scholarly journals Locomotor compromises maintain group cohesion in baboon troops on the move

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roi Harel ◽  
J. Carter Loftus ◽  
Margaret C. Crofoot
Keyword(s):  
Collective Behavior ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Shared Decision ◽  
Collective Movement ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Locomotor Capacity

AbstractWhen members of a group differ in locomotor capacity, coordinating collective movement poses a challenge: some individuals may have to move faster (or slower) than their preferred speed to remain together. Such compromises have energetic repercussions yet research in collective behavior has largely neglected locomotor consensus costs. Here we integrate high-resolution tracking of wild baboon locomotion and movement with simulations to demonstrate that size-based variation in locomotor capacity poses an obstacle to collective movement. While all baboons modulate their gait and move-pause dynamics during collective movement, the costs of maintaining cohesion are disproportionately borne by smaller group members. Although consensus costs are not distributed equally, all group-mates do make locomotor compromises, suggesting a shared decision-making process drives the pace of collective movement in this highly despotic species. These results highlight the importance of considering how social dynamics and locomotor capacity interact to shape the movement ecology of group-living species.

scholarly journals Locomotor compromises maintain group cohesion in baboon troops on the move

2021 ◽  
Vol 288 (1955) ◽  
pp. 20210839
Author(s):  
Roi Harel ◽  
J. Carter Loftus ◽  
Margaret C. Crofoot
Keyword(s):  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Group Cohesion ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Shared Decision ◽  
Collective Movement ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Locomotor Capacity

When members of a group differ in locomotor capacity, coordinating collective movement poses a challenge: some individuals may have to move faster (or slower) than their preferred speed to remain together. Such compromises have energetic repercussions, yet research in collective behaviour has largely neglected locomotor consensus costs. Here, we integrate high-resolution tracking of wild baboon locomotion and movement with simulations to demonstrate that size-based variation in locomotor capacity poses an obstacle to the collective movement. While all baboons modulate their gait and move-pause dynamics during collective movement, the costs of maintaining cohesion are disproportionately borne by smaller group members. Although consensus costs are not distributed equally, all group-mates do make locomotor compromises, suggesting a shared decision-making process drives the pace of collective movement in this highly despotic species. These results highlight the importance of considering how social dynamics and locomotor capacity interact to shape the movement ecology of group-living species.

White-winged vampire bats (Diaemus youngi) exchange contact calls

2009 ◽  
Vol 87 (7) ◽  
pp. 604-608 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. G. Carter ◽  
M. B. Fenton ◽  
P. A. Faure
Keyword(s):  
Group Living ◽  
Social Contact ◽  
Social Calls ◽  
Equal Distance ◽  
Antiphonal Calling ◽  
Vampire Bats ◽  
Contact Calls ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Vampire Bat

Temporally precise vocal exchanges, termed “antiphonal calling”, might allow pair or group members to maintain social contact with greater efficiency than when calling independently. The white-winged vampire bat ( Diaemus youngi (Jentink, 1893)) is a group-living species that produces social calls in antiphonal exchanges. Because white-winged vampire bats can use social calls to discriminate conspecifics, we suspect that one function of these vocal exchanges is to allow group members to know who is where. Here, we tested the prediction that antiphonal calling by groups of white-winged vampire bats increases when the spatial positions of conspecifics change. We recorded social calls from groups of four individually caged bats in total darkness, with each bat located in the corner of a 4 m × 4 m room. During test trials, we shifted the spatial positions of caged bats to new positions. During control trials, caged bats were displaced an equal distance but were returned to their original positions. We found that both the number of social calls and the proportion of antiphonal exchanges were greater during test trials than during control trials. These results suggest that white-winged vampire bats use antiphonal exchanges of social calls to monitor the spatial positions of conspecifics.

Chemical cues and group association preferences in a subsocial cockroach, Panesthia australis

2009 ◽  
Vol 57 (6) ◽  
pp. 385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zacariah D. Billingham ◽  
David G. Chapple ◽  
Paul Sunnucks ◽  
Bob B. M. Wong
Keyword(s):  
Chemical Cues ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Social Recognition ◽  
Restricted Gene Flow ◽  
Diverse Range ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Wood Boring

An ability to recognise and discriminate between group and non-group members is essential for most group-living species. Several different sensory modalities may be utilised for social recognition, the most notable of which is olfaction. Among insects, members of the order Blattodea (cockroaches, termites) exhibit a diverse range of social systems and provide an excellent model for examining the role of chemical communication in group discrimination. We experimentally tested the importance of chemical cues in the association preferences of the subsocial Australian wood-boring cockroach, Panesthia australis. Using a series of dichotomous choice trials, we found that individuals preferred conspecific odour cues over those of an unscented peatmoss control. We then gave cockroaches a choice between the odour cues of cockroaches from different logs, and found that they did not exhibit a preference for the cues of individuals from their own log versus those from different logs within the same locality. However, cockroaches exhibited a strong preference for cues taken from individuals from a geographically distant population. Our findings suggest that P. australis engages in group discrimination, and that patterns of association may reflect an underlying preference for unfamiliar and/or genetically dissimilar individuals in a species encumbered by restricted gene flow.

scholarly journals Submission signals in animal groups

Behaviour ◽  
2021 ◽  
pp. 1-20
Author(s):  
Adam R. Reddon ◽  
Tommaso Ruberto ◽  
Simon M. Reader
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Evolution ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Conflict Avoidance ◽  
Crucial Aspect ◽  
Social Animals ◽  
Mutual Interest ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Animal Societies

Abstract Aggression is costly, and animals have evolved tactics to mitigate these costs. Submission signals are an underappreciated example of such adaptations. Here we review submissive behaviour, with an emphasis on non-primates. We highlight the design of submission signals and how such signals can reduce costs. Animal societies necessitate frequent social interactions, which can increase the probability of conflict. Where maintaining group proximity is essential, animals cannot avoid aggression by fleeing. Mutual interest between group members may also select for efficient conflict avoidance and resolution mechanisms. As a result, submission signals may be especially well developed among group living species, helping social animals to overcome potential costs of recurring conflict that could otherwise counter the benefits of group living. Therefore, submission signalling can be a crucial aspect of social living and is deserving of specific attention within the broader context of social evolution and communication.

scholarly journals Spontaneous abortion as a response to reproductive conflict in the banded mongoose

2019 ◽  
Vol 15 (12) ◽  
pp. 20190529
Author(s):  
E. Inzani ◽  
H. H. Marshall ◽  
F. J. Thompson ◽  
G. Kalema-Zikusoka ◽  
M. A. Cant ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Spontaneous Abortion ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Reproductive Competition ◽  
Reproductive Conflict ◽  
Future Fertility ◽  
Banded Mongoose ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Term Data

When breeding females compete for limited resources, the intensity of this reproductive conflict can determine whether the fitness benefits of current reproductive effort exceed the potential costs to survival and future fertility. In group-living species, reproductive competition can occur through post-natal competition among the offspring of co-breeding females. Spontaneous abortion could be a response to such competition, allowing females to curtail reproductive expenditure on offspring that are unlikely to survive and to conserve resources for future breeding opportunities. We tested this hypothesis using long-term data on banded mongooses, Mungos mungo , in which multiple females within a group give birth synchronously to a communal litter that is cared for by other group members. As predicted, abortions were more likely during dry periods when food is scarce, and in breeding attempts with more intense reproductive competition. Within breeding events, younger, lighter females carrying smaller fetuses were more likely to abort, particularly those that were also of lower rank. Our results suggest that abortion may be a means by which disadvantaged females conserve resources for future breeding attempts in more benign conditions, and highlight that female reproductive competition may be resolved long before the production of offspring.

scholarly journals The effect of boldness on decision-making in barnacle geese is group-size-dependent

2010 ◽  
Vol 278 (1714) ◽  
pp. 2018-2024 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf H. J. M. Kurvers ◽  
Vena M. A. P. Adamczyk ◽  
Sipke E. van Wieren ◽  
Herbert H. T. Prins
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Group Size ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Decision Making Process ◽  
Central Question ◽  
Size Dependent ◽  
Collective Decisions ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Barnacle Geese

In group-living species, decisions made by individuals may result in collective behaviours. A central question in understanding collective behaviours is how individual variation in phenotype affects collective behaviours. However, how the personality of individuals affects collective decisions in groups remains poorly understood. Here, we investigated the role of boldness on the decision-making process in different-sized groups of barnacle geese. Naive barnacle geese, differing in boldness score, were introduced in a labyrinth in groups with either one or three informed demonstrators. The demonstrators possessed information about the route through the labyrinth. In pairs, the probability of choosing a route prior to the informed demonstrator increased with increasing boldness score: bolder individuals decided more often for themselves where to go compared with shyer individuals, whereas shyer individuals waited more often for the demonstrators to decide and followed this information. In groups of four individuals, however, there was no effect of boldness on decision-making, suggesting that individual differences were less important with increasing group size. Our experimental results show that personality is important in collective decisions in pairs of barnacle geese, and suggest that bolder individuals have a greater influence over the outcome of decisions in groups.

scholarly journals Inferring influence and leadership in moving animal groups

2018 ◽  
Vol 373 (1746) ◽  
pp. 20170006 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin ◽  
Danai Papageorgiou ◽  
Margaret C. Crofoot ◽  
Damien R. Farine
Keyword(s):  
Decision Making ◽  
Empirical Studies ◽  
Behavioural Change ◽  
Movement Ecology ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Animal Groups ◽  
Information Theoretic ◽  
Collective Movement ◽  
Total Influence

Collective decision-making is a daily occurrence in the lives of many group-living animals, and can have critical consequences for the fitness of individuals. Understanding how decisions are reached, including who has influence and the mechanisms by which information and preferences are integrated, has posed a fundamental challenge. Here, we provide a methodological framework for studying influence and leadership in groups. We propose that individuals have influence if their actions result in some behavioural change among their group-mates, and are leaders if they consistently influence others. We highlight three components of influence (influence instances, total influence and consistency of influence), which can be assessed at two levels (individual-to-individual and individual-to-group). We then review different methods, ranging from individual positioning within groups to information-theoretic approaches, by which influence has been operationally defined in empirical studies, as well as how such observations can be aggregated to give insight into the underlying decision-making process. We focus on the domain of collective movement, with a particular emphasis on methods that have recently been, or are being, developed to take advantage of simultaneous tracking data. We aim to provide a resource bringing together methodological tools currently available for studying leadership in moving animal groups, as well as to discuss the limitations of current methodologies and suggest productive avenues for future research. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Collective movement ecology’.

scholarly journals Changing of the guard: mixed specialization and flexibility in nest defense (Tetragonisca angustula)

2019 ◽  
Vol 30 (4) ◽  
pp. 1041-1049 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kaitlin M Baudier ◽  
Madeleine M Ostwald ◽  
Christoph Grüter ◽  
Francisca H I D Segers ◽  
David W Roubik ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Collective Behavior ◽  
Behavioral Flexibility ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Nest Defense ◽  
Age Polyethism ◽  
Initial State ◽  
Tetragonisca Angustula ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Defense ◽  
Short Time

Abstract Task allocation is a central challenge of collective behavior in a variety of group-living species, and this is particularly the case for the allocation of social insect workers for group defense. In social insects, both benefits and considerable costs are associated with the production of specialized soldiers. We asked whether colonies mitigate costs of production of specialized soldiers by simultaneously employing behavioral flexibility in nonspecialist workers that can augment defense capabilities at short time scales. We studied colonies of the stingless bee Tetragonisca angustula, a species that has 2 discrete nest-guarding tasks typically performed by majors: hovering guarding and standing guarding. Majors showed age polyethism across nest-guarding tasks, first hovering and then changing to the task of standing guarding after 1 week. Colonies were also able to reassign minors to guarding tasks when majors were experimentally removed. Replacement guards persisted in nest defense tasks until colonies produced enough majors to return to their initial state. Tetragonisca angustula colonies thus employed a coordinated set of specialization strategies in nest defense: morphologically specialized soldiers, age polyethism among soldiers within specific guarding tasks, and rapid flexible reallocation of nonspecialists to guarding during soldier loss. This mixed strategy achieves the benefits of a highly specialized defensive force while maintaining the potential for rapid reinforcement when soldiers are lost or colonies face unexpectedly intense attack.

scholarly journals Within-group behavioural consequences of between-group conflict: a prospective review

2016 ◽  
Vol 283 (1843) ◽  
pp. 20161567 ◽  
Author(s):  
Andrew N. Radford ◽  
Bonaventura Majolo ◽  
Filippo Aureli
Keyword(s):  
Group Living ◽  
Extensive Literature ◽  
Group Conflict ◽  
Group Behaviour ◽  
Post Conflict ◽  
Outcome Group ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Experimental Approaches

Conflict is rife in group-living species and exerts a powerful selective force. Group members face a variety of threats from extra-group conspecifics, from individuals looking for reproductive opportunities to rival groups seeking resources. Theory predicts that such between-group conflict should influence within-group behaviour. However, compared with the extensive literature on the consequences of within-group conflict, relatively little research has considered the behavioural impacts of between-group conflict. We give an overview of why between-group conflict is expected to influence subsequent behaviour among group members. We then use what is known about the consequences of within-group conflict to generate testable predictions about how between-group conflict might affect within-group behaviour in the aftermath. We consider the types of behaviour that could change and how the role of different group members in the conflict can exert an influence. Furthermore, we discuss how conflict characteristics and outcome, group size, social structure and within-group relationship quality might modulate post-conflict behavioural changes. Finally, we propose the need for consistent definitions, a broader range of examined behaviours and taxa, individual-focused data collection, complementary observational and experimental approaches, and a consideration of lasting effects if we are to understand fully the significant influence of between-group conflict on social behaviour.

scholarly journals Social monitoring via close calls in meerkats

2013 ◽  
Vol 280 (1765) ◽  
pp. 20131013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephan A. Reber ◽  
Simon W. Townsend ◽  
Marta B. Manser
Keyword(s):  
Group Living ◽  
Common Mechanism ◽  
Suricata Suricatta ◽  
Social Monitoring ◽  
Current State ◽  
Dominant Female ◽  
Cooperatively Breeding ◽  
Living Species ◽  
Group Members ◽  
And Control

Social monitoring of the actions of group members is thought to be a key development associated with group living. Humans constantly monitor the behaviour of others and respond to them in a flexible way depending on past interactions and the current social context. While other primates have also been reported to change their behaviour towards other group members flexibly based on the current state of their relationship, empirical evidence is typically linked to contextually specific events such as aggressive or reproductive interactions. In the cooperatively breeding meerkat ( Suricata suricatta ), we investigated whether subordinate females use frequently emitted, non-agonistic close calls to monitor the location of the dominant female and whether they subsequently adjust their response based on recent social interactions during conflict and non-conflict periods. Subjects discriminated between the close calls of the dominant female and control playbacks, responding by approaching the loudspeaker and displaying submissive behaviour only if they were currently threatened by eviction. Our results suggest that meerkats assess the risk for aggressive interactions with close associates depending on social circumstances, and respond accordingly. We argue that social monitoring based on non-agonistic cues is probably a common mechanism in group-living species that allows the adjustment of behaviour depending on variation in relationships.

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