Preservation of winter social dominance status in Brent Geese Branta bernicla bernicla within and across winters

Australian brush-turkeys (Alectura lathami) hatch in incubation mounds of organic material and have no parental role models to learn from. When raised in outdoor aviaries, without adults, four of six males built incubation mounds at an early age of 4.5–9 months. The two males without mounds were the only ones without detectable levels of testosterone (T) at 4.5 months, whereas body mass did not explain the presence or absence of mound building. At the age of 11 months, all males had detectable T, including those without mounds. This study also investigated the development of social dominance in males kept in mixed-sex groups for 4.5 months. At this latter age, higher-ranked males tended to have higher T levels (P = 0.076), whereas dominance ranks at 4.5 months were not correlated with body mass or size, either at this age or at hatching. Overall, these results suggest that mound building develops without learning, and there is a relationship between T levels and dominance status as well as the absence or presence of mound building. These findings contribute to discussions on the role of learning in behavioural development and the role of T and body mass in avian life history.

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Reduced hatchery rearing density increases social dominance, postrelease growth, and survival in brown trout (Salmo trutta)

Canadian Journal of Fisheries and Aquatic Sciences ◽

10.1139/f09-185 ◽

2010 ◽

Vol 67 (2) ◽

pp. 288-295 ◽

Cited By ~ 41

Author(s):

Sofia Brockmark ◽

Jörgen I. Johnsson

Keyword(s):

Brown Trout ◽

Social Dominance ◽

Salmo Trutta ◽

Adaptive Behaviour ◽

Dominance Status ◽

Growth And Survival ◽

Hatchery Fish ◽

Brown Trout Salmo Trutta ◽

Rearing Density ◽

Natural Density

Hatchery fish reared for conservation or supplementation often have difficulties adapting to natural conditions, resulting in poor performance in the wild. In a standard hatchery, fish are confined at high densities, which creates a social environment different from that experienced after release. Here we investigated how rearing density influences social dominance, postrelease growth, and survival in brown trout ( Salmo trutta ). Fish were reared at three density treatments: conventional hatchery density, half of conventional hatchery density, and natural density. Four months after hatching, dominance status was determined, and 36 fish from each treatment were released into an enclosed stream and recaptured after 36 days. Trout reared at natural density had higher dominance status and grew faster, both in the hatchery and in the natural stream, than trout from higher densities. Moreover, trout reared at natural density were twice as likely to survive in the stream as trout from higher densities. These novel results suggest that more natural rearing densities would facilitate the development of adaptive behaviour in hatchery salmonids and, thereby, their contribution to natural production.

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Social dominance correlates and family status in wintering dark-bellied brent geese, Branta bernicla bernicla

Animal Behaviour ◽

10.1016/j.anbehav.2005.09.014 ◽

2006 ◽

Vol 71 (6) ◽

pp. 1351-1358 ◽

Cited By ~ 32

Author(s):

Maud Poisbleau ◽

Hervé Fritz ◽

Marion Valeix ◽

Pierre-Yves Perroi ◽

Sébastien Dalloyau ◽

...

Keyword(s):

Social Dominance ◽

Family Status ◽

Branta Bernicla

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Neuronal Adaptations to Changes in the Social Dominance Status of Crayfish

Journal of Neuroscience ◽

10.1523/jneurosci.17-02-00697.1997 ◽

1997 ◽

Vol 17 (2) ◽

pp. 697-708 ◽

Cited By ~ 86

Author(s):

Shih-Rung Yeh ◽

Barbara E. Musolf ◽

Donald H. Edwards

Keyword(s):

Social Dominance ◽

Dominance Status ◽

The Social

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Testosterone and Linear Social Dominance Status in Captive Male Dabbling Ducks in Winter.

Ethology ◽

10.1111/j.1439-0310.2005.01092.x ◽

2005 ◽

Vol 111 (5) ◽

pp. 493-509 ◽

Cited By ~ 23

Author(s):

Maud Poisbleau ◽

Herve Fritz ◽

Matthieu Guillemain ◽

Andre Lacroix

Keyword(s):

Social Dominance ◽

Dabbling Ducks ◽

Dominance Status

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DHEA levels and social dominance relationships in wintering brent geese (Branta bernicla bernicla)

Behavioural Processes ◽

10.1016/j.beproc.2008.08.002 ◽

2009 ◽

Vol 80 (1) ◽

pp. 99-103 ◽

Cited By ~ 5

Author(s):

Maud Poisbleau ◽

André Lacroix ◽

Olivier Chastel

Keyword(s):

Social Dominance ◽

Branta Bernicla ◽

Dominance Relationships

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Dominance patterns and positional behaviour of sheep in yards

Animal Science ◽

10.1017/s0003356100022728 ◽

1974 ◽

Vol 19 (2) ◽

pp. 157-168 ◽

Cited By ~ 34

Author(s):

H. Dove ◽

R. G. Beilharz ◽

J. L. Black

Keyword(s):

Small Groups ◽

Social Dominance ◽

Voluntary Movement ◽

Dominance Hierarchy ◽

Dominance Status ◽

Linear Type ◽

Dominance Structure ◽

The Social ◽

Before And After ◽

Forced Movement

SUMMARY1. Observations were conducted to ascertain the social dominance structure in two small groups of castrated male Corriedale sheep. In these and a third group, the order of the sheep past a fixed point was recorded, when they were moving either voluntarily or under force. Records were also made of the way in which the sheep distributed themselves spatially in a confined area, relative to one or two men simulating yard work. In a fourth group divided into two sub-groups, the social dominance structure was determined before and after the subgroups were mixed, to assess the effect of mixing.2. The small groups showed a distinct social dominance hierarchy of a linear type, similar to that found in cattle and pigs. The dominance status of individual animals was correlated with their body weight, wither height and height at hocks. Dominance status within a subgroup remained stable following the mixing of sub-groups.3. The sheep adopted consistent positions in forced movement, and in relation to one or two men simulating yard work. There was no consistency in voluntary movement. Dominant animals did not lead the forced movement, were usually some distance from man, and were widely scattered from each other.4. Dominance status was closely related to positional behaviour.

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A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of the Relationship Between Social Dominance Status and Common Behavioral Phenotypes in Male Laboratory Mice

Frontiers in Behavioral Neuroscience ◽

10.3389/fnbeh.2020.624036 ◽

2021 ◽

Vol 14 ◽

Author(s):

Justin A. Varholick ◽

Jeremy D. Bailoo ◽

Ashley Jenkins ◽

Bernhard Voelkl ◽

Hanno Würbel

Keyword(s):

Systematic Review ◽

Learned Helplessness ◽

Social Dominance ◽

Forced Swim Test ◽

Meta Analysis ◽

Assessment Method ◽

Biomedical Science ◽

Laboratory Mice ◽

Dominance Status ◽

Meta Analyses

Background: Social dominance status (e.g., dominant or subordinate) is often associated with individual differences in behavior and physiology but is largely neglected in experimental designs and statistical analysis plans in biomedical animal research. In fact, the extent to which social dominance status affects common experimental outcomes is virtually unknown. Given the pervasive use of laboratory mice and culminating evidence of issues with reproducibility, understanding the role of social dominance status on common behavioral measures used in research may be of paramount importance.Methods: To determine whether social dominance status—one facet of the social environment—contributes in a systematic way to standard measures of behavior in biomedical science, we conducted a systematic review of the existing literature searching the databases of PubMed, Embase, and Web of Science. Experiments were divided into several domains of behavior: exploration, anxiety, learned helplessness, cognition, social, and sensory behavior. Meta-analyses between experiments were conducted for the open field, elevated plus-maze, and Porsolt forced swim test.Results: Of the 696 publications identified, a total of 55 experiments from 20 published studies met our pre-specified criteria. Study characteristics and reported results were highly heterogeneous across studies. A systematic review and meta-analyses, where possible, with these studies revealed little evidence for systematic phenotypic differences between dominant and subordinate male mice.Conclusion: This finding contradicts the notion that social dominance status impacts behavior in significant ways, although the lack of an observed relationship may be attributable to study heterogeneity concerning strain, group-size, age, housing and husbandry conditions, and dominance assessment method. Therefore, further research considering these secondary sources of variation may be necessary to determine if social dominance generally impacts treatment effects in substantive ways.

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Social context and dominance status contribute to sleep patterns and quality in groups of freely-moving mice

Scientific Reports ◽

10.1038/s41598-019-51375-7 ◽

2019 ◽

Vol 9 (1) ◽

Cited By ~ 3

Author(s):

Stoyo Karamihalev ◽

Cornelia Flachskamm ◽

Noa Eren ◽

Mayumi Kimura ◽

Alon Chen

Keyword(s):

Social Context ◽

Social Dominance ◽

Video Tracking ◽

Sleep Patterns ◽

Dominance Status ◽

Sleep State ◽

Sleep Studies ◽

Naturalistic Environment ◽

Living Species ◽

Freely Moving

Abstract In socially-living species, sleep patterns are often subject to group influences, as individuals adjust to the presence, daily rhythms, and social pressures of cohabitation. However, sleep studies in mice are typically conducted in single-housed individuals. Here, we investigated sleep in a semi-naturalistic environment with freely-moving, group-housed mice using wireless electroencephalographic (EEG) monitoring and video tracking. We found evidence of in-group synchrony of sleep state patterns and effects of social dominance status on sleep quality. These findings highlight the importance of exploring sleep in a social context and are a step toward more informative research on the interplay between social functioning and sleep.

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Social dominance and breeding activity in Spanish ibex (Capra pyrenaica) maintained in captivity

Reproduction Fertility and Development ◽

10.1071/rd06122 ◽

2007 ◽

Vol 19 (3) ◽

pp. 436 ◽

Cited By ~ 9

Author(s):

J. Santiago-Moreno ◽

A. Gómez-Brunet ◽

A. Toledano-Díaz ◽

A. Pulido-Pastor ◽

A. López-Sebastián

Keyword(s):

Social Interactions ◽

Social Dominance ◽

Reproductive Function ◽

Dominance Status ◽

Capra Pyrenaica ◽

Dominance Hierarchies ◽

Plasma Progesterone ◽

In Captivity ◽

The Individual ◽

The Relationship

The relationship between ovulatory activity and social dominance was determined in 10 Spanish ibex females by recording their plasma progesterone and plasma cortisol levels. In a second experiment, the influence of dominance status on the establishment of pregnancy after introduction to males during late anoestrous (late October) was evaluated in another nine females. Dominance hierarchies were established in both groups by noting agonistic interactions between the individual females. Six high-ranking females of the 10 ibexes without male contact showed ovulatory activity with 1–3 progesterone cycles. The first progesterone cycle appeared in December (18 December ± 4 days). Dominance status correlated with age (R = 0.86, P < 0.01), bodyweight (R = 0.96, P < 0.001) and the number of progesterone cycles (R = 0.82, P < 0.01). Cortisol differences were associated with differences in reproductive function rather than social status per se. Introduction to males during late anoestrous brought forward the initiation of ovulatory activity (14 November ± 5 days) and resulted in three pregnancies in females with higher dominance ranks. The results suggest that social interactions are important in the control of ovulatory activity in the Spanish ibex.

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