scholarly journals Social-bond strength influences vocally mediated recruitment to mobbing

2016 ◽  
Vol 12 (11) ◽  
pp. 20160648 ◽  
Author(s):  
Julie M. Kern ◽  
Andrew N. Radford
Keyword(s):  
Bond Strength ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Social Bond ◽  
Playback Experiments ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Fitness Benefits ◽  
Mobbing Behaviour

Strong social bonds form between individuals in many group-living species, and these relationships can have important fitness benefits. When responding to vocalizations produced by groupmates, receivers are expected to adjust their behaviour depending on the nature of the bond they share with the signaller. Here we investigate whether the strength of the signaller–receiver social bond affects response to calls that attract others to help mob a predator. Using field-based playback experiments on a habituated population of wild dwarf mongooses ( Helogale parvula ), we first demonstrate that a particular vocalization given on detecting predatory snakes does act as a recruitment call; receivers were more likely to look, approach and engage in mobbing behaviour than in response to control close calls. We then show that individuals respond more strongly to these recruitment calls if they are from groupmates with whom they are more strongly bonded (those with whom they preferentially groom and forage). Our study, therefore, provides novel evidence about the anti-predator benefits of close bonds within social groups.

scholarly journals Bonobo personality predicts friendship

2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Jonas Verspeek ◽  
Nicky Staes ◽  
Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen ◽  
Marcel Eens ◽  
Jeroen M. G. Stevens
Keyword(s):  
Bond Strength ◽  
Relationship Quality ◽  
Social Bond ◽  
Dyadic Relationship ◽  
Closely Related Species ◽  
Future Studies ◽  
Adult Sons ◽  
Fitness Benefits ◽  
Personality Similarity

AbstractIn bonobos, strong bonds have been documented between unrelated females and between mothers and their adult sons, which can have important fitness benefits. Often age, sex or kinship similarity have been used to explain social bond strength variation. Recent studies in other species also stress the importance of personality, but this relationship remains to be investigated in bonobos. We used behavioral observations on 39 adult and adolescent bonobos housed in 5 European zoos to study the role of personality similarity in dyadic relationship quality. Dimension reduction analyses on individual and dyadic behavioral scores revealed multidimensional personality (Sociability, Openness, Boldness, Activity) and relationship quality components (value, compatibility). We show that, aside from relatedness and sex combination of the dyad, relationship quality is also associated with personality similarity of both partners. While similarity in Sociability resulted in higher relationship values, lower relationship compatibility was found between bonobos with similar Activity scores. The results of this study expand our understanding of the mechanisms underlying social bond formation in anthropoid apes. In addition, we suggest that future studies in closely related species like chimpanzees should implement identical methods for assessing bond strength to shed further light on the evolution of this phenomenon.

scholarly journals Higher sociability leads to lower reproductive success in female kangaroos

2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (8) ◽  
pp. 200950
Author(s):  
C. S. Menz ◽  
A. J. Carter ◽  
E. C. Best ◽  
N. J. Freeman ◽  
R. G. Dwyer ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Wild Population ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Fitness Consequences ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Complex Forms ◽  
First Time

In social mammals, social integration is generally assumed to improve females' reproductive success. Most species demonstrating this relationship exhibit complex forms of social bonds and interactions. However, female eastern grey kangaroos ( Macropus giganteus ) exhibit differentiated social relationships, yet do not appear to cooperate directly. It is unclear what the fitness consequences of such sociability could be in species that do not exhibit obvious forms of cooperation. Using 4 years of life history, spatial and social data from a wild population of approximately 200 individually recognizable female eastern grey kangaroos, we tested whether higher levels of sociability are associated with greater reproductive success. Contrary to expectations, we found that the size of a female's social network, her numbers of preferential associations with other females and her group sizes all negatively influenced her reproductive success. These factors influenced the survival of dependent young that had left the pouch rather than those that were still in the pouch. We also show that primiparous females (first-time breeders) were less likely to have surviving young. Our findings suggest that social bonds are not always beneficial for reproductive success in group-living species, and that female kangaroos may experience trade-offs between successfully rearing young and maintaining affiliative relationships.

Affiliations, aggressions and an adoption: Male–male relationships in wild bonobos

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Surbeck ◽  
Gottfried Hohmann
Keyword(s):  
Close Relationships ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Mate Competition ◽  
Male Group ◽  
Cooperative Hunting ◽  
Sexual Behaviours ◽  
Study Population ◽  
Living Species ◽  
The Way

The nature of the relationships between males is a characteristic trait of many multi-male group living species with implications for the individuals. In our study population of bonobos, certain male dyads exhibit clear preferences for ranging in the same party and sitting in proximity. These preferences are not reflected in the frequency of aggression towards each other and only to some extent in their affiliative and socio-sexual behaviours. While bonobo males at LuiKotale clearly do not benefit from close relationships in the way chimpanzee males do (cooperative hunting, territorial patrol, mate competition), some relationships might result from close associations between their mothers. In some particular situations, these male relationships can be very important as in the case of an orphan adopted by his older maternal brother. La nature des relations entre mâles est un trait caractéristique de plusieurs groupes qui ont plusieurs mâles, avec des implications au niveau d’individus. Dans notre étude des populations de bonobos, certains dyades mâles montrent une préférence à aller dans le même groupe et s’asseoir proche l’un de l’autre. Cette préférence n’est pas reflétée dans la fréquence d’agression entre eux et est seulement lié, à degrés, à leur comportements socio-sexuels et d’appartenance. Tandis que les mâles bonobos à LuiKotale ne profitent pas de leur fortes relations comme les chimpanzés mâles (chasse coopérative, patrouille territoriale, compétition pour compagnon), ils peuvent aider leur partenaires à supporter le stress de la vie en groupe et peuvent en conséquence contribuer au bien-être des individus. Quelques proches associations entre les mâles peuvent provenir d’associations entre leurs mères. Dans quelques situations particulières, ces relations mâles prouvent leur importance comme dans le cas d’un orphelin adopté par son grand frère maternel.

Social ethology of the wolverine

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Copeland ◽  
Arild Landa ◽  
Kimberly Heinemeyer ◽  
Keith B. Aubry ◽  
Jiska van Dijk ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Organization ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Resource Availability ◽  
Social Behaviour ◽  
Social System ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Field Studies ◽  
Ecological Framework ◽  
The Social ◽  
Living Species

Social behaviour in solitary carnivores has long been an active area of investigation but for many species remains largely founded in conjecture compared to our understanding of sociality in group-living species. The social organization of the wolverine has, until now, received little attention beyond its portrayal as a typical mustelid social system. In this chapter the authors compile observations of social interactions from multiple wolverine field studies, which are integrated into an ecological framework. An ethological model for the wolverine is proposed that reveals an intricate social organization, which is driven by variable resource availability within extremely large territories and supports social behaviour that underpins offspring development.

scholarly journals A test of male infanticide as a reproductive tactic in a cichlid fish

2017 ◽  
Vol 4 (3) ◽  
pp. 160891 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shagun Jindal ◽  
Aneesh P. H. Bose ◽  
Constance M. O'Connor ◽  
Sigal Balshine
Keyword(s):  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Laboratory Setting ◽  
Dominant Position ◽  
Egg Cannibalism ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
Dominant Individual ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Reproductive Tactic ◽  
Relative Body Size

Infanticide and offspring cannibalism are taxonomically widespread phenomena. In some group-living species, a new dominant individual taking over a group can benefit from infanticide if doing so induces potential mates to become reproductively available sooner. Despite widespread observations of infanticide (i.e. egg cannibalism) among fishes, no study has investigated whether egg cannibalism occurs in fishes as a result of group takeovers, or how this type of cannibalism might be adaptive. Using the cooperatively breeding cichlid, Neolamprologus pulcher , we tested whether new unrelated males entering the dominant position in a social group were more likely to cannibalize eggs, and whether such cannibalism would shorten the interval until the female's next spawning. Females spawned again sooner if their broods were removed than if they were cared for. Egg cannibalism occurred frequently after a group takeover event, and was rarer if the original male remained with the group. While dominant breeder females were initially highly aggressive towards newcomer males that took over the group, the degree of resistance depended on relative body size differences between the new pair and, ultimately, female aggression did not prevent egg cannibalism. Egg cannibalism, however, did not shorten the duration until subsequent spawning, or increase fecundity during subsequent breeding in our laboratory setting. Our results show that infanticide as mediated through group takeovers is a taxonomically widespread behaviour.

scholarly journals Følelser og sociale bånd i Akademia

2006 ◽  
Vol 13 (4) ◽  
pp. 43-60
Author(s):  
Charlotte Bloch
Keyword(s):  
Social Relations ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Interview Study ◽  
Academic Life ◽  
Social Bond ◽  
Emotional Culture ◽  
Collective Creativity ◽  
The Social ◽  
Emotional Dimensions

Charlotte Bloch: Emotions and Social Bonds in Academia The purpose of this article is to expand our understanding of social relations in academia by examining the role that the emotional dimensions of these social relations play in academic life. It is based on the results of an interview study of emotions and emotional culture among people in various scholarly positions in academia. The article makes analytical distinctions between the structural conditions of emotions, the emotional culture of academia, lived or felt emotions and the management of emotions. And it identifies different ways of managing the emotions of uncertainty, shame, anger, pride and laughter. These feelings emerge from the structural conditions of the social relations in academic life, and the tacit rules of feeling in academic life define how these feelings are managed. Life in academia presupposes a certain amount of feeling labour and management of feelings. Thomas Scheff’s theory about emotions and social bonds is employed to identify what this management of feelings means for social relations in academia. Bonds in academia are stable and fluctuate between solidarity, isolation and engulfment, but primarily the last two. Loneliness, group conformity, absence of real cooperation, and weakening of individual and collective creativity are some of the consequences of this kind of social bond.

scholarly journals Social fluidity mobilizes contagion in human and animal populations

eLife ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ewan Colman ◽  
Vittoria Colizza ◽  
Ephraim M Hanks ◽  
David P Hughes ◽  
Shweta Bansal
Keyword(s):  
Social Bonds ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Basic Reproductive Number ◽  
Reproductive Number ◽  
Frequency Dependent ◽  
Density Dependent ◽  
Gregarious Behavior ◽  
Animal Populations ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Social Fluidity

Humans and other group-living animals tend to distribute their social effort disproportionately. Individuals predominantly interact with a small number of close companions while maintaining weaker social bonds with less familiar group members. By incorporating this behavior into a mathematical model, we find that a single parameter, which we refer to as social fluidity, controls the rate of social mixing within the group. Large values of social fluidity correspond to gregarious behavior, whereas small values signify the existence of persistent bonds between individuals. We compare the social fluidity of 13 species by applying the model to empirical human and animal social interaction data. To investigate how social behavior influences the likelihood of an epidemic outbreak, we derive an analytical expression of the relationship between social fluidity and the basic reproductive number of an infectious disease. For species that form more stable social bonds, the model describes frequency-dependent transmission that is sensitive to changes in social fluidity. As social fluidity increases, animal-disease systems become increasingly density-dependent. Finally, we demonstrate that social fluidity is a stronger predictor of disease outcomes than both group size and connectivity, and it provides an integrated framework for both density-dependent and frequency-dependent transmission.

scholarly journals The dawn of social bonds: what is the role of shared experiences in non-human animals?

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (7) ◽  
pp. 20200201
Author(s):  
Laura Busia ◽  
Matteo Griggio
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationship ◽  
Social Bonds ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Vertebrate Species ◽  
Human Species ◽  
Evolutionary Mechanisms ◽  
Shared Experiences ◽  
High Predation ◽  
Shed Light

Group-living animals can develop social bonds. Social bonds can be considered a type of social relationship characterized by frequent and consistent affiliative (non-reproductive) interactions. Social bonds with conspecifics bring many advantages, also in terms of direct fitness. A characteristic of social bonds is that they need time to develop. Several studies on humans have emphasized the fact that sharing experiences can affect the strength of social bonds. A similar trend can be spotted in non-human species. For example, a recent experiment showed that if chimpanzees watched a video together with a conspecific, they spent more time in proximity compared to conspecifics with whom they did not actively watch a video. Another experiment on fish showed that individuals who experienced a situation of high predation risk together, showed preference for each other compared to those who did not. As the link between shared experiences and social bonds is not explicitly recognized in non-human animals, the main goal of this work is to propose the exploration of this novel research path. This exploration would contribute to shed light on the evolutionary mechanisms of social bond (or friendship) development and maintenance between individuals in different vertebrate species, from fish to non-human primates.

scholarly journals Defense against outside competition is linked to cooperation in male–male partnerships

2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (2) ◽  
pp. 432-439
Author(s):  
Jennifer K Hellmann ◽  
Kelly A Stiver ◽  
Susan Marsh-Rollo ◽  
Suzanne H Alonzo
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Success ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Dominant Male ◽  
Spawning Activity ◽  
Conflict And Cooperation ◽  
Behavioral Dynamics ◽  
Sexually Selected Traits ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Selected Traits

Abstract Male–male competition is a well-known driver of reproductive success and sexually selected traits in many species. However, in some species, males work together to court females or defend territories against male competitors. Dominant (nesting) males sire most offspring, but subordinate (satellite) males are better able to obtain fertilizations relative to unpartnered males. Because satellites only gain reproductive success by sneaking, there has been much interest in identifying the mechanisms enforcing satellite cooperation (defense) and reducing satellite sneaking. One such potential mechanism is outside competition: unpartnered satellites can destabilize established male partnerships and may force partnered satellites to restrain from cheating to prevent the dominant male from replacing them with an unpartnered satellite. Here, we manipulated perceived competition in the Mediterranean fish Symphodus ocellatus by presenting an “intruding” satellite male to established nesting and satellite male pairs. Focal satellite aggression to the intruder was higher when focal satellites were less cooperative, suggesting that satellites increase aggression to outside competitors when their social position is less stable. In contrast, nesting male aggression to the intruder satellite increased as spawning activity increased, suggesting that nesting males increase their defense toward outside competitors when their current relationship is productive. We found no evidence of altered spawning activity or nesting/satellite male interactions before and after the presentation. These results collectively suggest that response to outside competition is directly linked to behavioral dynamics between unrelated male partners and may be linked to conflict and cooperation in ways that are similar to group-living species.

Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document