maintained within lineages of wild animals remain unclear. Mutually compatible hypotheses exist, including that microbiome fidelity results from inherited dietary habits, shared environmental exposure, morphophysiological filtering and/or maternal effects. Interspecific hybrids are a promising system in which to interrogate the determinants of microbiome composition because hybrids can decouple traits and processes that are otherwise co-inherited in their parent species. We used a population of free-living hybrid zebras (Equus quagga × grevyi) in Kenya to evaluate the roles of these four mechanisms in regulating microbiome composition. We analysed faecal DNA for both the trnL-P6 and the 16S rRNA V4 region to characterize the diets and microbiomes of the hybrid zebra and of their parent species, plains zebra (E. quagga) and Grevy's zebra (E. grevyi). We found that both diet and microbiome composition clustered by species, and that hybrid diets and microbiomes were largely nested within those of the maternal species, plains zebra. Hybrid microbiomes were less variable than those of either parent species where they co-occurred. Diet and microbiome composition were strongly correlated, although the strength of this correlation varied between species. These patterns are most consistent with the maternal-effects hypothesis, somewhat consistent with the diet hypothesis, and largely inconsistent with the environmental-sourcing and morphophysiological-filtering hypotheses. Maternal transmittance likely operates in conjunction with inherited feeding habits to conserve microbiome composition within species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joel O Abraham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Bing Lin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Audrey E Miller
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Lucas P Henry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Department of Biology, New York University, New York City, New York, USA
| | - Margaret Y Demmel
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Section of Ecology, Behavior and Evolution, University of California San Diego, San Diego, California, USA
| | | | | | | | - Luisa F Pallares
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Friedrich Miescher Laboratory, Max Planck Society, Tübingen, Germany
| | - Julien F Ayroles
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Robert M Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, USA
- Mpala Research Conservancy, Laikipia County, Kenya
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Tombak KJ, Hex SBSW, Rubenstein DI. New estimates indicate that males are not larger than females in most mammal species. Nat Commun 2024; 15:1872. [PMID: 38472185 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-45739-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2023] [Accepted: 02/02/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Sexual size dimorphism has motivated a large body of research on mammalian mating strategies and sexual selection. Despite some contrary evidence, the narrative that larger males are the norm in mammals-upheld since Darwin's Descent of Man-still dominates today, supported by meta-analyses that use coarse measures of dimorphism and taxonomically-biased sampling. With newly-available datasets and primary sources reporting sex-segregated means and variances in adult body mass, we estimate statistically-determined rates of sexual size dimorphism in mammals, sampling taxa by their species richness at the family level. Our analyses of wild, non-provisioned populations representing >400 species indicate that although males tend to be larger than females when dimorphism occurs, males are not larger in most mammal species, suggesting a need to revisit other assumptions in sexual selection research.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaia J Tombak
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY, USA.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA.
| | - Severine B S W Hex
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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3
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Tombak KJ, Gersick AS, Reisinger LV, Larison B, Rubenstein DI. Author Correction: Zebras of all stripes repel biting flies at close range. Sci Rep 2023; 13:1731. [PMID: 36720956 PMCID: PMC9889755 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-28782-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Kaia J. Tombak
- grid.16750.350000 0001 2097 5006Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA ,grid.257167.00000 0001 2183 6649Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY USA
| | - Andrew S. Gersick
- grid.16750.350000 0001 2097 5006Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA ,grid.263081.e0000 0001 0790 1491Department of Computer Science, San Diego State University, San Diego, CA USA
| | - Lily V. Reisinger
- grid.16750.350000 0001 2097 5006Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA ,grid.42505.360000 0001 2156 6853Leonard Davis School of Gerontology, University of Southern California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Brenda Larison
- grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, CA USA ,grid.19006.3e0000 0000 9632 6718Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, Los Angeles, CA USA
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- grid.16750.350000 0001 2097 5006Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ USA
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Karczmarski L, Chan SCY, Rubenstein DI, Chui SYS, Cameron EZ. Individual identification and photographic techniques in mammalian ecological and behavioural research—Part 1: Methods and concepts. Mamm Biol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s42991-022-00319-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
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5
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Broekman MJE, Hilbers JP, Huijbregts MAJ, Mueller T, Ali AH, Andrén H, Altmann J, Aronsson M, Attias N, Bartlam‐Brooks HLA, van Beest FM, Belant JL, Beyer DE, Bidner L, Blaum N, Boone RB, Boyce MS, Brown MB, Cagnacci F, Černe R, Chamaillé‐Jammes S, Dejid N, Dekker J, L. J. Desbiez A, Díaz‐Muñoz SL, Fennessy J, Fichtel C, Fischer C, Fisher JT, Fischhoff I, Ford AT, Fryxell JM, Gehr B, Goheen JR, Hauptfleisch M, Hewison AJM, Hering R, Heurich M, Isbell LA, Janssen R, Jeltsch F, Kaczensky P, Kappeler PM, Krofel M, LaPoint S, Latham ADM, Linnell JDC, Markham AC, Mattisson J, Medici EP, de Miranda Mourão G, Van Moorter B, Morato RG, Morellet N, Mysterud A, Mwiu S, Odden J, Olson KA, Ornicāns A, Pagon N, Panzacchi M, Persson J, Petroelje T, Rolandsen CM, Roshier D, Rubenstein DI, Saïd S, Salemgareyev AR, Sawyer H, Schmidt NM, Selva N, Sergiel A, Stabach J, Stacy‐Dawes J, Stewart FEC, Stiegler J, Strand O, Sundaresan S, Svoboda NJ, Ullmann W, Voigt U, Wall J, Wikelski M, Wilmers CC, Zięba F, Zwijacz‐Kozica T, Schipper AM, Tucker MA. Evaluating expert-based habitat suitability information of terrestrial mammals with GPS-tracking data. Glob Ecol Biogeogr 2022; 31:1526-1541. [PMID: 36247232 PMCID: PMC9544534 DOI: 10.1111/geb.13523] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/23/2021] [Revised: 04/14/2022] [Accepted: 04/19/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
AIM Macroecological studies that require habitat suitability data for many species often derive this information from expert opinion. However, expert-based information is inherently subjective and thus prone to errors. The increasing availability of GPS tracking data offers opportunities to evaluate and supplement expert-based information with detailed empirical evidence. Here, we compared expert-based habitat suitability information from the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) with habitat suitability information derived from GPS-tracking data of 1,498 individuals from 49 mammal species. LOCATION Worldwide. TIME PERIOD 1998-2021. MAJOR TAXA STUDIED Forty-nine terrestrial mammal species. METHODS Using GPS data, we estimated two measures of habitat suitability for each individual animal: proportional habitat use (proportion of GPS locations within a habitat type), and selection ratio (habitat use relative to its availability). For each individual we then evaluated whether the GPS-based habitat suitability measures were in agreement with the IUCN data. To that end, we calculated the probability that the ranking of empirical habitat suitability measures was in agreement with IUCN's classification into suitable, marginal and unsuitable habitat types. RESULTS IUCN habitat suitability data were in accordance with the GPS data (> 95% probability of agreement) for 33 out of 49 species based on proportional habitat use estimates and for 25 out of 49 species based on selection ratios. In addition, 37 and 34 species had a > 50% probability of agreement based on proportional habitat use and selection ratios, respectively. MAIN CONCLUSIONS We show how GPS-tracking data can be used to evaluate IUCN habitat suitability data. Our findings indicate that for the majority of species included in this study, it is appropriate to use IUCN habitat suitability data in macroecological studies. Furthermore, we show that GPS-tracking data can be used to identify and prioritize species and habitat types for re-evaluation of IUCN habitat suitability data.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maarten J. E. Broekman
- Department of Environmental ScienceInstitute for Wetland and Water Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Jelle P. Hilbers
- Department of Environmental ScienceInstitute for Wetland and Water Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Mark A. J. Huijbregts
- Department of Environmental ScienceInstitute for Wetland and Water Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für NaturforschungFrankfurt (Main)Germany
- Department of Biological SciencesGoethe UniversityFrankfurt (Main)Germany
| | | | - Henrik Andrén
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesRiddarhyttanSweden
| | - Jeanne Altmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
| | - Malin Aronsson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesRiddarhyttanSweden
- Department of ZoologyStockholm UniversityStockholmSweden
| | - Nina Attias
- Ecology and Conservation Graduate ProgramFederal University of Mato Grosso do SulCampo GrandeMato Grosso do SulBrazil
- Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS)Campo GrandeMato Grosso do SulBrazil
| | | | | | - Jerrold L. Belant
- Global Wildlife Conservation CenterState University of New York College of Environmental Science and ForestrySyracuseNew YorkUSA
| | - Dean E. Beyer
- Department of Fisheries and WildlifeMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | - Laura Bidner
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | - Niels Blaum
- Plant Ecology and Nature ConservationUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Randall B. Boone
- Department of Ecosystem Science and SustainabilityColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - Mark S. Boyce
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonAlbertaCanada
| | - Michael B. Brown
- Giraffe Conservation FoundationErosNamibia
- Conservation Ecology CenterSmithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology InstituteFront RoyalVirginiaUSA
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular EcologyResearch and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund MachTrentoItaly
| | - Rok Černe
- Slovenia Forest ServiceLjubljanaSlovenia
| | - Simon Chamaillé‐Jammes
- CEFE, Univ Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Univ Paul Valéry Montpellier 3MontpellierFrance
| | - Nandintsetseg Dejid
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für NaturforschungFrankfurt (Main)Germany
| | | | - Arnaud L. J. Desbiez
- Instituto de Conservação de Animais Silvestres (ICAS)Campo GrandeMato Grosso do SulBrazil
- IPÊ (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas; Institute for Ecological Research)São PauloBrazil
- Royal Zoological Society of Scotland (RZSS)EdinburghUK
| | - Samuel L. Díaz‐Muñoz
- Department of Microbiology and Molecular GeneticsUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Claudia Fichtel
- German Primate Center, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology UnitGöttingenGermany
| | - Christina Fischer
- Faunistics and Wildlife Conservation, Department of Agriculture, Ecotrophology, and Landscape DevelopmentAnhalt University of Applied SciencesBernburgGermany
| | - Jason T. Fisher
- School of Environmental StudiesUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | | | - Adam T. Ford
- Department of Biology, Faculty of ScienceUniversity of British ColumbiaKelownaBritish ColumbiaCanada
| | - John M. Fryxell
- Department of Integrative BiologyUniversity of GuelphGuelphOntarioCanada
| | - Benedikt Gehr
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Jacob R. Goheen
- Department of Zoology and PhysiologyUniversity of WyomingLaramieWyomingUSA
| | - Morgan Hauptfleisch
- Department of Agriculture And Natural Resources Sciences, Biodiversity Research CentreNamibia University of Science and TechnologyWindhoekNamibia
| | - A. J. Mark Hewison
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFSCastanet‐TolosanFrance
- LTSER ZA Pyrénées GaronneAuzeville‐TolosaneFrance
| | - Robert Hering
- Plant Ecology and Nature ConservationUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Marco Heurich
- Department of Conservation and ResearchBavarian Forest National ParkGrafenauGermany
- Chair of Wildlife Ecology and ManagementAlbert Ludwigs University of FreiburgFreiburgGermany
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
| | - Lynne A. Isbell
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
- Animal Behavior Graduate GroupUniversity of CaliforniaDavisCaliforniaUSA
| | | | - Florian Jeltsch
- Plant Ecology and Nature ConservationUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Petra Kaczensky
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchTrondheimNorway
- Research Institute of Wildlife EcologyUniversity of Veterinary Medicine ViennaViennaAustria
| | - Peter M. Kappeler
- German Primate Center, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology UnitGöttingenGermany
| | - Miha Krofel
- Department of Forestry and Renewable Forest Resources, Biotechnical FacultyUniversity of LjubljanaLjubljanaSlovenia
| | - Scott LaPoint
- Black Rock ForestCornwallNew YorkUSA
- Lamont‐Doherty Earth ObservatoryColumbia UniversityPalisadesNew YorkUSA
| | - A. David M. Latham
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of AlbertaEdmontonAlbertaCanada
- Wildlife Ecology and ManagementManaaki Whenua – Landcare ResearchLincolnNew Zealand
| | - John D. C. Linnell
- Department of Forestry and Wildlife ManagementInland Norway University of Applied SciencesKoppangNorway
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchTrondheimNorway
| | | | | | - Emilia Patricia Medici
- IPÊ (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas; Institute for Ecological Research)São PauloBrazil
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Tapir Specialist Group (TSG)Campo GrandeMato Grosso do SulBrazil
| | | | | | - Ronaldo G. Morato
- National Research Center for Carnivores ConservationChico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of BiodiversityAtibaiaBrazil
| | - Nicolas Morellet
- Université de Toulouse, INRAE, CEFSCastanet‐TolosanFrance
- LTSER ZA Pyrénées GaronneAuzeville‐TolosaneFrance
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of BiosciencesUniversity of OsloOsloNorway
| | - Stephen Mwiu
- Wildlife Research and Training InstituteNaivashaKenya
| | - John Odden
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchOsloNorway
| | - Kirk A. Olson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia ProgramUlaanbaatarMongolia
| | - Aivars Ornicāns
- Latvian State Forest Research Institute “Silava”SalaspilsLatvia
| | | | | | - Jens Persson
- Grimsö Wildlife Research Station, Department of EcologySwedish University of Agricultural SciencesRiddarhyttanSweden
| | - Tyler Petroelje
- Global Wildlife Conservation CenterState University of New York College of Environmental Science and ForestrySyracuseNew YorkUSA
| | | | - David Roshier
- Australian Wildlife ConservancySubiacoWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
| | - Sonia Saïd
- Direction de la Recherche et de l'Appui ScientifiqueOffice Français de la BiodiversitéBirieuxFrance
| | - Albert R. Salemgareyev
- Association for the Conservation of Biodiversity of Kazakhstan (ACBK)Nur‐SultanKazakhstan
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology Inc.LaramieWyomingUSA
| | - Niels Martin Schmidt
- Department of BioscienceAarhus UniversityRoskildeDenmark
- Arctic Research CentreAarhus UniversityAarhusDenmark
| | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of SciencesKrakowPoland
| | - Agnieszka Sergiel
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of SciencesKrakowPoland
| | - Jared Stabach
- Conservation Ecology CenterSmithsonian National Zoo and Conservation Biology InstituteFront RoyalVirginiaUSA
| | - Jenna Stacy‐Dawes
- Conservation Science and Wildlife HealthSan Diego Zoo Wildlife AllianceEscondidoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Frances E. C. Stewart
- School of Environmental StudiesUniversity of VictoriaVictoriaBritish ColumbiaCanada
- Department of BiologyWilfrid Laurier UniversityWaterlooOntarioCanada
| | - Jonas Stiegler
- Plant Ecology and Nature ConservationUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Olav Strand
- Norwegian Institute for Nature ResearchTrondheimNorway
| | | | - Nathan J. Svoboda
- Carnivore Ecology Laboratory, Forest and Wildlife Research CenterMississippi State UniversityMississippi StateMississippiUSA
- Alaska Department of Fish and GameKodiakAlaskaUSA
| | - Wiebke Ullmann
- Plant Ecology and Nature ConservationUniversity of PotsdamPotsdamGermany
| | - Ulrich Voigt
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife ResearchUniversity of Veterinary Medicine Hannover FoundationHannoverGermany
| | | | - Martin Wikelski
- Department of MigrationMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorRadolfzellGermany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective BehaviourUniversity of KonstanzConstanceGermany
| | - Christopher C. Wilmers
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies DepartmentUniversity of CaliforniaSanta CruzCaliforniaUSA
| | | | | | - Aafke M. Schipper
- Department of Environmental ScienceInstitute for Wetland and Water Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
- PBL Netherlands Environmental Assessment AgencyThe HagueThe Netherlands
| | - Marlee A. Tucker
- Department of Environmental ScienceInstitute for Wetland and Water Research, Faculty of Science, Radboud UniversityNijmegenThe Netherlands
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Jolles JW, Sosna MMG, Mazué GPF, Twomey CR, Bak-Coleman J, Rubenstein DI, Couzin ID. Both prey and predator features predict the individual predation risk and survival of schooling prey. eLife 2022; 11:76344. [PMID: 35852826 PMCID: PMC9348852 DOI: 10.7554/elife.76344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/14/2021] [Accepted: 07/18/2022] [Indexed: 11/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Predation is one of the main evolutionary drivers of social grouping. While it is well appreciated that predation risk is likely not shared equally among individuals within groups, its detailed quantification has remained difficult due to the speed of attacks and the highly dynamic nature of collective prey response. Here, using high-resolution tracking of solitary predators (Northern pike) hunting schooling fish (golden shiners), we not only provide insights into predator decision-making, but show which key spatial and kinematic features of predator and prey predict the risk of individuals to be targeted and to survive attacks. We found that pike tended to stealthily approach the largest groups, and were often already inside the school when launching their attack, making prey in this frontal ‘strike zone’ the most vulnerable to be targeted. From the prey’s perspective, those fish in central locations, but relatively far from, and less aligned with, neighbours, were most likely to be targeted. While the majority of attacks were successful (70%), targeted individuals that did manage to avoid being captured exhibited a higher maximum acceleration response just before the attack and were further away from the pike‘s head. Our results highlight the crucial interplay between predators’ attack strategy and response of prey underlying the predation risk within mobile animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Matthew MG Sosna
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University
| | | | | | | | | | - Iain D Couzin
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior
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Fischer I, Rubenstein DI, Levin SA. Vaccination-hesitancy and global warming: distinct social challenges with similar behavioural solutions. R Soc Open Sci 2022; 9:211515. [PMID: 35719878 PMCID: PMC9198505 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211515] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 05/24/2022] [Indexed: 05/03/2023]
Abstract
Although the COVID-19 vaccine has dramatically changed the fight against the pandemic, many exhibit vaccination-hesitancy. At the same time, continued human-induced emissions of greenhouse gases pose an alarming threat to humanity. Based on the theory of Subjective Expected Relative Similarity (SERS) and a recent international study that drastically modified COVID-19 health-related attitudes, we explain why a similar approach and a corresponding public policy are expected to help resolve both behavioural issues: reduce vaccination hesitancy and motivate climate actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ilan Fischer
- Department of Psychology, University of Haifa, Haifa, Israel
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Simon A. Levin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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8
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Marsh CJ, Sica YV, Burgin CJ, Dorman WA, Anderson RC, del Toro Mijares I, Vigneron JG, Barve V, Dombrowik VL, Duong M, Guralnick R, Hart JA, Maypole JK, McCall K, Ranipeta A, Schuerkmann A, Torselli MA, Lacher T, Mittermeier RA, Rylands AB, Sechrest W, Wilson DE, Abba AM, Aguirre LF, Arroyo‐Cabrales J, Astúa D, Baker AM, Braulik G, Braun JK, Brito J, Busher PE, Burneo SF, Camacho MA, Cavallini P, de Almeida Chiquito E, Cook JA, Cserkész T, Csorba G, Cuéllar Soto E, da Cunha Tavares V, Davenport TRB, Deméré T, Denys C, Dickman CR, Eldridge MDB, Fernandez‐Duque E, Francis CM, Frankham G, Franklin WL, Freitas T, Friend JA, Gadsby EL, Garbino GST, Gaubert P, Giannini N, Giarla T, Gilchrist JS, Gongora J, Goodman SM, Gursky‐Doyen S, Hackländer K, Hafner MS, Hawkins M, Helgen KM, Heritage S, Hinckley A, Hintsche S, Holden M, Holekamp KE, Honeycutt RL, Huffman BA, Humle T, Hutterer R, Ibáñez Ulargui C, Jackson SM, Janecka J, Janecka M, Jenkins P, Juškaitis R, Juste J, Kays R, Kilpatrick CW, Kingston T, Koprowski JL, Kryštufek B, Lavery T, Lee TE, Leite YLR, Novaes RLM, Lim BK, Lissovsky A, López‐Antoñanzas R, López‐Baucells A, MacLeod CD, Maisels FG, Mares MA, Marsh H, Mattioli S, Meijaard E, Monadjem A, Morton FB, Musser G, Nadler T, Norris RW, Ojeda A, Ordóñez‐Garza N, Pardiñas UFJ, Patterson BD, Pavan A, Pennay M, Pereira C, Prado J, Queiroz HL, Richardson M, Riley EP, Rossiter SJ, Rubenstein DI, Ruelas D, Salazar‐Bravo J, Schai‐Braun S, Schank CJ, Schwitzer C, Sheeran LK, Shekelle M, Shenbrot G, Soisook P, Solari S, Southgate R, Superina M, Taber AB, Talebi M, Taylor P, Vu Dinh T, Ting N, Tirira DG, Tsang S, Turvey ST, Valdez R, Van Cakenberghe V, Veron G, Wallis J, Wells R, Whittaker D, Williamson EA, Wittemyer G, Woinarski J, Zinner D, Upham NS, Jetz W. Expert range maps of global mammal distributions harmonised to three taxonomic authorities. J Biogeogr 2022; 49:979-992. [PMID: 35506011 PMCID: PMC9060555 DOI: 10.1111/jbi.14330] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2021] [Revised: 01/05/2022] [Accepted: 01/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
AIM Comprehensive, global information on species' occurrences is an essential biodiversity variable and central to a range of applications in ecology, evolution, biogeography and conservation. Expert range maps often represent a species' only available distributional information and play an increasing role in conservation assessments and macroecology. We provide global range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species harmonised to the taxonomy of the Mammal Diversity Database (MDD) mobilised from two sources, the Handbook of the Mammals of the World (HMW) and the Illustrated Checklist of the Mammals of the World (CMW). LOCATION Global. TAXON All extant mammal species. METHODS Range maps were digitally interpreted, georeferenced, error-checked and subsequently taxonomically aligned between the HMW (6253 species), the CMW (6431 species) and the MDD taxonomies (6362 species). RESULTS Range maps can be evaluated and visualised in an online map browser at Map of Life (mol.org) and accessed for individual or batch download for non-commercial use. MAIN CONCLUSION Expert maps of species' global distributions are limited in their spatial detail and temporal specificity, but form a useful basis for broad-scale characterizations and model-based integration with other data. We provide georeferenced range maps for the native ranges of all extant mammal species as shapefiles, with species-level metadata and source information packaged together in geodatabase format. Across the three taxonomic sources our maps entail, there are 1784 taxonomic name differences compared to the maps currently available on the IUCN Red List website. The expert maps provided here are harmonised to the MDD taxonomic authority and linked to a community of online tools that will enable transparent future updates and version control.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charles J. Marsh
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Yanina V. Sica
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Connor J. Burgin
- Department of BiologyUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNew MexicoUSA
| | - Wendy A. Dorman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Robert C. Anderson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Isabel del Toro Mijares
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Jessica G. Vigneron
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Vijay Barve
- Florida Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Victoria L. Dombrowik
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Michelle Duong
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Robert Guralnick
- Florida Museum of Natural HistoryUniversity of FloridaGainesvilleFloridaUSA
| | - Julie A. Hart
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- New York Natural Heritage ProgramState University of New York College of Environmental Science and ForestryAlbanyNew YorkUSA
| | - J. Krish Maypole
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Kira McCall
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Ajay Ranipeta
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Anna Schuerkmann
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Michael A. Torselli
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Thomas Lacher
- Department of Ecology and Conservation BiologyTexas A&M UniversityCollege StationTexasUSA
- Re:wildAustinTexasUSA
| | | | | | | | - Don E. Wilson
- National Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian InstitutionWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Agustín M. Abba
- Centro de Estudios Parasitológicos y de Vectores (CEPAVE‐UNLP‐CONICET)La Plata, Buenos AiresArgentina
| | - Luis F. Aguirre
- Centro de Biodiversidad y GenéticaUniversidad Mayor de San SimónCochabambaBolivia
| | | | - Diego Astúa
- Departamento de ZoologiaUniversidade Federal de PernambucoRecifePernambucoBrazil
| | - Andrew M. Baker
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, Faculty of ScienceQueensland University of TechnologyBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
- Biodiversity and Geosciences ProgramQueensland MuseumBrisbaneQueenslandAustralia
| | - Gill Braulik
- School of BiologyUniversity of St. AndrewsSt. Andrews, FifeUK
| | | | - Jorge Brito
- Instituto Nacional de Biodiversidad (INABIO)QuitoEcuador
| | - Peter E. Busher
- College of General StudiesBoston UniversityBostonMassachusettsUSA
| | - Santiago F. Burneo
- Sección Mastozoología, Museo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y NaturalesPontificia Universidad Católica del EcuadorQuitoEcuador
| | - M. Alejandra Camacho
- Sección Mastozoología, Museo de Zoología, Facultad de Ciencias Exactas y NaturalesPontificia Universidad Católica del EcuadorQuitoEcuador
| | | | | | - Joseph A. Cook
- Museum of Southwestern Biology and Department of BiologyUniversity of New MexicoAlbuquerqueNew MexicoUSA
| | - Tamás Cserkész
- Department of ZoologyHungarian Natural History MuseumBudapestHungary
| | - Gábor Csorba
- Department of ZoologyHungarian Natural History MuseumBudapestHungary
| | | | - Valeria da Cunha Tavares
- Vale Technological InstituteBelémParáBrazil
- Laboratório de Mamíferos, Departamento de Sistemática e Ecologia, CCEN/DSEUniversidade Federal da ParaíbaJoão PessoaPBBrazil
| | - Tim R. B. Davenport
- Species Conservation & Science (Africa)Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS)ArushaTanzania
| | | | - Christiane Denys
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB)Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle (CNRS)ParisFrance
| | - Christopher R. Dickman
- Desert Ecology Research Group, School of Life and Environmental SciencesThe University of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Mark D. B. Eldridge
- Australian Museum Research InstituteAustralian MuseumSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Eduardo Fernandez‐Duque
- Department of Anthropology and School of the EnvironmentYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
| | - Charles M. Francis
- Canadian Wildlife ServiceEnvironment and Climate Change CanadaOttawaOntarioCanada
| | - Greta Frankham
- Australian Museum Research InstituteAustralian MuseumSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - William L. Franklin
- Deparment of Natural Resource Ecology and EnvironmentIowa State UniversityAmesIowaUSA
| | - Thales Freitas
- Departamento de GenéticaUniversidade Federal do Rio Grande do SulPorto AlegreRio Grande do SulBrazil
| | - J. Anthony Friend
- Department of BiodiversityConservation and AttractionsAlbanyWestern AustraliaAustralia
| | | | | | - Philippe Gaubert
- Laboratoire Évolution & Diversité BiologiqueUniversité Toulouse III Paul SabatierToulouseFrance
| | - Norberto Giannini
- Unidad Ejecutora LilloCONICET ‐ Fundación Miguel LilloSan Miguel de Tucumán, TucumánArgentina
| | - Thomas Giarla
- Department of BiologySiena CollegeLoudonvilleNew YorkUSA
| | | | - Jaime Gongora
- Sydney School of Veterinary Science, Faculty of ScienceThe University of SydneySydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Steven M. Goodman
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural HistoryChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | | | - Klaus Hackländer
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game ManagementUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesWienAustria
| | - Mark S. Hafner
- Museum of Natural ScienceLouisiana State UniversityBaton RougeLouisianaUSA
| | - Melissa Hawkins
- National Museum of Natural HistorySmithsonian InstitutionWashingtonDistrict of ColumbiaUSA
| | - Kristofer M. Helgen
- Australian Museum Research InstituteAustralian MuseumSydneyNew South WalesAustralia
| | - Steven Heritage
- Duke Lemur Center, Museum of Natural HistoryDuke UniversityDurhamNorth CarolinaUSA
| | | | | | - Mary Holden
- Department of MammalogyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | - Kay E. Holekamp
- Department of Integrative BiologyMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | | | | | - Tatyana Humle
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and EcologySchool of Anthropology and Conservation, University of KentCanterburyUK
| | | | | | | | - Jan Janecka
- Department of Biological SciencesDuquesne UniversityPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Mary Janecka
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of PittsburghPittsburghPennsylvaniaUSA
| | - Paula Jenkins
- Mammal Group, Vertebrates DivisionDepartment of Life Sciences, The Natural History MuseumLondonUK
| | | | | | - Roland Kays
- North Carolina Museum of Natural SciencesRaleighNorth CarolinaUSA
| | | | - Tigga Kingston
- Department of Biological SciencesTexas Tech UniversityLubbockTexasUSA
| | | | | | - Tyrone Lavery
- Fenner School of Environment and SocietyThe Australian National UniversityActonAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
| | - Thomas E. Lee
- Department of BiologyAbilene Christian UniversityAbileneTexasUSA
| | - Yuri L. R. Leite
- Departamento de Ciências BiológicasUniversidade Federal do Espírito SantoVitóriaEspiríto SantoBrazil
| | | | - Burton K. Lim
- Department of Natural HistoryRoyal Ontario MuseumTorontoOntarioCanada
| | | | - Raquel López‐Antoñanzas
- Institut des Sciences de l'Évolution de Montpellier (ISE‐M, UMR 5554, UM/CNRS/IRD/EPHE)MontpellierFrance
| | | | | | - Fiona G. Maisels
- Wildlife Conservation SocietyGlobal Conservation ProgramNew YorkNew YorkUSA
- Faculty of Natural SciencesUniversity of StirlingStirlingUK
| | | | - Helene Marsh
- Division of Tropical Environments and SocietiesCentre for Tropical Water and Aquatic Ecosystem Research, James Cook UniversityTownsvilleQueenslandAustralia
| | - Stefano Mattioli
- Research Unit of Behavioural Ecology, Ethology and Wildlife Management, Department of Life SciencesUniversity of SienaSienaItaly
| | - Erik Meijaard
- Borneo FuturesBandar Seri BegawanBABrunei Darussalam
| | - Ara Monadjem
- Department of Biological SciencesUniversity of EswatiniKwaluseniEswatini
- Department of Zoology & Entomology, Mammal Research InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
| | | | - Grace Musser
- Jackson School of GeosciencesUniversity of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | - Tilo Nadler
- Cuc Phuong CommuneNho Quan DistrictNinh BInh, ProvinceVietnam
| | - Ryan W. Norris
- Evolution, Ecology and Organismal BiologyThe Ohio State UniversityLimaOhioUSA
| | - Agustina Ojeda
- Instituto Argentino de Zonas Áridas (IADIZA)‐CCT Mendoza‐CONICETMendozaArgentina
| | | | | | - Bruce D. Patterson
- Negaunee Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural HistoryChicagoIllinoisUSA
| | - Ana Pavan
- Universidade de São PauloSão PauloBrazil
| | - Michael Pennay
- NSW National Parks and Wildlife ServiceQueanbeyanNew South WalesAustralia
| | | | | | - Helder L. Queiroz
- Instituto de Desenvolvimento Sustentável Mamirauá – IDSMTeféAmazonasBrazil
| | | | - Erin P. Riley
- Department of AnthropologySan Diego State UniversitySan DiegoCaliforniaUSA
| | - Stephen J. Rossiter
- School of Biological and Chemical SciencesQueen Mary University of LondonLondonUK
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyPrinceton UniversityPrincetonNew JerseyUSA
| | - Dennisse Ruelas
- Museo de Historia NaturalUniversidad Nacional Mayor de San Marcos, LimaLimaPeru
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution (ISEM, UMR 5554 CNRS‐IRD‐UM)Université de MontpellierMontpellier Cedex 5France
| | | | - Stéphanie Schai‐Braun
- Institute of Wildlife Biology and Game ManagementUniversity of Natural Resources and Life SciencesViennaAustria
| | - Cody J. Schank
- Re:wildAustinTexasUSA
- Department of Geography and the EnvironmentThe University of Texas at AustinAustinTexasUSA
| | | | - Lori K. Sheeran
- Department of Anthropology and Museum StudiesCentral Washington UniversityEllensburgWAUSA
| | - Myron Shekelle
- Department of AnthropologyWestern Washington UniversityBellinghamWAUSA
| | - Georgy Shenbrot
- Mitrani Department of Desert EcologyJacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert ResearchBen‐Gurion University of the NegevMidreshet Ben‐GurionIsrael
| | - Pipat Soisook
- Princess Maha Chakri Sirindhorn Natural History MuseumPrince of Songkhla UniversityHatyai, SongkhlaThailand
| | - Sergio Solari
- Instituto de BiologíaUniversidad de AntioquiaMedellínColombia
| | | | - Mariella Superina
- IMBECU, CCT CONICET Mendoza – UNCuyoParque Gral. San MartínMendozaArgentina
| | - Andrew B. Taber
- Forestry DivisionFood and Agriculture Organization of the United NationsRomeItaly
| | - Maurício Talebi
- Laboratório de Ecologia e Conservação da NaturezaDeptartamento de Ciências AmbientaisUniversidade Federal de São Paulo (UNIFESP) ‐ Campus Diadema, DiademaSão PauloBrazil
| | | | - Thong Vu Dinh
- Institute of Ecology and Biological ResourcesVietnam Academy of Science and TechnologyHanoiVietnam
| | - Nelson Ting
- Department of AnthropologyUniversity of OregonEugeneOregonUSA
| | | | - Susan Tsang
- Department of MammalogyAmerican Museum of Natural HistoryNew YorkNew YorkUSA
| | | | - Raul Valdez
- Department of Fish, Wildlife, and Conservation EcologyNew Mexico State UniversityLas CrucesNew MexicoUSA
| | - Victor Van Cakenberghe
- Laboratory for Functional Morphology, Biology DepartmentUniversity of Antwerp, Campus Drie EikenAntwerpen (Wilrijk)Belgium
| | - Geraldine Veron
- Institut de Systématique, Evolution, Biodiversité (ISYEB), Muséum national d'Histoire naturelle, CNRSSorbonne Université, EPHE, Université des AntillesParisFrance
| | | | - Rod Wells
- Biological Sciences, College of Science and EngineeringFlinders UniversityAdelaideSouth AustraliaAustralia
| | - Danielle Whittaker
- BEACON Center for the Study of Evolution in ActionMichigan State UniversityEast LansingMichiganUSA
| | | | - George Wittemyer
- Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation BiologyColorado State UniversityFort CollinsColoradoUSA
| | - John Woinarski
- Research Institute for the Environment and LivelihoodsCharles Darwin UniversityCasuarinaNorthern TerritoryAustralia
| | - Dietmar Zinner
- German Primate Center (DPZ)Leibniz Institute for Primate ResearchGöttingenGermany
| | - Nathan S. Upham
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- School of Life SciencesArizona State UniversityTempeArizonaUSA
| | - Walter Jetz
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary BiologyYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
- Center for Biodiversity and Global ChangeYale UniversityNew HavenConnecticutUSA
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9
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Tombak KJ, Easterling LA, Martinez L, Seng MS, Wait LF, Rubenstein DI. Divergent water requirements partition exposure risk to parasites in wild equids. Ecol Evol 2022; 12:e8693. [PMID: 35342568 PMCID: PMC8928873 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.8693] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/01/2021] [Revised: 01/22/2022] [Accepted: 01/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
For grazing herbivores, dung density in feeding areas is an important determinant of exposure risk to fecal‐orally transmitted parasites. When host species share the same parasite species, a nonrandom distribution of their cumulative dung density and/or nonrandom ranging and feeding behavior may skew exposure risk and the relative selection pressure parasites impose on each host. The arid‐adapted Grevy's zebra (Equus grevyi) can range more widely than the water‐dependent plains zebra (Equus quagga), with which it shares the same species of gastrointestinal nematodes. We studied how the spatial distribution of zebra dung relates to ranging and feeding behavior to assess parasite exposure risk in Grevy's and plains zebras at a site inhabited by both zebra species. We found that zebra dung density declined with distance from water, Grevy's zebra home ranges (excluding those of territorial males) were farther from water than those of plains zebras, and plains zebra grazing areas had higher dung density than random points while Grevy's zebra grazing areas did not, suggesting a greater exposure risk in plains zebras associated with their water dependence. Fecal egg counts increased with home range proximity to water for both species, but the response was stronger in plains zebras, indicating that this host species may be particularly vulnerable to the elevated exposure risk close to water. We further ran experiments on microclimatic effects on dung infectivity and showed that fewer nematode eggs embryonated in dung in the sun than in the shade. However, only 5% of the zebra dung on the landscape was in shade, indicating that the microclimatic effects of shade on the density of infective larvae is not a major influence on exposure risk dynamics. Ranging constraints based on water requirements appear to be key mediators of nematode parasite exposure in free‐ranging equids.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaia J. Tombak
- Department of Anthropology Hunter College of the City University of New York New York New York USA
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton New Jersey USA
| | - Laurel A. Easterling
- School of Veterinary Medicine University of Pennsylvania Philadelphia Pennsylvania USA
| | | | | | - Liana F. Wait
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton New Jersey USA
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton New Jersey USA
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10
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Dobson A, Hopcraft G, Mduma S, Ogutu JO, Fryxell J, Anderson TM, Archibald S, Lehmann C, Poole J, Caro T, Mulder MB, Holt RD, Berger J, Rubenstein DI, Kahumbu P, Chidumayo EN, Milner-Gulland EJ, Schluter D, Otto S, Balmford A, Wilcove D, Pimm S, Veldman JW, Olff H, Noss R, Holdo R, Beale C, Hempson G, Kiwango Y, Lindenmayer D, Bond W, Ritchie M, Sinclair ARE. Savannas are vital but overlooked carbon sinks. Science 2022; 375:392. [PMID: 35084954 DOI: 10.1126/science.abn4482] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andy Dobson
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | | | - Simon Mduma
- Tanzania Wildlife Research Institute, Arusha, Tanzania
| | | | - John Fryxell
- University of Guelph, Guelph, ON N1G 2W1, Canada
| | | | - Sally Archibald
- University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
| | - Caroline Lehmann
- Tropical Diversity, Royal Botanical Gardens, Edinburgh EH35LR, UK.,School of GeoSciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH93FF, UK
| | - Joyce Poole
- ElephantVoices, San Francisco, CA 94111, USA
| | - Tim Caro
- University of Bristol, Bristol BS8 1TH, UK
| | | | | | - Joel Berger
- Colorado State University, and Wildlife Conservation Society, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | | | | | | | - Dolph Schluter
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | - Sarah Otto
- University of British Columbia, Vancouver, BC V6T 1Z4, Canada
| | | | - David Wilcove
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | | | - Joseph W Veldman
- Department of Ecology and Conservation Biology, Texas A&M University, College Station, TX 77843, USA
| | - Han Olff
- University of Groningen, 9712 CP Groningen, Netherlands
| | - Reed Noss
- Florida Institute for Conservation Science, Oviedo, FL 32766, USA
| | | | - Colin Beale
- University of York, Heslington, York YO10 5DD, UK
| | - Gareth Hempson
- University of the Witwatersrand, Braamfontein, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
| | | | | | - William Bond
- University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7700, South Africa
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11
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Tombak KJ, Hansen CB, Kinsella JM, Pansu J, Pringle RM, Rubenstein DI. The gastrointestinal nematodes of plains and Grevy's zebras: Phylogenetic relationships and host specificity. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2021; 16:228-235. [PMID: 34712556 PMCID: PMC8529100 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2021.10.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2021] [Revised: 10/11/2021] [Accepted: 10/11/2021] [Indexed: 01/08/2023]
Abstract
Equids are chronically infected with parasitic strongyle nematodes. There is a rich literature on horse strongyles, but they are difficult to identify morphologically and genetic studies on strongyles infecting other equid species are few, hampering studies of host specificity. We sequenced expelled worms from two sympatric zebra species in central Kenya to expand the strongyle phylogeny and used DNA metabarcoding on faecal samples to genetically characterize zebra nemabiomes for the first time. We generated sequences for several species new to public genetic reference databases, all of which are typical strongyles in wild zebras (i.e., the three species of Cylindropharynx and Cyathostomum montgomeryi), and identified their closest relatives. We also discovered an apparent fungus infecting a quarter of the expelled Crossocephalus viviparus worms, a hyperabundant nematode species in the family Atractidae, hinting at the possibility that zebra host-parasite dynamics may involve a zebra-fungus mutualism. The two zebra species had similar nemabiomes; we found a complete overlap in the list of nematode species they carry and very similar prevalence (i.e., proportion of hosts infected) for the different nematode species. Our study suggests limited host-specificity in zebra strongyles and high potential for transmission between the plains zebra and the endangered Grevy's zebra.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaia J. Tombak
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, USA, 08544
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Ave, New York, NY, USA, 10065
- Corresponding author. Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, 695 Park Ave, New York, NY, 10065, USA.
| | - Christina B. Hansen
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, USA, 08544
| | | | - Johan Pansu
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, USA, 08544
- ISEM, Université de Montpellier, CNRS, IRD, EPHE, Montpellier, France
| | - Robert M. Pringle
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, USA, 08544
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ, USA, 08544
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12
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Hex SBSW, Tombak K, Rubenstein DI. A new classification of mammalian uni-male multi-female groups based on the fundamental principles governing inter- and intrasexual relationships. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03046-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
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13
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Abstract
The horses of Shackleford Banks, NC, United States are harassed by many species of biting flies. Apart from being a nuisance, their bites can lead to blood loss and transmit disease. As a result, these horses tend to avoid areas where fly abundances are high. Like other free-ranging horse populations, environmental factors such as low wind speeds and high temperatures increase fly loads per horse. Similarly, coat color matters since darker horses attract more flies than lighter ones, especially on hot sunny days. Many horse populations reduce per capita fly loads by living in large groups or by bunching tightly together. Shackleford horses do so, too, but also use wind speed differences among habitats to modulate fly numbers. By adopting a systematic pattern of moving between habitats such that they only visit a habitat when wind speed is high enough to keep fly harassment to a tolerable level, they can avoid being bitten while continuing to forage. Typically, they begin the day foraging on the salt marshes where fly abundance is inherently low and are lowered further by faint early morning breezes. Later in the morning, horses move to grassy patches (swales) when increasing wind speed reduces fly landings there to levels found on the marshes. Later still, when wind speeds peak, horses begin foraging among the sand dunes. At this point wind speeds are high enough so that horses using any habitat will be minimally harassed by flies, thus enabling them to freely choose where to feed based on which habitat meets particular dietary needs for protein, energy and nutrients on any particular day. Hence, Shackleford horses follow the breeze to solve a challenging dilemma of maintaining a high nutritional plane without succumbing to fly harassment. Other free-ranging horses populations appear to have a more limited “either-or” choice of “bite or be bitten,” thus limiting their decision-making options.
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14
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Esmaeili S, Jesmer BR, Albeke SE, Aikens EO, Schoenecker KA, King SRB, Abrahms B, Buuveibaatar B, Beck JL, Boone RB, Cagnacci F, Chamaillé-Jammes S, Chimeddorj B, Cross PC, Dejid N, Enkhbyar J, Fischhoff IR, Ford AT, Jenks K, Hemami MR, Hennig JD, Ito TY, Kaczensky P, Kauffman MJ, Linnell JDC, Lkhagvasuren B, McEvoy JF, Melzheimer J, Merkle JA, Mueller T, Muntifering J, Mysterud A, Olson KA, Panzacchi M, Payne JC, Pedrotti L, Rauset GR, Rubenstein DI, Sawyer H, Scasta JD, Signer J, Songer M, Stabach JA, Stapleton S, Strand O, Sundaresan SR, Usukhjargal D, Uuganbayar G, Fryxell JM, Goheen JR. Body size and digestive system shape resource selection by ungulates: A cross-taxa test of the forage maturation hypothesis. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:2178-2191. [PMID: 34311513 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13848] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2021] [Revised: 04/08/2021] [Accepted: 05/11/2021] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
The forage maturation hypothesis (FMH) states that energy intake for ungulates is maximised when forage biomass is at intermediate levels. Nevertheless, metabolic allometry and different digestive systems suggest that resource selection should vary across ungulate species. By combining GPS relocations with remotely sensed data on forage characteristics and surface water, we quantified the effect of body size and digestive system in determining movements of 30 populations of hindgut fermenters (equids) and ruminants across biomes. Selection for intermediate forage biomass was negatively related to body size, regardless of digestive system. Selection for proximity to surface water was stronger for equids relative to ruminants, regardless of body size. To be more generalisable, we suggest that the FMH explicitly incorporate contingencies in body size and digestive system, with small-bodied ruminants selecting more strongly for potential energy intake, and hindgut fermenters selecting more strongly for surface water.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saeideh Esmaeili
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Brett R Jesmer
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Conservation, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA.,Center for Biodiversity and Global Change, Yale University, New Haven, CT, USA
| | - Shannon E Albeke
- Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Ellen O Aikens
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Kathryn A Schoenecker
- US Geological Survey, Fort Collins Science Center, Fort Collins, CO, USA.,Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Sarah R B King
- Natural Resource Ecology Laboratory, Warner College of Natural Resources, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Briana Abrahms
- Center for Ecosystem Sentinels, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | - Jeffrey L Beck
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Randall B Boone
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Sustainability and the Natural Resources Ecology Laboratory, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, USA
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, San Michele all'Adige, Italy
| | - Simon Chamaillé-Jammes
- CEFE, Univ. Montpellier, CNRS, EPHE, IRD, Université Paul Valéry Montpellier 3, Montpellier, France.,Department of Zoology & Entomology, Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Buyanaa Chimeddorj
- Mongolia Program Office, World Wide Fund for Nature, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Paul C Cross
- U.S. Geological Survey, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Bozeman, MT, USA
| | - Nandintsetseg Dejid
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | | | | | - Adam T Ford
- Department of Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan, BC, Canada
| | | | - Mahmoud-Reza Hemami
- Department of Natural Resources, Isfahan University of Technology, Isfahan, Iran
| | - Jacob D Hennig
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Takehiko Y Ito
- Arid Land Research Center, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan.,International Platform for Dryland Research and Education, Tottori University, Tottori, Japan
| | - Petra Kaczensky
- Department of Terrestrial Biodiversity, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway.,Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences, Vienna, Austria.,Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Matthew J Kauffman
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA.,U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - John D C Linnell
- Department of Terrestrial Biodiversity, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway.,Department of Forestry and Wildlife Management, Inland Norway University of Applied Sciences, Koppang, Norway
| | - Badamjav Lkhagvasuren
- Institute of General and Experimental Biology, Mongolian Academy of Sciences, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - John F McEvoy
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Joerg Melzheimer
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology, Leibniz Institute for Zoo and Wildlife Research, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jerod A Merkle
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Jeff Muntifering
- Minnesota Zoo, Apple Valley, MN, USA.,Namibia University of Science and Technology, Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis (CEES), Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Norway
| | - Kirk A Olson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia Program, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Manuela Panzacchi
- Department of Terrestrial ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - John C Payne
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia Program, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia.,Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Sciences, Vienna, Austria
| | - Luca Pedrotti
- Stelvio-Stilfserjoch National Park, Bormio, SO, Italy
| | - Geir R Rauset
- Department of Terrestrial ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology, Inc, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - John D Scasta
- Department of Ecosystem Science and Management, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Johannes Signer
- Wildlife Sciences, Faculty of Forest and Forest Ecology, University of Goettingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Melissa Songer
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Jared A Stabach
- Conservation Ecology Center, Smithsonian National Zoo & Conservation Biology Institute, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | | | - Olav Strand
- Department of Terrestrial ecology, Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, Trondheim, Norway
| | | | | | | | - John M Fryxell
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, ON, Canada
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology and Program in Ecology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
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15
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Bak-Coleman JB, Alfano M, Barfuss W, Bergstrom CT, Centeno MA, Couzin ID, Donges JF, Galesic M, Gersick AS, Jacquet J, Kao AB, Moran RE, Romanczuk P, Rubenstein DI, Tombak KJ, Van Bavel JJ, Weber EU. Stewardship of global collective behavior. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2021; 118:e2025764118. [PMID: 34155097 PMCID: PMC8271675 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2025764118] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 21.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Collective behavior provides a framework for understanding how the actions and properties of groups emerge from the way individuals generate and share information. In humans, information flows were initially shaped by natural selection yet are increasingly structured by emerging communication technologies. Our larger, more complex social networks now transfer high-fidelity information over vast distances at low cost. The digital age and the rise of social media have accelerated changes to our social systems, with poorly understood functional consequences. This gap in our knowledge represents a principal challenge to scientific progress, democracy, and actions to address global crises. We argue that the study of collective behavior must rise to a "crisis discipline" just as medicine, conservation, and climate science have, with a focus on providing actionable insight to policymakers and regulators for the stewardship of social systems.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph B Bak-Coleman
- Center for an Informed Public, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195;
- eScience Institute, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Mark Alfano
- Ethics & Philosophy of Technology, Delft University of Technology, 2628 CD Delft, The Netherlands
- Institute of Philosophy, Australian Catholic University, Banyo Queensland 4014, Australia
| | - Wolfram Barfuss
- Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Tübingen AI Center, University of Tübingen, 72074 Tübingen, Germany
| | - Carl T Bergstrom
- Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Miguel A Centeno
- Princeton School of Public and International Affairs, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Iain D Couzin
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78315 Radolfzell am Bodensee, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Jonathan F Donges
- Earth System Analysis, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research, Member of the Leibniz Association, 14473 Potsdam, Germany
- Stockholm Resilience Centre, Stockholm University, 11419 Stockholm, Sweden
| | | | - Andrew S Gersick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Jennifer Jacquet
- Department of Environmental Studies, New York University, New York, NY 10012
| | | | - Rachel E Moran
- Center for an Informed Public, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195
| | - Pawel Romanczuk
- Institute for Theoretical Biology, Department of Biology, Humboldt Universität zu Berlin, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
| | - Kaia J Tombak
- Department of Anthropology, Hunter College of the City University of New York, New York, NY 10065
| | - Jay J Van Bavel
- Department of Psychology, New York University, New York, NY 10003
- Center for Neural Science, New York University, New York, NY 10003
| | - Elke U Weber
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
- Andlinger Center for Energy and Environment, School of Engineering and Applied Science, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544
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16
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Larison B, Kaelin CB, Harrigan R, Henegar C, Rubenstein DI, Kamath P, Aschenborn O, Smith TB, Barsh GS. Population structure, inbreeding and stripe pattern abnormalities in plains zebras. Mol Ecol 2020; 30:379-390. [PMID: 33174253 DOI: 10.1111/mec.15728] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2020] [Revised: 10/23/2020] [Accepted: 10/30/2020] [Indexed: 01/14/2023]
Abstract
One of the most iconic wild equids, the plains zebra occupies a broad region of sub-Saharan Africa and exhibits a wide range of phenotypic diversity in stripe patterns that have been used to classify multiple subspecies. After decades of relative stability, albeit with a loss of at least one recognized subspecies, the total population of plains zebras has undergone an approximate 25% decline since 2002. Individuals with abnormal stripe patterns have been recognized in recent years but the extent to which their appearance is related to demography and/or genetics is unclear. Investigating population genetic health and genetic structure are essential for developing effective strategies for plains zebra conservation. We collected DNA from 140 plains zebra, including seven with abnormal stripe patterns, from nine locations across the range of plains zebra, and analyzed data from restriction site-associated and whole genome sequencing (RAD-seq, WGS) libraries to better understand the relationships between population structure, genetic diversity, inbreeding, and abnormal phenotypes. We found that genetic structure did not coincide with described subspecific variation, but did distinguish geographic regions in which anthropogenic habitat fragmentation is associated with reduced gene flow and increased evidence of inbreeding, especially in certain parts of East Africa. Further, zebras with abnormal striping exhibited increased levels of inbreeding relative to normally striped individuals from the same populations. Our results point to a genetic cause of stripe pattern abnormalities, and dramatic evidence of the consequences of habitat fragmentation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Larison
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Christopher B Kaelin
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA.,Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
| | - Ryan Harrigan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | | | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Pauline Kamath
- School of Food and Agriculture, University of Maine, Orono, ME, USA
| | - Ortwin Aschenborn
- School of Veterinary Medicine, University of Namibia, Neudamm Windhoek, Namibia
| | - Thomas B Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA.,Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, UCLA, Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Gregory S Barsh
- HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville, AL, USA.,Department of Genetics, Stanford University, Stanford, CA, USA
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17
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Grueter CC, Qi X, Zinner D, Bergman T, Li M, Xiang Z, Zhu P, Miller A, Krützen M, Fischer J, Rubenstein DI, Vidya TNC, Li B, Cantor M, Swedell L. On Multifaceted Definitions of Multilevel Societies: Response to Papageorgiou and Farine. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 36:17-19. [PMID: 33189403 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.10.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/20/2020] [Accepted: 10/21/2020] [Indexed: 10/23/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Cyril C Grueter
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; International Centre of Biodiversity and Primate Conservation, Dali University, Dali, Yunnan 671003, China.
| | - Xiaoguang Qi
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China
| | - Dietmar Zinner
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center (DPZ), Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus for Primate Cognition, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thore Bergman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI, USA
| | - Ming Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Zuofu Xiang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
| | - Pingfen Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
| | - Alex Miller
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Michael Krützen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Julia Fischer
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center (DPZ), Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - T N C Vidya
- Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bengaluru 560064, India
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, College of Life Sciences, Northwest University, Xi'an, 710069, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming 650223, China
| | - Maurício Cantor
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, 78464, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78464, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78464, Germany; Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, 88048-970, Brazil; Centro de Estudos do Mar, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Pontal do Paraná, 83255-000, Brazil; School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
| | - Larissa Swedell
- Department of Anthropology, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA; Anthropology, Biology and Psychology Programs, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY, USA; Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
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18
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Grueter CC, Qi X, Zinner D, Bergman T, Li M, Xiang Z, Zhu P, Migliano AB, Miller A, Krützen M, Fischer J, Rubenstein DI, Vidya TNC, Li B, Cantor M, Swedell L. Multilevel Organisation of Animal Sociality. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:834-847. [PMID: 32473744 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2020.05.003] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2019] [Revised: 05/01/2020] [Accepted: 05/06/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Multilevel societies (MLSs), stable nuclear social units within a larger collective encompassing multiple nested social levels, occur in several mammalian lineages. Their architectural complexity and size impose specific demands on their members requiring adaptive solutions in multiple domains. The functional significance of MLSs lies in their members being equipped to reap the benefits of multiple group sizes. Here, we propose a unifying terminology and operational definition of MLS. To identify new avenues for integrative research, we synthesise current literature on the selective pressures underlying the evolution of MLSs and their implications for cognition, intersexual conflict, and sexual selection. Mapping the drivers and consequences of MLS provides a reference point for the social evolution of many taxa, including our own species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cyril C Grueter
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia; Centre for Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia.
| | - Xiaoguang Qi
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, College of Life Sciences, Xi'an, 710069, China.
| | - Dietmar Zinner
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center (DPZ), Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Leibniz ScienceCampus for Primate Cognition, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Thore Bergman
- Department of Psychology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA; Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, MI 48109, USA
| | - Ming Li
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Zuofu Xiang
- College of Life Science and Technology, Central South University of Forestry and Technology, Changsha, Hunan 410004, China
| | - Pingfen Zhu
- CAS Key Laboratory of Animal Ecology and Conservation Biology, Institute of Zoology, Chaoyang District, Beijing 100101, China
| | | | - Alex Miller
- School of Human Sciences, The University of Western Australia, Perth, WA 6009, Australia
| | - Michael Krützen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, 8057, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Julia Fischer
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center (DPZ), Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, 37077 Göttingen, Germany; Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-University of Göttingen, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - T N C Vidya
- Evolutionary and Organismal Biology Unit, Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research (JNCASR), Jakkur, Bengaluru 560064, India
| | - Baoguo Li
- Shaanxi Key Laboratory for Animal Conservation, Northwest University, College of Life Sciences, Xi'an, 710069, China; Center for Excellence in Animal Evolution and Genetics, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Kunming, 650223, China
| | - Maurício Cantor
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, 78464, Germany; Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78464, Germany; Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, 78464, Germany; Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, 88048-970, Brazil; Centro de Estudos do Mar, Universidade Federal do Paraná, Pontal do Paraná, 83255-000, Brazil; School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, 2000, South Africa
| | - Larissa Swedell
- Department of Anthropology, Queens College, City University of New York, Flushing, NY 11367-1597, USA; New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY 11367, USA; Anthropology, Biology and Psychology Programs, CUNY Graduate Center, 365 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10016, USA; Department of Archaeology, University of Cape Town, Rondebosch, 7701, Cape Town, South Africa
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19
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Tombak KJ, Budischak SA, Hauck S, Martinez LA, Rubenstein DI. The non-invasive measurement of faecal immunoglobulin in African equids. Int J Parasitol Parasites Wildl 2020; 12:105-112. [PMID: 32528845 PMCID: PMC7283094 DOI: 10.1016/j.ijppaw.2020.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2020] [Revised: 05/08/2020] [Accepted: 05/09/2020] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
Abstract
Eco-immunological research is encumbered by a lack of basic research in a wild context and by the availability of few non-invasive tools to measure the internal state of wild animals. The recent development of an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for measuring immunoglobulins in faecal samples from Soay sheep prompted us to optimize such an assay to measure immunoglobulin A (IgA: an antibody associated with parasitic nematode fecundity) in faecal samples from equids. We measured total IgA in domestic donkeys, wild plains zebras, and wild Grevy's zebras sharing the same landscape in central Kenya over two field seasons. Attempts to measure anti-nematode IgA more specifically, using a homogenized extract from a mixture of excreted nematodes, failed to clear background. However, we found that total IgA positively correlated with strongyle nematode faecal egg counts (FECs) in donkeys sampled during the wetter field season - a time when the donkeys were in good condition. Further, this relationship appeared among donkeys with high body condition but not among those with low body condition. Time lags of 1–4 days introduced between IgA and FEC measurements in repeatedly sampled donkeys did not yield correlations, suggesting that IgA and FEC roughly tracked one another without much delay in the wet field season. Such a direct IgA-FEC relationship did not appear for zebras in either the wet or dry field season, possibly due to higher interindividual variation in body condition among the free-roaming zebras than in the donkeys. However, Grevy's zebras had higher overall levels of IgA than either plains zebras or donkeys, potentially associated with their reportedly lower FECs at the population level. Our results suggest that equids may mount an IgA response to nematode egg production when the host is in good condition and that equid species may differ in baseline levels of mucosal IgA. We optimized an immunosorbent assay to non-invasively measure total IgA in faeces from equids. IgA positively correlated with nematode faecal egg count (FEC) in donkeys in good body condition. IgA and FEC were not correlated in a dry year for donkeys or in any year for wild plains and Grevy's zebras. IgA may relate to FECs at the population level only when body condition is uniformly good. IgA was higher in Grevy's than plains zebras or donkeys, suggesting differences in immune strategy.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kaia J Tombak
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Sarah A Budischak
- Keck Science Department of Claremont McKenna, Pitzer and Scripps Colleges, Claremont, CA, United States
| | - Stephanie Hauck
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Lindsay A Martinez
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States
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20
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Nuñez CMV, Rubenstein DI. Communication is key: Mother-offspring signaling can affect behavioral responses and offspring survival in feral horses (Equus caballus). PLoS One 2020; 15:e0231343. [PMID: 32302348 PMCID: PMC7164835 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0231343] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2019] [Accepted: 03/22/2020] [Indexed: 11/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Acoustic signaling plays an important role in mother-offspring recognition and subsequent bond-formation. It remains unclear, however, if mothers and offspring use acoustic signaling in the same ways and for the same reasons throughout the juvenile stage, particularly after mutual recognition has been adequately established. Moreover, despite its critical role in mother-offspring bond formation, research explicitly linking mother-infant communication strategies to offspring survival are lacking. We examined the communicative patterns of mothers and offspring in the feral horse (Equus caballus) to better understand 1) the nature of mother-offspring communication throughout the first year of development; 2) the function(s) of mother- vs. offspring-initiated communication and; 3) the importance of mare and foal communication to offspring survival. We found that 1) mares and foals differ in when and how they initiate communication; 2) the outcomes of mare- vs. foal-initiated communication events consistently differ; and 3) the communicative patterns between mares and their foals can be important for offspring survival to one year of age. Moreover, given the importance of maternal activity to offspring behavior and subsequent survival, we submit that our data are uniquely positioned to address the long-debated question: do the behaviors exhibited during the juvenile stage (by both mothers and their young) confer delayed or immediate benefits to offspring? In summary, we aimed to better understand 1) the dynamics of mother-offspring communication, 2) whether mother-offspring communicative patterns were important to offspring survival, and 3) the implications of our research regarding the function of the mammalian juvenile stage. Our results demonstrate that we have achieved those aims.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra M. V. Nuñez
- Department of Biological Sciences, The University of Memphis, Memphis, Tennessee, United States of America
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, Iowa, United States of America
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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21
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Tombak KJ, Wikberg EC, Rubenstein DI, Chapman CA. Reciprocity and rotating social advantage among females in egalitarian primate societies. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.09.010] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022]
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22
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Ng'weno CC, Buskirk SW, Georgiadis NJ, Gituku BC, Kibungei AK, Porensky LM, Rubenstein DI, Goheen JR. Apparent Competition, Lion Predation, and Managed Livestock Grazing: Can Conservation Value Be Enhanced? Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00123] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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23
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O'Bryan LR, Abaid N, Nakayama S, Dey T, King AJ, Cowlishaw G, Rubenstein DI, Garnier S. Contact Calls Facilitate Group Contraction in Free-Ranging Goats (Capra aegagrus hircus). Front Ecol Evol 2019. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00073] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
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25
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Greenbaum G, Renan S, Templeton AR, Bouskila A, Saltz D, Rubenstein DI, Bar-David S. Revealing life-history traits by contrasting genetic estimations with predictions of effective population size. Conserv Biol 2018; 32:817-827. [PMID: 29270998 PMCID: PMC7208180 DOI: 10.1111/cobi.13068] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/17/2017] [Revised: 12/01/2017] [Accepted: 12/08/2017] [Indexed: 06/07/2023]
Abstract
Effective population size, a central concept in conservation biology, is now routinely estimated from genetic surveys and can also be theoretically predicted from demographic, life-history, and mating-system data. By evaluating the consistency of theoretical predictions with empirically estimated effective size, insights can be gained regarding life-history characteristics and the relative impact of different life-history traits on genetic drift. These insights can be used to design and inform management strategies aimed at increasing effective population size. We demonstrated this approach by addressing the conservation of a reintroduced population of Asiatic wild ass (Equus hemionus). We estimated the variance effective size (Nev ) from genetic data (N ev =24.3) and formulated predictions for the impacts on Nev of demography, polygyny, female variance in lifetime reproductive success (RS), and heritability of female RS. By contrasting the genetic estimation with theoretical predictions, we found that polygyny was the strongest factor affecting genetic drift because only when accounting for polygyny were predictions consistent with the genetically measured Nev . The comparison of effective-size estimation and predictions indicated that 10.6% of the males mated per generation when heritability of female RS was unaccounted for (polygyny responsible for 81% decrease in Nev ) and 19.5% mated when female RS was accounted for (polygyny responsible for 67% decrease in Nev ). Heritability of female RS also affected Nev ; hf2=0.91 (heritability responsible for 41% decrease in Nev ). The low effective size is of concern, and we suggest that management actions focus on factors identified as strongly affecting Nev, namely, increasing the availability of artificial water sources to increase number of dominant males contributing to the gene pool. This approach, evaluating life-history hypotheses in light of their impact on effective population size, and contrasting predictions with genetic measurements, is a general, applicable strategy that can be used to inform conservation practice.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gili Greenbaum
- Department of Solar Energy and Environmental Physics, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 8499000, Israel
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 8499000, Israel
| | - Sharon Renan
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 8499000, Israel
| | - Alan R. Templeton
- Department of Biology, Washington University, St. Louis, MO 63130, U.S.A
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Ecology, University of Haifa, Haifa 31905, Israel
| | - Amos Bouskila
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 8499000, Israel
- Department of Life Sciences, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Beer-Sheva 84105, Israel
| | - David Saltz
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 8499000, Israel
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, U.S.A
| | - Shirli Bar-David
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Sede Boqer Campus 8499000, Israel
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26
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Henry LP, Tokita CK, Misra M, Forrow AB, Rubenstein DI. Mutualistic acacia ants exhibit reduced aggression and more frequent off‐tree movements near termite mounds. Biotropica 2018. [DOI: 10.1111/btp.12572] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Lucas P. Henry
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton NJ USA
| | - Christopher K. Tokita
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton NJ USA
| | - Mayank Misra
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton NJ USA
- Woodrow Wilson School of Public and International Affairs Princeton University Princeton NJ USA
| | - Avery B. Forrow
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton NJ USA
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Princeton University Princeton NJ USA
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27
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Tucker MA, Böhning-Gaese K, Fagan WF, Fryxell JM, Van Moorter B, Alberts SC, Ali AH, Allen AM, Attias N, Avgar T, Bartlam-Brooks H, Bayarbaatar B, Belant JL, Bertassoni A, Beyer D, Bidner L, van Beest FM, Blake S, Blaum N, Bracis C, Brown D, de Bruyn PJN, Cagnacci F, Calabrese JM, Camilo-Alves C, Chamaillé-Jammes S, Chiaradia A, Davidson SC, Dennis T, DeStefano S, Diefenbach D, Douglas-Hamilton I, Fennessy J, Fichtel C, Fiedler W, Fischer C, Fischhoff I, Fleming CH, Ford AT, Fritz SA, Gehr B, Goheen JR, Gurarie E, Hebblewhite M, Heurich M, Hewison AJM, Hof C, Hurme E, Isbell LA, Janssen R, Jeltsch F, Kaczensky P, Kane A, Kappeler PM, Kauffman M, Kays R, Kimuyu D, Koch F, Kranstauber B, LaPoint S, Leimgruber P, Linnell JDC, López-López P, Markham AC, Mattisson J, Medici EP, Mellone U, Merrill E, de Miranda Mourão G, Morato RG, Morellet N, Morrison TA, Díaz-Muñoz SL, Mysterud A, Nandintsetseg D, Nathan R, Niamir A, Odden J, O'Hara RB, Oliveira-Santos LGR, Olson KA, Patterson BD, Cunha de Paula R, Pedrotti L, Reineking B, Rimmler M, Rogers TL, Rolandsen CM, Rosenberry CS, Rubenstein DI, Safi K, Saïd S, Sapir N, Sawyer H, Schmidt NM, Selva N, Sergiel A, Shiilegdamba E, Silva JP, Singh N, Solberg EJ, Spiegel O, Strand O, Sundaresan S, Ullmann W, Voigt U, Wall J, Wattles D, Wikelski M, Wilmers CC, Wilson JW, Wittemyer G, Zięba F, Zwijacz-Kozica T, Mueller T. Moving in the Anthropocene: Global reductions in terrestrial mammalian movements. Science 2018; 359:466-469. [PMID: 29371471 DOI: 10.1126/science.aam9712] [Citation(s) in RCA: 481] [Impact Index Per Article: 80.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Animal movement is fundamental for ecosystem functioning and species survival, yet the effects of the anthropogenic footprint on animal movements have not been estimated across species. Using a unique GPS-tracking database of 803 individuals across 57 species, we found that movements of mammals in areas with a comparatively high human footprint were on average one-half to one-third the extent of their movements in areas with a low human footprint. We attribute this reduction to behavioral changes of individual animals and to the exclusion of species with long-range movements from areas with higher human impact. Global loss of vagility alters a key ecological trait of animals that affects not only population persistence but also ecosystem processes such as predator-prey interactions, nutrient cycling, and disease transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlee A Tucker
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Katrin Böhning-Gaese
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - William F Fagan
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,SESYNC, University of Maryland, Annapolis, MD 21401, USA
| | - John M Fryxell
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Guelph, Guelph, Ontario N1G 2W1, Canada
| | - Bram Van Moorter
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Departments of Biology and Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | | | - Andrew M Allen
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 90183, Sweden.,Institute for Water and Wetland Research, Department of Animal Ecology and Physiology, Radboud University, 6500GL Nijmegen, Netherlands
| | - Nina Attias
- Ecology and Conservation Graduate Program, Federal University of Mato Grosso do Sul, Campo Grande, MS, Brazil
| | - Tal Avgar
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | - Hattie Bartlam-Brooks
- Structure and Motion Laboratory, Royal Veterinary College, University of London, London NW1 0TU, UK
| | | | - Jerrold L Belant
- Carnivore Ecology Laboratory, Forest and Wildlife Research Center, Mississippi State University, Box 9690, Mississippi State, MS, USA
| | - Alessandra Bertassoni
- Animal Biology Postgraduate Program, São Paulo State University, São José do Rio Preto, SP 15054-000, Brazil
| | - Dean Beyer
- Michigan Department of Natural Resources, 1990 U.S. 41 South, Marquette, MI 49855, USA
| | - Laura Bidner
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | | | - Stephen Blake
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Wildlife Conservation Society, Bronx, NY 10460, USA
| | - Niels Blaum
- University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Chloe Bracis
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Danielle Brown
- Department of Biology, Middle Tennessee State University, Murfreesboro, TN 37132, USA
| | - P J Nico de Bruyn
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Francesca Cagnacci
- Department of Biodiversity and Molecular Ecology, Research and Innovation Centre, Fondazione Edmund Mach, 38010 San Michele all'Adige (TN), Italy.,Department of Organismic and Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA 02138, USA
| | - Justin M Calabrese
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Constança Camilo-Alves
- Departamento de Fitotecnia, Universidade de Évora, Pólo da Mitra, 7002-554 Évora, Portugal.,ICAAM-Institute of Mediterranean Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, University of Évora, Évora, Portugal
| | - Simon Chamaillé-Jammes
- Centre d'Ecologie Fonctionnelle et Evolutive UMR 5175, CNRS-Université de Montpellier-Université Paul-Valéry Montpellier-EPHE, 34293 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Andre Chiaradia
- Phillip Island Nature Parks, Victoria, Australia.,School of Biological Sciences, Monash University, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Sarah C Davidson
- Department of Civil, Environmental and Geodetic Engineering, Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA.,Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Todd Dennis
- Department of Biology, Fiji National University, P.O. Box 5529, Natabua, Lautoka, Fiji Islands
| | - Stephen DeStefano
- U.S. Geological Survey, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Duane Diefenbach
- U.S. Geological Survey, Pennsylvania Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Pennsylvania State University, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Iain Douglas-Hamilton
- Save the Elephants, P.O. Box 54667, Nairobi 00200, Kenya.,Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Julian Fennessy
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation, P.O. Box 86099, Eros, Namibia
| | - Claudia Fichtel
- German Primate Center, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Wolfgang Fiedler
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Christina Fischer
- Restoration Ecology, Department of Ecology and Ecosystem Management, Technische Universität München, 85354 Freising, Germany
| | - Ilya Fischhoff
- Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook, NY 12545, USA
| | - Christen H Fleming
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - Adam T Ford
- Irving K. Barber School of Arts and Sciences, Unit 2: Biology, University of British Columbia, Okanagan Campus, Kelowna, BC V1V 1V7, Canada
| | - Susanne A Fritz
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Benedikt Gehr
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Jacob R Goheen
- Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY 82071, USA
| | - Eliezer Gurarie
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA.,School of Environmental and Forest Sciences, University of Washington, Seattle, WA 98195, USA
| | - Mark Hebblewhite
- Wildlife Biology Program, Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences, College of Forestry and Conservation, University of Montana, Missoula, MT 59812, USA
| | - Marco Heurich
- Bavarian Forest National Park, Department of Conservation and Research, 94481 Grafenau, Germany.,Chair of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Albert Ludwigs University of Freiburg, 79106 Freiburg, Germany
| | | | - Christian Hof
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Edward Hurme
- Department of Biology, University of Maryland, College Park, MD 20742, USA
| | - Lynne A Isbell
- Department of Anthropology, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA.,Animal Behavior Graduate Group, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - René Janssen
- Bionet Natuuronderzoek, 6171EL Stein, Netherlands
| | - Florian Jeltsch
- University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Petra Kaczensky
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway.,Research Institute of Wildlife Ecology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, A-1160 Vienna, Austria
| | - Adam Kane
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Peter M Kappeler
- German Primate Center, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Matthew Kauffman
- U.S. Geological Survey, Wyoming Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Zoology and Physiology, University of Wyoming, Laramie, WY, USA
| | - Roland Kays
- North Carolina Museum of Natural Sciences, Raleigh, NC 27601, USA.,Department of Forestry and Environmental Resources, North Carolina State University, Raleigh, NC 27695, USA
| | - Duncan Kimuyu
- Department of Natural Resource Management, Karatina University, P.O. Box 1957-10101, Karatina, Kenya
| | - Flavia Koch
- German Primate Center, Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Unit, 37077 Göttingen, Germany.,Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta T1K 3M4, Canada
| | - Bart Kranstauber
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, 8057 Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Scott LaPoint
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Lamont-Doherty Earth Observatory, Columbia University, Palisades, NY 10964, USA
| | - Peter Leimgruber
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA
| | - John D C Linnell
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Pascual López-López
- Cavanilles Institute of Biodiversity and Evolutionary Biology, Terrestrial Vertebrates Group, University of Valencia, E-46980 Paterna, Valencia, Spain
| | - A Catherine Markham
- Department of Anthropology, Stony Brook University, Stony Brook, NY 11794, USA
| | - Jenny Mattisson
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Emilia Patricia Medici
- International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Species Survival Commission (SSC) Tapir Specialist Group (TSG), Rua Licuala, 622, Damha 1, Campo Grande, CEP: 79046-150, Mato Grosso do Sul, Brazil.,IPÊ (Instituto de Pesquisas Ecológicas; Institute for Ecological Research), Caixa Postal 47, Nazaré Paulista, CEP: 12960-000, São Paulo, Brazil
| | - Ugo Mellone
- Vertebrates Zoology Research Group, Departamento de Ciencias Ambientales y Recursos Naturales, University of Alicante, Alicante, Spain
| | - Evelyn Merrill
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Alberta, Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
| | | | - Ronaldo G Morato
- National Research Center for Carnivores Conservation, Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Atibaia-SP 12952-011, Brazil
| | | | - Thomas A Morrison
- Institute of Biodiversity, Animal Health and Comparative Medicine, University of Glasgow, Glasgow, UK
| | - Samuel L Díaz-Muñoz
- Center for Genomics and Systems Biology, Department of Biology, New York University, New York, NY 10003, USA.,Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics, University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
| | - Atle Mysterud
- Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Synthesis, Department of Biosciences, University of Oslo, Blindern, NO-0316 Oslo, Norway
| | - Dejid Nandintsetseg
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - Ran Nathan
- Movement Ecology Laboratory, Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, Alexander Silberman Institute of Life Sciences, Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Jerusalem 91904, Israel
| | - Aidin Niamir
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany
| | - John Odden
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, NO-0349 Oslo, Norway
| | - Robert B O'Hara
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Department of Mathematical Sciences and Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics, Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU), 7491 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Kirk A Olson
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Mongolia Program, Ulaanbaatar, Mongolia
| | - Bruce D Patterson
- Integrative Research Center, Field Museum of Natural History, Chicago, IL 60605, USA
| | - Rogerio Cunha de Paula
- National Research Center for Carnivores Conservation, Chico Mendes Institute for the Conservation of Biodiversity, Atibaia-SP 12952-011, Brazil
| | - Luca Pedrotti
- Consorzio Parco Nazionale dello Stelvio, Bormio (Sondrio), Italy
| | - Björn Reineking
- Univ. Grenoble Alpes, Irstea, UR LESSEM, BP 76, 38402 St-Martin-d'Hères, France.,University of Bayreuth, BayCEER, 95447 Bayreuth, Germany
| | | | - Tracey L Rogers
- Evolution and Ecology Research Centre and School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of New South Wales, Sydney, NSW 2052, Australia
| | - Christer Moe Rolandsen
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Kamran Safi
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Sonia Saïd
- Directorate of Studies and Expertise (DRE), Office National de la Chasse et de la Faune Sauvage, Montfort, 01330 Birieux, France
| | - Nir Sapir
- Department of Evolutionary and Environmental Biology, University of Haifa, 3498838 Haifa, Israel
| | - Hall Sawyer
- Western Ecosystems Technology Inc., Laramie, WY 82070, USA
| | - Niels Martin Schmidt
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, 4000 Roskilde, Denmark.,Arctic Research Centre, Aarhus University, 8000 Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Nuria Selva
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
| | - Agnieszka Sergiel
- Institute of Nature Conservation Polish Academy of Sciences, 31-120 Krakow, Poland
| | | | - João Paulo Silva
- REN Biodiversity Chair, CIBIO/InBIO Associate Laboratory, Universidade do Porto, Campus Agrário de Vairão, 4485-661 Vairão, Portugal.,Centre for Applied Ecology "Prof. Baeta Neves"/InBIO Associate Laboratory, Instituto Superior de Agronomia, Universidade de Lisboa, Tapada da Ajuda, 1349-017 Lisbon, Portugal.,Centre for Ecology, Evolution and Environmental Changes, Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa, Campo Grande, 1749-016 Lisbon, Portugal
| | - Navinder Singh
- Department of Wildlife, Fish and Environmental Studies, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Umeå 90183, Sweden
| | - Erling J Solberg
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | - Orr Spiegel
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Olav Strand
- Norwegian Institute for Nature Research, P.O. Box 5685 Torgard, NO-7485 Trondheim, Norway
| | | | - Wiebke Ullmann
- University of Potsdam, Plant Ecology and Nature Conservation, 14476 Potsdam, Germany
| | - Ulrich Voigt
- Institute for Terrestrial and Aquatic Wildlife Research, University of Veterinary Medicine Hannover-Foundation, 30173 Hannover, Germany
| | - Jake Wall
- Save the Elephants, P.O. Box 54667, Nairobi 00200, Kenya
| | - David Wattles
- U.S. Geological Survey, Massachusetts Cooperative Fish and Wildlife Research Unit, University of Massachusetts, Amherst, MA 01003, USA
| | - Martin Wikelski
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Vogelwarte Radolfzell, D-78315 Radolfzell, Germany.,Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78467 Konstanz, Germany
| | - Christopher C Wilmers
- Center for Integrated Spatial Research, Environmental Studies Department, University of California, Santa Cruz, CA 95060, USA
| | - John W Wilson
- Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Hatfield 0028, South Africa
| | - George Wittemyer
- Save the Elephants, P.O. Box 54667, Nairobi 00200, Kenya.,Department of Fish, Wildlife and Conservation Biology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO 80523, USA
| | - Filip Zięba
- Tatra National Park, 34-500 Zakopane, Poland
| | | | - Thomas Mueller
- Senckenberg Biodiversity and Climate Research Centre, Senckenberg Gesellschaft für Naturforschung, 60325 Frankfurt (Main), Germany. .,Department of Biological Sciences, Goethe University, 60438 Frankfurt (Main), Germany.,Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, VA, USA
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28
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Kulahci IG, Ghazanfar AA, Rubenstein DI. Knowledgeable Lemurs Become More Central in Social Networks. Curr Biol 2018; 28:1306-1310.e2. [PMID: 29628372 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2018.02.079] [Citation(s) in RCA: 42] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/12/2017] [Revised: 01/21/2018] [Accepted: 02/28/2018] [Indexed: 10/17/2022]
Abstract
Strong relationships exist between social connections and information transmission [1-9], where individuals' network position plays a key role in whether or not they acquire novel information [2, 3, 5, 6]. The relationships between social connections and information acquisition may be bidirectional if learning novel information, in addition to being influenced by it, influences network position. Individuals who acquire information quickly and use it frequently may receive more affiliative behaviors [10, 11] and may thus have a central network position. However, the potential influence of learning on network centrality has not been theoretically or empirically addressed. To bridge this epistemic gap, we investigated whether ring-tailed lemurs' (Lemur catta) centrality in affiliation networks changed after they learned how to solve a novel foraging task. Lemurs who had frequently initiated interactions and approached conspecifics before the learning experiment were more likely to observe and learn the task solution. Comparing social networks before and after the learning experiment revealed that the frequently observed lemurs received more affiliative behaviors than they did before-they became more central after the experiment. This change persisted even after the task was removed and was not caused by the observed lemurs initiating more affiliative behaviors. Consequently, quantifying received and initiated interactions separately provides unique insights into the relationships between learning and centrality. While the factors that influence network position are not fully understood, our results suggest that individual differences in learning and becoming successful can play a major role in social centrality, especially when learning from others is advantageous.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ipek G Kulahci
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Ireland.
| | - Asif A Ghazanfar
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA; Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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29
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Monk CT, Barbier M, Romanczuk P, Watson JR, Alós J, Nakayama S, Rubenstein DI, Levin SA, Arlinghaus R. How ecology shapes exploitation: a framework to predict the behavioural response of human and animal foragers along exploration-exploitation trade-offs. Ecol Lett 2018; 21:779-793. [PMID: 29611278 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/18/2017] [Revised: 11/02/2017] [Accepted: 02/22/2018] [Indexed: 01/22/2023]
Abstract
Understanding how humans and other animals behave in response to changes in their environments is vital for predicting population dynamics and the trajectory of coupled social-ecological systems. Here, we present a novel framework for identifying emergent social behaviours in foragers (including humans engaged in fishing or hunting) in predator-prey contexts based on the exploration difficulty and exploitation potential of a renewable natural resource. A qualitative framework is introduced that predicts when foragers should behave territorially, search collectively, act independently or switch among these states. To validate it, we derived quantitative predictions from two models of different structure: a generic mathematical model, and a lattice-based evolutionary model emphasising exploitation and exclusion costs. These models independently identified that the exploration difficulty and exploitation potential of the natural resource controls the social behaviour of resource exploiters. Our theoretical predictions were finally compared to a diverse set of empirical cases focusing on fisheries and aquatic organisms across a range of taxa, substantiating the framework's predictions. Understanding social behaviour for given social-ecological characteristics has important implications, particularly for the design of governance structures and regulations to move exploited systems, such as fisheries, towards sustainability. Our framework provides concrete steps in this direction.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christopher T Monk
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany
| | - Matthieu Barbier
- Centre for Biodiversity Theory and Modelling, National Centre for Scientific Research (CNRS), France
| | - Pawel Romanczuk
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Biology, Institute for Theoretical Biology, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, 10115, Berlin, Germany.,Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, 08544, NJ, USA
| | - James R Watson
- The Global Economic Dynamics and the Biosphere programme, Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences, Stockholm, Sweden.,College of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, Oregon State University, Corvallis, OR, USA
| | - Josep Alós
- Instituto Mediterráneo de Estudios Avanzados, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles, Illes Balears, Spain
| | - Shinnosuke Nakayama
- Department of Mechanical and Aerospace Engineering, New York University Tandon School of Engineering, New York, USA
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, 08544, NJ, USA
| | - Simon A Levin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, 08544, NJ, USA
| | - Robert Arlinghaus
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587, Berlin, Germany.,Division of Integrative Fisheries Management, Department of Crop and Animal Sciences, Faculty of Life Science, & Integrative Research Institute on Transformations of Human-Environmental Systems (IRI THESys), Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, 10115, Berlin, Germany
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30
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Gersick AS, Rubenstein DI. Physiology modulates social flexibility and collective behaviour in equids and other large ungulates. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2018; 372:rstb.2016.0241. [PMID: 28673917 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2016.0241] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 04/27/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Though morphologically very similar, equids across the extant species occupy ecological niches that are surprisingly non-overlapping. Occupancy of these distinct niches appears related to subtle physiological and behavioural adaptations which, in turn, correspond to significant differences in the social behaviours and emergent social systems characterizing the different species. Although instances of intraspecific behavioural variation in equids demonstrate that the same body plan can support a range of social structures, each of these morphologically similar species generally shows robust fidelity to its evolved social system. The pattern suggests a subtle relationship between physiological phenotypes and behavioural flexibility. While environmental conditions can vary widely within relatively short temporal or spatial scales, physiological changes and changes to the behaviours that regulate physiological processes, are constrained to longer cycles of adaptation. Physiology is then the limiting variable in the interaction between ecological variation and behavioural and socio-structural flexibility. Behavioural and socio-structural flexibility, in turn, will generate important feedbacks that will govern physiological function, thus creating a coupled web of interactions that can lead to changes in individual and collective behaviour. Longitudinal studies of equid and other large-bodied ungulate populations under environmental stress, such as those discussed here, may offer the best opportunities for researchers to examine, in real time, the interplay between individual behavioural plasticity, socio-structural flexibility, and the physiological and genetic changes that together produce adaptive change.This article is part of the themed issue 'Physiological determinants of social behaviour in animals'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Andrew S Gersick
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
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Kulahci IG, Ghazanfar AA, Rubenstein DI. Consistent individual variation across interaction networks indicates social personalities in lemurs. Anim Behav 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.11.012] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/02/2023]
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Caputo M, Rubenstein DI, Froneman PW, Bouveroux T. Striping patterns may not influence social interactions and mating in zebra: Observations from melanic zebra in South Africa. Afr J Ecol 2017. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12463] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/01/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Michelle Caputo
- Department of Zoology and Entomology; Rhodes University; Grahamstown South Africa
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Princeton University; Princeton NJ USA
| | - Pierre W. Froneman
- Department of Zoology and Entomology; Rhodes University; Grahamstown South Africa
| | - Thibaut Bouveroux
- Department of Zoology; Nelson Mandela University (NMU); Port Elizabeth South Africa
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Wilbur HM, Rubenstein DI, Fairchild L. SEXUAL SELECTION IN TOADS: THE ROLES OF FEMALE CHOICE AND MALE BODY SIZE. Evolution 2017; 32:264-270. [DOI: 10.1111/j.1558-5646.1978.tb00642.x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/05/1977] [Revised: 07/27/1977] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Henry M. Wilbur
- Department of Zoology; Duke University; Durham North Carolina 27706
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Nuñez CMV, Adelman JS, Carr HA, Alvarez CM, Rubenstein DI. Lingering effects of contraception management on feral mare ( Equus caballus) fertility and social behavior. Conserv Physiol 2017; 5:cox018. [PMID: 29977561 PMCID: PMC6007543 DOI: 10.1093/conphys/cox018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 12] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/08/2016] [Revised: 02/20/2017] [Accepted: 03/10/2017] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
Due to the extirpation of their natural predators, feral horse populations have expanded across the United States, necessitating their management. Contraception of females (mares) with porcine zona pellucida (PZP) is a popular option; however, effects to physiology and behavior can be substantial. On Shackleford Banks, North Carolina, USA, treated mares have exhibited cycling during the non-breeding season and demonstrated decreased fidelity to the band stallion, but PZP's long-term effects on mare physiology and behavior remain largely unexplored. After the contraception program was suspended in this population, we examined how prior exposure to varying levels of PZP treatment impacted (1) foaling probability and foaling dates (a proxy for ovulatory cycling) from 2009 to 2014 and (2) mare fidelity to the band stallion and reproductive behavior during 2013 and 2015. Additionally, we evaluated the effects of time since the mares' last treatment on these factors. Mares receiving any level of prior PZP treatment were less likely to foal than were untreated mares. Among mares that received 1-3 PZP applications, foaling probability increased with time since last treatment before declining, at ~6 years post-treatment. Mares that received 4+ applications did not exhibit a significant increase in foaling probability with time since last treatment. Moreover, previously treated mares continued to conceive later than did untreated mares. Finally, mares previously receiving 4+ treatments changed groups more often than did untreated mares, though reproductive behavior did not differ with contraception history. Our results suggest that although PZP-induced subfertility and its associated behavioral effects can persist after the cessation of treatment, these effects can be ameliorated for some factors with less intense treatment. Careful consideration to the frequency of PZP treatment is important to maintaining more naturally functioning populations; the ability to manage populations adaptively may be compromised if females are kept subfertile for extended periods of time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Cassandra M V Nuñez
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - James S Adelman
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Haley A Carr
- Department of Natural Resource Ecology and Management, Iowa State University, Ames, IA, USA
| | - Colleen M Alvarez
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
| | - Daniel I Rubenstein
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology Department, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, USA
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Kulahci IG, Rubenstein DI, Bugnyar T, Hoppitt W, Mikus N, Schwab C. Social networks predict selective observation and information spread in ravens. R Soc Open Sci 2016; 3:160256. [PMID: 27493780 PMCID: PMC4968472 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160256] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2016] [Accepted: 06/15/2016] [Indexed: 05/20/2023]
Abstract
Animals are predicted to selectively observe and learn from the conspecifics with whom they share social connections. Yet, hardly anything is known about the role of different connections in observation and learning. To address the relationships between social connections, observation and learning, we investigated transmission of information in two raven (Corvus corax) groups. First, we quantified social connections in each group by constructing networks on affiliative interactions, aggressive interactions and proximity. We then seeded novel information by training one group member on a novel task and allowing others to observe. In each group, an observation network based on who observed whose task-solving behaviour was strongly correlated with networks based on affiliative interactions and proximity. Ravens with high social centrality (strength, eigenvector, information centrality) in the affiliative interaction network were also central in the observation network, possibly as a result of solving the task sooner. Network-based diffusion analysis revealed that the order that ravens first solved the task was best predicted by connections in the affiliative interaction network in a group of subadult ravens, and by social rank and kinship (which influenced affiliative interactions) in a group of juvenile ravens. Our results demonstrate that not all social connections are equally effective at predicting the patterns of selective observation and information transmission.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ipek G. Kulahci
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | | | - Nace Mikus
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
| | - Christine Schwab
- Department of Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Althanstrasse 14, 1090 Vienna, Austria
- Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna and University of Vienna, 1210 Vienna, Austria
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Barnier F, Duncan P, Fritz H, Blanchard P, Rubenstein DI, Pays O. Between-gender differences in vigilance do not necessarily lead to differences in foraging-vigilance tradeoffs. Oecologia 2016; 181:757-68. [DOI: 10.1007/s00442-016-3614-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2014] [Accepted: 03/16/2016] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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Affiliation(s)
- Isaac K. Uyehara
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Princeton University; 106A Guyot Hall Princeton NJ 08544 U.S.A
| | | | - Claudia Hemp
- Department of Animal Ecology and Tropical Biology (Zoology III); University of Würzburg; Am Hubland 97074 Würzburg Germany
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Princeton University; 106A Guyot Hall Princeton NJ 08544 U.S.A
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Rubenstein DI, Sundaresan SR, Fischhoff IR, Tantipathananandh C, Berger-Wolf TY. Similar but Different: Dynamic Social Network Analysis Highlights Fundamental Differences between the Fission-Fusion Societies of Two Equid Species, the Onager and Grevy's Zebra. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0138645. [PMID: 26488598 PMCID: PMC4619087 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0138645] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/28/2014] [Accepted: 09/01/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding why animal societies take on the form that they do has benefited from insights gained by applying social network analysis to patterns of individual associations. Such analyses typically aggregate data over long time periods even though most selective forces that shape sociality have strong temporal elements. By explicitly incorporating the temporal signal in social interaction data we re-examine the network dynamics of the social systems of the evolutionarily closely-related Grevy’s zebras and wild asses that show broadly similar social organizations. By identifying dynamic communities, previously hidden differences emerge: Grevy’s zebras show more modularity than wild asses and in wild asses most communities consist of solitary individuals; and in Grevy’s zebras, lactating females show a greater propensity to switch communities than non-lactating females and males. Both patterns were missed by static network analyses and in general, adding a temporal dimension provides insights into differences associated with the size and persistence of communities as well as the frequency and synchrony of their formation. Dynamic network analysis provides insights into the functional significance of these social differences and highlights the way dynamic community analysis can be applied to other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ, United States of America
- Mpala Research Centre, P.O. Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Siva R. Sundaresan
- Jackson Hole Conservation Alliance, Jackson, WY, United States of America
- Mpala Research Centre, P.O. Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | - Ilya R. Fischhoff
- University Corporation for Atmospheric Research, Washington, DC, United States of America
- Mpala Research Centre, P.O. Box 555, Nanyuki, Kenya
| | | | - Tanya Y. Berger-Wolf
- Computer Science, University of Illinois at Chicago, Chicago, IL, United States of America
- * E-mail:
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Larison B, Harrigan RJ, Rubenstein DI, Smith TB. Concordance on zebra stripes is not black and white: response to comment by Caro & Stankowich (2015). R Soc Open Sci 2015; 2:150359. [PMID: 26473058 PMCID: PMC4593692 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150359] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/21/2015] [Accepted: 09/02/2015] [Indexed: 06/05/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Larison
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 610 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, 619 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ryan J. Harrigan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 610 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, 619 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, 106A Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Thomas B. Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 610 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, 619 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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Riginos C, Karande MA, Rubenstein DI, Palmer TM. Disruption of a protective ant-plant mutualism by an invasive ant increases elephant damage to savanna trees. Ecology 2015; 96:654-61. [PMID: 26236862 DOI: 10.1890/14-1348.1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022]
Abstract
Invasive species can indirectly affect ecosystem processes via the disruption of mutualisms. The mutualism between the whistling thorn acacia (Acacia drepanolobium) and four species of symbiotic ants is an ecologically important one; ants strongly defend trees against elephants, which can otherwise have dramatic impacts on tree cover. In Laikipia, Kenya, the invasive big-headed ant (Pheidole megacephala) has established itself at numerous locations within the last 10-15 years. In invaded areas on five properties, we found that three species of symbiotic Crematogaster ants were virtually extirpated, whereas Tetraponera penzigi co-occurred with P. megacephala. T. penzigi appears to persist because of its nonaggressive behavior; in a whole-tree translocation experiment, Crematogaster defended host trees against P. megacephala, but were extirpated from trees within hours. In contrast, T. penzigi retreated into domatia and withstood invading ants for >30 days. In the field, the loss of defensive Crematogaster ants in invaded areas led to a five- to sevenfold increase in the number of trees catastrophically damaged by elephants compared to uninvaded areas. In savannas, tree cover drives many ecosystem processes and provides essential forage for many large mammal species; thus, the invasion of big-headed ants may strongly alter the dynamics and diversity of East Africa's whistling thorn savannas by disrupting this system's keystone acaciaant mutualism.
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Schieltz JM, Rubenstein DI. Caught between two worlds: genes and environment influence behaviour of plains × Grevy's zebra hybrids in central Kenya. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.04.026] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
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Zhang Y, Cao QS, Rubenstein DI, Zang S, Songer M, Leimgruber P, Chu H, Cao J, Li K, Hu D. Water Use Patterns of Sympatric Przewalski's Horse and Khulan: Interspecific Comparison Reveals Niche Differences. PLoS One 2015; 10:e0132094. [PMID: 26161909 PMCID: PMC4498657 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0132094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/11/2014] [Accepted: 06/10/2015] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Acquiring water is essential for all animals, but doing so is most challenging for desert-living animals. Recently Przewalski’s horse has been reintroduced to the desert area in China where the last wild surviving member of the species was seen before it vanished from China in the1960s. Its reintroduction placed it within the range of a close evolutionary relative, the con-generic Khulan. Determining whether or not these two species experience competition and whether or not such competition was responsible for the extinction of Przewalski’s horses in the wild over 50 years ago, requires identifying the fundamental and realized niches of both species. We remotely monitored the presence of both species at a variety of water points during the dry season in Kalamaili Nature Reserve, Xinjiang, China. Przewalski’s horses drank twice per day mostly during daylight hours at low salinity water sources while Khulans drank mostly at night usually at high salinity water points or those far from human residences. Spatial and temporal differences in water use enables coexistence, but suggest that Przewalski’s horses also restrict the actions of Khulan. Such differences in both the fundamental and realized niches were associated with differences in physiological tolerances for saline water and human activity as well as differences in aggression and dominance.
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Affiliation(s)
- Yongjun Zhang
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Qing S. Cao
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Sen Zang
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Melissa Songer
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Peter Leimgruber
- Smithsonian Conservation Biology Institute, National Zoological Park, Front Royal, Virginia, United States of America
| | - Hongjun Chu
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- Altai Forestry Bureau, Altai, Xinjiang, China
| | - Jie Cao
- Wild Horse Breeding Center, Xinjiang Forestry Department, Urumqi, Xinjiang, China
| | - Kai Li
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
| | - Defu Hu
- College of Nature Conservation, Beijing Forestry University, Beijing, China
- * E-mail:
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Barale CL, Rubenstein DI, Beehner JC. Juvenile social relationships reflect adult patterns of behavior in wild geladas. Am J Primatol 2015; 77:1086-96. [DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22443] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/02/2015] [Accepted: 06/09/2015] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Caitlin L. Barale
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Princeton University; Princeton New Jersey
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology; Princeton University; Princeton New Jersey
| | - Jacinta C. Beehner
- Department of Psychology; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor Michigan
- Department of Anthropology; University of Michigan; Ann Arbor Michigan
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Abstract
How kinship structures alter inclusive fitness benefits or competition costs to members of a group can explain variation in animal societies. We present rare data combining behavioural associations and genetic relatedness to determine the influence of sex differences and kinship in structuring a two-tiered zebra society. We found a significantly positive relationship between the strength of behavioural association and relatedness. Female relatedness within herds was higher than chance, suggesting that female kin drive herd formation, and consistent with evidence that lactating females preferentially group into herds to dilute predation risk. In contrast, male relatedness across harems in a herd was no different from relatedness across herds, suggesting that although stallions benefit from associating to fend off bachelors, they do not preferentially form kin coalitions. Although both sexes disperse, we found that most harems contained adult relatives, implying limited female dispersal distances and inbreeding in this population, with potential conservation consequences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Wenfei Tong
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Downing Street, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK
| | - Beth Shapiro
- Department of Biology, The Pennsylvania State University, 326 Mueller Laboratory, University Park, PA 16802, USA
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, 106A Guyot Hall, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544-2016, USA
- Mpala Research Center, PO Box 155, Nanyuki, Kenya
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Larison B, Harrigan RJ, Thomassen HA, Rubenstein DI, Chan-Golston AM, Li E, Smith TB. How the zebra got its stripes: a problem with too many solutions. R Soc Open Sci 2015; 2:140452. [PMID: 26064590 PMCID: PMC4448797 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.140452] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/17/2014] [Accepted: 12/15/2014] [Indexed: 05/30/2023]
Abstract
The adaptive significance of zebra stripes has thus far eluded understanding. Many explanations have been suggested, including social cohesion, thermoregulation, predation evasion and avoidance of biting flies. Identifying the associations between phenotypic and environmental factors is essential for testing these hypotheses and substantiating existing experimental evidence. Plains zebra striping pattern varies regionally, from heavy black and white striping over the entire body in some areas to reduced stripe coverage with thinner and lighter stripes in others. We examined how well 29 environmental variables predict the variation in stripe characteristics of plains zebra across their range in Africa. In contrast to recent findings, we found no evidence that striping may have evolved to escape predators or avoid biting flies. Instead, we found that temperature successfully predicts a substantial amount of the stripe pattern variation observed in plains zebra. As this association between striping and temperature may be indicative of multiple biological processes, we suggest that the selective agents driving zebra striping are probably multifarious and complex.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brenda Larison
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 610 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, 619 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Ryan J. Harrigan
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 610 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, 619 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Henri A. Thomassen
- Institute for Evolution and Ecology, University of Tübingen, Building E, Floor 4, Auf der Morgenstelle 28, Tübingen 72076, Germany
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, 106A Guyot Hall, Princeton, NJ 08544, USA
| | - Alec M. Chan-Golston
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, 520 Portola Plaza, Math Sciences Building 6363, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Elizabeth Li
- Department of Mathematics, University of California, 520 Portola Plaza, Math Sciences Building 6363, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
| | - Thomas B. Smith
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 610 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
- Center for Tropical Research, Institute of the Environment and Sustainability, University of California, 619 Charles E. Young Drive East, Los Angeles, CA 90095, USA
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de Froment AJ, Rubenstein DI, Levin SA. An extra dimension to decision-making in animals: the three-way trade-off between speed, effort per-unit-time and accuracy. PLoS Comput Biol 2014; 10:e1003937. [PMID: 25522281 PMCID: PMC4270426 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1003937] [Citation(s) in RCA: 16] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2014] [Accepted: 09/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
The standard view in biology is that all animals, from bumblebees to human beings, face a trade-off between speed and accuracy as they search for resources and mates, and attempt to avoid predators. For example, the more time a forager spends out of cover gathering information about potential food sources the more likely it is to make accurate decisions about which sources are most rewarding. However, when the cost of time spent out of cover rises (e.g. in the presence of a predator) the optimal strategy is for the forager to spend less time gathering information and to accept a corresponding decline in the accuracy of its decisions. We suggest that this familiar picture is missing a crucial dimension: the amount of effort an animal expends on gathering information in each unit of time. This is important because an animal that can respond to changing time costs by modulating its level of effort per-unit-time does not have to accept the same decrease in accuracy that an animal limited to a simple speed-accuracy trade-off must bear in the same situation. Instead, it can direct additional effort towards (i) reducing the frequency of perceptual errors in the samples it gathers or (ii) increasing the number of samples it gathers per-unit-time. Both of these have the effect of allowing it to gather more accurate information within a given period of time. We use a modified version of a canonical model of decision-making (the sequential probability ratio test) to show that this ability to substitute effort for time confers a fitness advantage in the face of changing time costs. We predict that the ability to modulate effort levels will therefore be widespread in nature, and we lay out testable predictions that could be used to detect adaptive modulation of effort levels in laboratory and field studies. Our understanding of decision-making in all species, including our own, will be improved by this more ecologically-complete picture of the three-way tradeoff between time, effort per-unit-time and accuracy. Efficient decision-making is vital to the lives of all animals, but the underlying principles of how they achieve this are not yet fully understood. Researchers studying decision-making have generally assumed that animals balance a two-way trade-off between speed and accuracy: the more time they spend gathering information, the more accurate their decisions will be, but the greater the cost they have to pay. We suggest that this picture is missing a crucial component: the effort that animals spend on gathering information within each unit of time. This is important because an animal that can change the amount of effort it invests per-unit-time can use this ability to maintain the accuracy of its decisions even when it reduces the amount of time it spends on them, and can therefore gain a fitness advantage. We predict that this ability to change effort levels should therefore be widespread in nature. This updated view of a three-way trade-off between speed, effort per-unit-time and accuracy will help behavioral ecologists, neuroscientists, economists and psychologists to understand decision-making better, and may also lead to the development of more efficient control algorithms for robot decision-makers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Adrian J. de Froment
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
| | - Simon A. Levin
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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Kulahci IG, Drea CM, Rubenstein DI, Ghazanfar AA. Individual recognition through olfactory-auditory matching in lemurs. Proc Biol Sci 2014; 281:20140071. [PMID: 24741013 PMCID: PMC4043086 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.0071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/13/2014] [Accepted: 03/10/2014] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Individual recognition can be facilitated by creating representations of familiar individuals, whereby information from signals in multiple sensory modalities become linked. Many vertebrate species use auditory-visual matching to recognize familiar conspecifics and heterospecifics, but we currently do not know whether representations of familiar individuals incorporate information from other modalities. Ring-tailed lemurs (Lemur catta) are highly visual, but also communicate via scents and vocalizations. To investigate the role of olfactory signals in multisensory recognition, we tested whether lemurs can recognize familiar individuals through matching scents and vocalizations. We presented lemurs with female scents that were paired with the contact call either of the female whose scent was presented or of another familiar female from the same social group. When the scent and the vocalization came from the same individual versus from different individuals, females showed greater interest in the scents, and males showed greater interest in both the scents and the vocalizations, suggesting that lemurs can recognize familiar females via olfactory-auditory matching. Because identity signals in lemur scents and vocalizations are produced by different effectors and often encountered at different times (uncoupled in space and time), this matching suggests lemurs form multisensory representations through a newly recognized sensory integration underlying individual recognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ipek G. Kulahci
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544USA
| | - Christine M. Drea
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC 27708, USA
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544USA
| | - Asif A. Ghazanfar
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08544USA
- Princeton Neuroscience Institute, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
- Department of Psychology, Princeton University, Princeton, NJ 08540, USA
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Kendall CJ, Virani MZ, Hopcraft JGC, Bildstein KL, Rubenstein DI. African vultures don't follow migratory herds: scavenger habitat use is not mediated by prey abundance. PLoS One 2014; 9:e83470. [PMID: 24421887 PMCID: PMC3885425 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0083470] [Citation(s) in RCA: 18] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/22/2013] [Accepted: 11/04/2013] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
The ongoing global decline in vulture populations raises major conservation concerns, but little is known about the factors that mediate scavenger habitat use, in particular the importance of abundance of live prey versus prey mortality. We test this using data from the Serengeti-Mara ecosystem in East Africa. The two hypotheses that prey abundance or prey mortality are the main drivers of vulture habitat use provide alternative predictions. If vultures select areas based only on prey abundance, we expect tracked vultures to remain close to herds of migratory wildebeest regardless of season. However, if vultures select areas where mortality rates are greatest then we expect vultures to select the driest regions, where animals are more likely to die of starvation, and to be attracted to migratory wildebeest only during the dry season when wildebeest mortality is greatest. We used data from GSM-GPS transmitters to assess the relationship between three vulture species and migratory wildebeest in the Mara-Serengeti ecosystem. Results indicate that vultures preferentially cluster around migratory herds only during the dry season, when herds experience their highest mortality. Additionally during the wet season, Ruppell’s and Lappet-faced vultures select relatively dry areas, based on Normalized Difference Vegetation Index, whereas White-backed vultures preferred wetter areas during the wet season. Differences in habitat use among species may mediate coexistence in this scavenger guild. In general, our results suggest that prey abundance is not the primary driver of avian scavenger habitat use. The apparent reliance of vultures on non-migratory ungulates during the wet season has important conservation implications for vultures in light of on-going declines in non-migratory ungulate species and use of poisons in unprotected areas.
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Affiliation(s)
- Corinne J. Kendall
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
- Ornithology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- * E-mail:
| | - Munir Z. Virani
- Ornithology Section, Department of Zoology, National Museums of Kenya, Nairobi, Kenya
- The Peregrine Fund, Boise, Idaho, United States of America
| | | | - Keith L. Bildstein
- Acopian Center for Conservation Learning, Hawk Mountain Sanctuary, Orwigsburg, Pennsylvania, United States of America
| | - Daniel I. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Princeton University, Princeton, New Jersey, United States of America
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