scholarly journals Cultural flies: Conformist social learning in fruitflies predicts long-lasting mate-choice traditions

Science ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 362 (6418) ◽  
pp. 1025-1030 ◽  
Author(s):  
Etienne Danchin ◽  
Sabine Nöbel ◽  
Arnaud Pocheville ◽  
Anne-Cecile Dagaeff ◽  
Léa Demay ◽  
...  

Despite theoretical justification for the evolution of animal culture, empirical evidence for it beyond mammals and birds remains scant, and we still know little about the process of cultural inheritance. In this study, we propose a mechanism-driven definition of animal culture and test it in the fruitfly. We found that fruitflies have five cognitive capacities that enable them to transmit mating preferences culturally across generations, potentially fostering persistent traditions (the main marker of culture) in mating preference. A transmission chain experiment validates a model of the emergence of local traditions, indicating that such social transmission may lead initially neutral traits to become adaptive, hence strongly selecting for copying and conformity. Although this situation was suggested decades ago, it previously had little empirical support.

Behaviour ◽  
1999 ◽  
Vol 136 (4) ◽  
pp. 411-421 ◽  
Author(s):  
Robert Brooks

AbstractRecent evidence shows that females of many species may copy the mate choice of other females, potentially resulting in the cultural inheritance of mating preferences. The best evidence of mate choice copying has been obtained from studies on guppies, but studies on some guppy populations have failed to find evidence of copying. I report on an experiment in which I found no evidence of mate choice copying in a feral Australian population, either in a traditional 'dichotomous choice tank' design or when females had an opportunity to swim and interact freely with the males. Instead, I found that females tended to avoid the side of the tank on which they had seen a male courting a female. This may not be a mate choice strategy, but possibly a predator avoidance or foraging strategy.


Author(s):  
Alexandre Courtiol ◽  
Michel Raymond ◽  
Bernard Godelle ◽  
Jean-Baptiste Ferdy

2019 ◽  
Vol 74 (1) ◽  
pp. 54-60
Author(s):  
Evgeny D. Savilov ◽  
Svetlana N. Shugaeva ◽  
Nikolaj I. Briko ◽  
Sergey I. Kolesnikov

This article presents the analysis of current scientific understanding of the term «risk» along with theoretical justification of its use in epidemiological studies. Epidemiology commonly uses definitions such as «risk factor», «group of risk», «risk area», and «risk period». However, these definitions were useful only for specific groups or nosoligical infectious diseases. In Noninfectious Pathology the terms had been used exclusively in the applied studies. There is a lack of publications which compile theoretical basics of such fundamental term category. The authors suggest a definition of epidemiologic «risk» which can be used in the epidemiology of both infectious and noninfectious diseases. It is a probability of negative influence on illness (and/or its impact) of specific groups of general population which is defined by external and/or internal factors in specific times and territories. The authors differentiate types of risk and their evaluation measures into categories for used in applied studies of epidemiology. The relationships and the unity of the basic categories of the epidemiologic risk are discussed. The authors conclude that riskology is the main branch of epidemiology and the category of «risk» is the basic paradigm of this science.


Author(s):  
Viktoriia Rudenko ◽  

The necessity and advantages of using the methodology in conducting financial research in modern conditions, in particular regarding the functioning of the fiscal mechanism for regulating investment processes, are determined. It is established that the methodology is considered by scientists in two approaches: 1) as a doctrine of research methods, which is inextricably linked with philosophical science; 2) as a set of research methods used in any science. The etymology of the concept of “methodology” is considered and approaches to the interpretation of its content are critically comprehended. It is substantiated that the structure of the research methodology, in particular the fiscal mechanism of regulation of investment processes, covers three aspects: functional, logical and process. The functional aspect of the research methodology is determined, which covers its consideration as a set of principles and methods aimed at achieving a specific practical or theoretical goal of research work. The logical aspect of research methodology is highlighted, which contains its understanding as a set of forms of organization of research work. The process aspect of research methodology is determined, which implies its interpretation as a series of successive stages aimed at achieving a certain practical or theoretical result of research work. Based on the study of reference and scientific literature, the author's definition of research methodology of the fiscal mechanism for regulating investment processes is proposed as a specific doctrine, which covers a set of principles, methods, forms and sequential stages of research (cognitive) activity, used to identify scientific facts, their theoretical justification and practical implementation. The functions of research methodology of the fiscal mechanism for regulating investment processes is established. The functions of research methodology of the fiscal mechanism for regulating investment processes are established. The factors of successful application of the methodology as “art” in the study of the fiscal mechanism for regulating investment processes are considered.


Author(s):  
William Hoppitt ◽  
Kevin N. Laland

This chapter provides a brief historical background to social learning research. The history of research into social learning and imitation dates back to Aristotle, who explicitly made the claim that animals acquire behavior through imitation and other forms of social learning. Aristotle was particularly impressed with the human imitative tendency. The three insights made in the fourth century BC—that humans are uncharacteristically reliant on imitative learning compared to other animals, that young children in particular acquire important aspects of their behavioral repertoire through copying, and that imitation appears intrinsically rewarding to children—are remarkably relevant to contemporary social learning research. The chapter examines how investigations of social learning have been central to research into the evolution of mind, the mechanisms of social learning, animal culture, the diffusion of innovations, child development, and cultural evolution.


Author(s):  
Gil G. Rosenthal

This chapter focuses on social interactions, in the broadest sense, as sources of variation in mate choice and mating preferences. These interactions can be divided into three categories corresponding to when they are specified and which individuals are involved. The first includes effects that are determined before birth and transmitted vertically from parents: epigenetic modifications to the genome and the fetal or embryonic environment. The second includes influences between birth and sexual maturity, when the phenotypes of parents and/or other sexually mature, older individuals (oblique transmission) direct the development of preferences in choosers. Experience with courters and choosers after sexual maturity, or experience with other juveniles that shapes subsequent preferences, constitutes peer (horizontal) transmission.


Author(s):  
Gil G. Rosenthal

This chapter provides an overview of variation in mating preferences, focusing on the repeatability of mate choice. Variation in mate choice and mating preferences can arise from differences within and between individuals in any of the mechanisms used to sense, perceive, and evaluate courter signals before, during, and after mating, and in the mechanisms they use to sample and choose among mates. Preferences frequently covary with traits not directly involved with mate choice. These patterns of covariation, among preferences and between preferences and other traits, may arise either from properties internal to choosers, like shared underlying mechanisms or statistically associated genetic underpinnings, or from correlations among environmental and social variables that shape preferences. These correlations represent an important constraint on the directions in which preferences can evolve.


2019 ◽  
Vol 65 (3) ◽  
pp. 305-316 ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Plath ◽  
Kai Liu ◽  
Diane Umutoni ◽  
Guilherme Gomes-Silva ◽  
Jie-Fei Wei ◽  
...  

Abstract While many mating preferences have a genetic basis, the question remains as to whether and how learning/experience can modify individual mate choice decisions. We used wild-caught (predator-experienced) and F1 laboratory-reared (predator-naïve) invasive Western mosquitofish Gambusia affinis from China to test whether mating preferences (assessed in a first mate choice test) would change under immediate predation threat. The same individuals were tested in a second mate choice test during which 1 of 3 types of animated predators was presented: 1) a co-occurring predator, 2) a co-evolved but not currently co-occurring predator, and 3) a non-piscivorous species as control. We compared preference scores derived from both mate choice tests to separate innate from experiential effects of predation. We also asked whether predator-induced changes in mating preferences would differ between sexes or depend on the choosing individual’s personality type and/or body size. Wild-caught fish altered their mate choice decisions most when exposed to the co-occurring predator whereas laboratory-reared individuals responded most to the co-evolved predator, suggesting that both innate mechanisms and learning effects are involved. This behavior likely reduces individuals’ risk of falling victim to predation by temporarily moving away from high-quality (i.e., conspicuous) mating partners. Accordingly, effects were stronger in bolder than shyer, large- compared with small-bodied, and female compared with male focal individuals, likely because those phenotypes face an increased predation risk overall. Our study adds to the growing body of literature appreciating the complexity of the mate choice process, where an array of intrinsic and extrinsic factors interacts during decision-making.


2018 ◽  
Vol 27 (2) ◽  
pp. 203-220 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stefan Scheidt ◽  
Carsten Gelhard ◽  
Juliane Strotzer ◽  
Jörg Henseler

Purpose While the branding of individuals has attracted increasing attention from practitioners in recent decades, understanding of personal branding still remains limited, especially with regard to the branding of celebrity CEOs. To contribute to this debate, this paper aims to explore the co-branding of celebrity CEOs and corporate brands, integrating endorsement theory and the concept of meaning transfer at a level of brand attributes. Design/methodology/approach A between-subjects true experimental design was chosen for each of the two empirical studies with a total of 268 participants, using mock newspaper articles about a succession scenario at the CEO level of different companies. The study is designed to analyse the meaning transfer from celebrity CEO to corporate brand and vice versa using 16 personality attributes. Findings This study gives empirical support for meaning transfer effects at the brand attribute level in both the celebrity-CEO-to-corporate-brand and corporate-brand-to-celebrity-CEO direction, which confirms the applicability of the concept of brand endorsement to celebrity CEOs and the mutuality in co-branding models. Furthermore, a more detailed and expansive perspective on the definition of endorsement is provided as well as managerial guidance for building celebrity CEOs and corporate brands in consideration of meaning transfer effects. Originality/value This study is one of only few analysing the phenomenon of meaning transfer between brands that focus on non-evaluative associations (i.e. personality attributes). It is unique in its scope, insofar as the partnering relationship between celebrity CEOs and corporate brands have not been analysed empirically from this perspective yet. It bridges the gap between application in practice and the academic foundations, and it contributes to a broader understanding and definition of celebrity endorsement.


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