scholarly journals Sex differences in responsiveness to begging in a cooperative mammal

2008 ◽  
Vol 4 (4) ◽  
pp. 334-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sinead English ◽  
Hansjoerg P Kunc ◽  
Joah R Madden ◽  
Tim H Clutton-Brock
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Feeding Rate ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Sensitive Measure ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Suricata Suricatta ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
Consistent Tendency

In species where young are provisioned by both parents, males commonly contribute less to parental care than females, and are less responsive to variation in begging rates. Similar differences in the care of young occur among adults in cooperative breeders, but fewer studies have investigated whether these are associated with differences in responsiveness. Here, we present results from a playback experiment investigating responsiveness to begging in the meerkat ( Suricata suricatta ), a cooperatively breeding mammal. Although increased begging rate raised the feeding rate of adults of both sexes, there was no consistent tendency for females to be more responsive than males. However, when we examined changes in the proportion of food items found that were fed to pups (generosity), we found that females were more responsive than males to increased begging rate. These results can be explained in terms of sex differences in dispersal: in meerkats, females are philopatric and receive considerable benefits from investing in young, both directly, by increasing group size, and indirectly, by recruiting helpers if they inherit the breeding position. In addition, they emphasize that generosity provides a more sensitive measure of responsiveness to begging than feeding rate, as it accounts for variation in foraging success.

scholarly journals The relationships between feeding-group size and feeding rate vary from positive to negative with characteristics of food items in wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Behaviour ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 150 (2) ◽  
pp. 175-197 ◽  
Author(s):  
N. Kazahari ◽  
Y. Tsuji ◽  
N. Agetsuma
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Feeding Rate ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Japanese Macaques ◽  
Food Density ◽  
Food Items ◽  
Feeding Group ◽  
Negative Impacts ◽  
The Relationship ◽  
Negative Relationships

To understand the costs and benefits of group-living, it is important to clarify the impacts of other individuals on foraging success. Previous studies on group-living primates have focused on the relationship between feeding-group size and feeding rate in food patches, and have exhibited inconsistent results, showing positive, neutral, or negative relationships. The relationship realized will depend on the balance of positive and negative impacts of co-feeding on feeding rate. The intensity of negative impacts (i.e., feeding competition) may vary with some characteristics of food items such as (1) patch size, (2) within-patch food density, (3) within-patch distribution pattern of food, (4) the abundance and (5) distribution pattern of within-habitat food trees, and (6) the relative energy content among available food items. Thus, the balance of positive and negative impacts of co-feeding, and ultimately the relationship between feeding-group size and feeding rate, is expected to change with characteristics of food items. In this study of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata), the relationship between feeding-group size and feeding rate, and the above six characteristics of 12 main food items were assessed over six seasons. Positive, neutral, or negative relationships between feeding-group size and feeding rate were detected among these food items. Positive relationships were consistently associated with within-patch food density; higher food density within food patches was likely to lead to positive relationships. Thus, various relationships between feeding-group size and feeding rate should be attributed to these specific characteristics of food items, which alter the degree of feeding competition.

scholarly journals Group size and social status affect scent marking in dispersing female meerkats

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (6) ◽  
pp. 1602-1610
Author(s):  
Ana Morales-González ◽  
Héctor Ruíz-Villar ◽  
Arpat Ozgul ◽  
Nino Maag ◽  
Gabriele Cozzi
Keyword(s):  
Social Status ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Food Availability ◽  
Animal Species ◽  
Group Communication ◽  
Scent Marking ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Scent Marks ◽  
Suricata Suricatta ◽  
The Social

Abstract Many animal species use scent marks such as feces, urine, and glandular secretions to find mates, advertise their reproductive status, and defend an exclusive territory. Scent marking may be particularly important during dispersal, when individuals emigrate from their natal territory searching for mates and a new territory to settle and reproduce. In this study, we investigated the scent-marking behavior of 30 dispersing female meerkats (Suricata suricatta) during the three consecutive stages of dispersal—emigration, transience, and settlement. We expected marking patterns to differ between dispersal stages, depending on social circumstances such as presence of unrelated mates and social status of the individuals within each dispersing coalition and also to be influenced by water and food availability. We showed that defecation probability increased with group size during the settlement stage, when newly formed groups are expected to signal their presence to other resident groups. Urination probability was higher in subordinate than in dominant individuals during each of the three dispersal stages and it decreased overall as the dispersal process progressed. Urine may, thus, be linked to advertisement of the social status within a coalition. Anal marking probability did not change across dispersal stages but increased with the presence of unrelated males and was higher in dominants than in subordinates. We did not detect any effect of rain or foraging success on defecation and urination probability. Our results suggest that feces, urine, and anal markings serve different communication purposes (e.g., within and between-group communication) during the dispersal process.

scholarly journals Mechanisms determining relationships between feeding group size and foraging success in food patch use by Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Behaviour ◽  
2010 ◽  
Vol 147 (11) ◽  
pp. 1481-1500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nobuko Kazahari ◽  
Naoki Agetsuma
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Feeding Rate ◽  
Japanese Macaques ◽  
Feeding Competition ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Feeding Groups ◽  
Social Monitoring ◽  
Monitoring Frequency ◽  
Feeding Group ◽  
Group Members

AbstractWe evaluated the effects of social monitoring and feeding competition on foraging success in relation to the feeding group size of wild Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata). Social monitoring is visual scanning by group members that assists them in following their own group. Individuals in smaller feeding groups may frequently use social monitoring while foraging, because they have an increased risk of losing their group. Therefore, social monitoring could be a cost for group-foraging animals. We made four predictions: (1) individuals in smaller feeding groups tend to abandon food patches to follow group members; (2) social monitoring frequency is higher in smaller feeding groups; (3) feeding rate decreases with increased social monitoring frequency; and (4) feeding rate initially increases with feeding group size because decreased social monitoring outweighs increased feeding competition, but after the feeding group reaches a certain size, feeding rate declines with increasing feeding group size due to the high costs of feeding competition. These predictions were supported by our results. Thus, the relationship between feeding group size and feeding rate can show three patterns (positive, neutral and negative) in response to the balance between the costs of social monitoring and feeding competition.

The Breeding Behaviour of the Pink-Footed Goose: Parental Care and Vigilant Behaviour During the Fledging Period

Behaviour ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 62-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lazarus John ◽  
Inglis I.R.
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Time Budget ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Anser Brachyrhynchus ◽  
Term Pair ◽  
Pink Footed Goose

In this study we describe the pattern of parental investment in the pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) during the fledging period in Iceland, concentrating particularly on the analysis of vigilant behaviour as one important element of parental care. We quantify parental investment, and its cost to the parent, by comparing the behaviour of parents with that of 'pairs' of adults without young (most of which are probably failed breeders). Each partner's strategy of investment is not expected to be purely selfish in this long-term pair-bonding species, and the sex differences in parental care are examined in this light. The time budgets of parents and pairs differed, parents walking more, grazing more and preening less. Parents also spent more time in the extreme head up posture and less in the head low and head on back postures than pairs but time devoted to the head up posture was the same for both. Brood size had no effect on the time budget. Time spent extreme head up declined over the study period in parents but not in pairs. Spacing patterns and behaviour varied independently in non-breeding birds but families sat closer to other geese when the vigilance level of the parents was low (i.e. in the head on back or head low postures) than when it was high (the head up or extreme head up postures). All agonistic encounters between parents and non-breeders were both initiated and won by the parents. Tied encounters occurred between birds of equivalent status in terms of brood size or non-breeding group size. The potential sources of parental care are summarized (Table 6) and, after considering the evidence for each, it is concluded that (apart from brooding) two types of parental investment are made by parents: (1) enhancement of offspring feeding efficiency by reducing competition through agonistic behaviour, and perhaps avoidance; and (2) protection from predators by (a) active defence, (b) seeking proximity with other geese when resting, and (c) visual scanning for predators (mainly by the male) using the extreme head up posture. Parents paid for this investment by devoting less time to preening and sleeping. The male's investment in predator vigilance was made at the cost of a reduced feeding time and to compensate for this he pecked at a faster rate than his mate. These sex differences are explicable in terms of earlier differences during incubation. The adoption of unrelated goslings was observed and the implications of the phenomenon are discussed. For individuals in non-breeding groups the time spent extreme head up declined as group size increased. The functional significance of this finding is discussed and it is concluded that in sitting groups extreme head up is probably used to scan for predators.

The Breeding Behaviour of the Pink-Footed Goose: Parental Care and Vigilant Behaviour During the Fledging Period

Behaviour ◽  
1978 ◽  
Vol 65 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 62-87 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lazarus John ◽  
Inglis I.R.
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Parental Investment ◽  
Brood Size ◽  
Time Budget ◽  
Feeding Time ◽  
Anser Brachyrhynchus ◽  
Term Pair ◽  
Pink Footed Goose

In this study we describe the pattern of parental investment in the pink-footed goose (Anser brachyrhynchus) during the fledging period in Iceland, concentrating particularly on the analysis of vigilant behaviour as one important element of parental care. We quantify parental investment, and its cost to the parent, by comparing the behaviour of parents with that of 'pairs' of adults without young (most of which are probably failed breeders). Each partner's strategy of investment is not expected to be purely selfish in this long-term pair-bonding species, and the sex differences in parental care are examined in this light. The time budgets of parents and pairs differed, parents walking more, grazing more and preening less. Parents also spent more time in the extreme head up posture and less in the head low and head on back postures than pairs but time devoted to the head up posture was the same for both. Brood size had no effect on the time budget. Time spent extreme head up declined over the study period in parents but not in pairs. Spacing patterns and behaviour varied independently in non-breeding birds but families sat closer to other geese when the vigilance level of the parents was low (i.e. in the head on back or head low postures) than when it was high (the head up or extreme head up postures). All agonistic encounters between parents and non-breeders were both initiated and won by the parents. Tied encounters occurred between birds of equivalent status in terms of brood size or non-breeding group size. The potential sources of parental care are summarized (Table 6) and, after considering the evidence for each, it is concluded that (apart from brooding) two types of parental investment are made by parents: (1) enhancement of offspring feeding efficiency by reducing competition through agonistic behaviour, and perhaps avoidance; and (2) protection from predators by (a) active defence, (b) seeking proximity with other geese when resting, and (c) visual scanning for predators (mainly by the male) using the extreme head up posture. Parents paid for this investment by devoting less time to preening and sleeping. The male's investment in predator vigilance was made at the cost of a reduced feeding time and to compensate for this he pecked at a faster rate than his mate. These sex differences are explicable in terms of earlier differences during incubation. The adoption of unrelated goslings was observed and the implications of the phenomenon are discussed. For individuals in non-breeding groups the time spent extreme head up declined as group size increased. The functional significance of this finding is discussed and it is concluded that in sitting groups extreme head up is probably used to scan for predators.

scholarly journals Burrow usage patterns and decision-making in meerkat groups

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin ◽  
Tim Clutton-Brock ◽  
Marta B Manser
Keyword(s):  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Foraging Success ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Daily Group ◽  
Suricata Suricatta ◽  
Dominant Female ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
Site Use ◽  
Usage Patterns ◽  
Sleeping Sites

Abstract Choosing suitable sleeping sites is a common challenge faced by animals across a range of taxa, with important implications for the space usage patterns of individuals, groups, and ultimately populations. A range of factors may affect these decisions, including access to resources nearby, shelter from the elements, safety from predators, territorial defense, and protection of offspring. We investigated the factors driving patterns of sleeping site use in wild Kalahari meerkats (Suricata suricatta), a cooperatively breeding, territorial mongoose species that forages on scattered resources and makes use of multiple sleeping sites (burrows). We found that meerkat groups used some burrows much more often than others. In particular, large burrows near the center of the territory were used more often than small and peripheral burrows, and groups became even more biased toward central burrows when rearing pups. Meerkats also used their sleeping burrows in a nonrandom order. When they changed sleeping burrows, they moved disproportionately to nearby burrows but did not always select the closest burrow. Burrow decisions also reflected responses to short-term conditions: rates of switching burrows increased after encounters with predators and when resources were depleted, whereas group splits were associated with a reduced probability of switching. The group’s dominant female appeared to have disproportionate influence over burrow decisions, as groups were more likely to switch burrows when her foraging success was low. Our results link behavioral and movement ecology to show that a multitude of environmental and social factors shape daily group decisions of where to spend the night.

scholarly journals Intergroup aggression in meerkats

2019 ◽  
Vol 286 (1917) ◽  
pp. 20191993 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark Dyble ◽  
Thomas M. Houslay ◽  
Marta B. Manser ◽  
Tim Clutton-Brock
Keyword(s):  
Genetic Relatedness ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Lethal Violence ◽  
Suricata Suricatta ◽  
Group Cooperation ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
Adult Sex Ratio ◽  
Violent Conflicts ◽  
Large Groups

Violent conflicts between groups have been observed among many species of group living mammals and can have important fitness consequences, with individuals being injured or killed and with losing groups surrendering territory. Here, we explore between-group conflict among meerkats ( Suricata suricatta ), a highly social and cooperatively breeding mongoose. We show that interactions between meerkat groups are frequently aggressive and sometimes escalate to fighting and lethal violence and that these interactions have consequences for group territories, with losing groups moving to sleeping burrows closer to the centre of their territories following an intergroup interaction and with winning groups moving further away. We find that larger groups and groups with pups are significantly more likely to win contests, but that the location of the contest, adult sex ratio, and mean within-group genetic relatedness do not predict contest outcome. Our results suggest that intergroup competition may be a major selective force among meerkats, reinforcing the success of large groups and increasing the vulnerability of small groups to extinction. The presence of both within-group cooperation and between-group hostility in meerkats make them a valuable point of comparison in attempts to understand the ecological and evolutionary roots of human warfare.

Sex differences in parental care

2012 ◽  
pp. 101-116 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hanna Kokko ◽  
Michael D. Jennions
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Parental Care

Group Size and Feeding Rate in Bluegills

Copeia ◽  
1984 ◽  
Vol 1984 (4) ◽  
pp. 998 ◽  
Author(s):  
Gary Mittelbach
Keyword(s):  
Group Size ◽  
Feeding Rate

Sex Differences in Undershoot with Extended Exposure Time in the Rod-and-Frame Test

1974 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 543-546 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Hayes ◽  
P. H. Venables
Keyword(s):  
Sex Differences ◽  
Exposure Time ◽  
Significant Interaction ◽  
Time Effect ◽  
Time Condition ◽  
Sensitive Measure ◽  
Significant Impairment ◽  
Extended Exposure ◽  
Rod And Frame Test ◽  
Rod And Frame

In 11 male and 11 female Ss increased exposure time in the RFT gave a significant impairment in performance, as measured in absolute mean error ( p < .001), establishing that the exposure-time effect reported by the same authors in 26 female Ss also applies to males. When sign of error was taken into account, undershoot in the long exposure time condition was significantly greater than overshoot ( p < .001) and a significant interaction between sex and undershoot-overshoot was demonstrated ( p < .05). Use of long exposures gives a more sensitive measure of sex differences in premature reporting of upright in the RFT.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document