Structure of the Dominance Hierarchy and Dominance Determining "Group Factors" in Melanochromis Auratus (Pisces, Cichlidae)

Behaviour ◽  
1985 ◽  
Vol 94 (1-2) ◽  
pp. 85-107 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark H.J. Nelissen
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Cichlid Fish ◽  
Aggressive Interaction ◽  
Group Factor ◽  
Dominance Relations ◽  
Group Life ◽  
Determining Factors ◽  
Representative Model ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Linear Dominance Hierarchy

AbstractTwo questions are asked: (1) Which relation is there between the dominance hierarchy and communication? (2) Which are the dominance determining factors that are a result of group life ("group factors") and that cannot be found in pairs of animals? Melanochromis auratus, a cichlid fish from Lake Malawi, is studied under laboratory conditions as a representative model. Dominance relations in pairs of animals differ from those (between the same fishes) in groups of conspecifics. In groups M. auratus establishes and maintains a linear dominance hierarchy, of which the communicative structure is described and discussed. The number of aggressive interactions between two group members, is determined by the rank number of the actor and the reactor. Most interactions occur between rank neighbours. "Group factors" are looked for by analysing the clustering of all possible chase-interactions. Four categories of such clusterings are discussed: a preceding aggressive interaction can have an influence on high-ranked animals, the effect of such an influence is directed towards low-ranked animals. The stable hierarchy can be changed by successive circle fights. The highest-ranked group members always intervene in circle fights in order to stabilize the hierarchy, for their own benefit. This is another "group factor". An alpha animal has to spend all its energy in obtaining and maintaining its rank status. When it looses this position, it drops down the hierarchy. The benefit of the alpha place could be the reproductive succes.

scholarly journals Artificial mass loading disrupts stable social order in pigeon dominance hierarchies

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (8) ◽  
pp. 20200468
Author(s):  
Steven J. Portugal ◽  
James R. Usherwood ◽  
Craig R. White ◽  
Daniel W. E. Sankey ◽  
Alan M. Wilson
Keyword(s):  
Body Mass ◽  
Social Order ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Mass Loading ◽  
Direct Link ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Closed Population ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Linear Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Over Time

Dominance hierarchies confer benefits to group members by decreasing the incidences of physical conflict, but may result in certain lower ranked individuals consistently missing out on access to resources. Here, we report a linear dominance hierarchy remaining stable over time in a closed population of birds. We show that this stability can be disrupted, however, by the artificial mass loading of birds that typically comprise the bottom 50% of the hierarchy. Mass loading causes these low-ranked birds to immediately become more aggressive and rise-up the dominance hierarchy; however, this effect was only evident in males and was absent in females. Removal of the artificial mass causes the hierarchy to return to its previous structure. This interruption of a stable hierarchy implies a strong direct link between body mass and social behaviour and suggests that an individual's personality can be altered by the artificial manipulation of body mass.

Absence of 'Youngest Ascendancy' in the Dominance Relations of Sisters in Wild Japanese Macaques (Macaca Fuscata Yakui)

Behaviour ◽  
1995 ◽  
Vol 132 (5-6) ◽  
pp. 367-379 ◽  
Author(s):  
David A. Hill ◽  
Naobi Okayasu
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Macaca Fuscata ◽  
Rhesus Macaques ◽  
Japanese Macaques ◽  
Sexually Active ◽  
Agonistic Interactions ◽  
Dominance Relations ◽  
Focal Animal ◽  
Sexually Mature ◽  
Linear Dominance Hierarchy

AbstractDominance relations among females were studied in a small, well-habituated troop of Yakushima macaques (Macaca fuscata yakuz) in southernjapan. Data were collected using focal animal sampling over a 20-month period. Although the frequency of aggression was much lower than that reported for provisioned groups, and support in agonistic interactions was rare, a clear linear dominance hierarchy was apparent. In each of the four pairs of sisters in the troop the older was dominant to the younger. This is contrary to the pattern commonly reported for provisioned groups of Japanese and rhesus macaques, in which dominance among sexually mature sisters tends to be inversely correlated with age. For each pair of sisters in the study troop the mother was alive and healthy when the younger daughter became sexually active, but no cases were seen of a mother aiding one daughter against another. We therefore conclude a) that the absence of youngest ascendancy was due to a lack of support, rather than a lack of potential allies, and b) that both frequent agonistic support and youngest ascendancy are most likely to occur under conditions where concentrated food resources result in frequent and intense aggression.

scholarly journals Homology-Based Interactions between Small RNAs and Their Targets Control Dominance Hierarchy of Male Determinant Alleles of Self-Incompatibility in Arabidopsis lyrata

2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (13) ◽  
pp. 6990
Author(s):  
Shinsuke Yasuda ◽  
Risa Kobayashi ◽  
Toshiro Ito ◽  
Yuko Wada ◽  
Seiji Takayama
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Male Dominance ◽  
Self Incompatibility ◽  
Arabidopsis Halleri ◽  
Plant Family ◽  
Arabidopsis Lyrata ◽  
Multiple Networks ◽  
Target Sites ◽  
Gains And Losses ◽  
Linear Dominance Hierarchy

Self-incompatibility (SI) is conserved among members of the Brassicaceae plant family. This trait is controlled epigenetically by the dominance hierarchy of the male determinant alleles. We previously demonstrated that a single small RNA (sRNA) gene is sufficient to control the linear dominance hierarchy in Brassica rapa and proposed a model in which a homology-based interaction between sRNAs and target sites controls the complicated dominance hierarchy of male SI determinants. In Arabidopsis halleri, male dominance hierarchy is reported to have arisen from multiple networks of sRNA target gains and losses. Despite these findings, it remains unknown whether the molecular mechanism underlying the dominance hierarchy is conserved among Brassicaceae. Here, we identified sRNAs and their target sites that can explain the linear dominance hierarchy of Arabidopsis lyrata, a species closely related to A. halleri. We tested the model that we established in Brassica to explain the linear dominance hierarchy in A. lyrata. Our results suggest that the dominance hierarchy of A. lyrata is also controlled by a homology-based interaction between sRNAs and their targets.

Migration, Language, Identity: The Journey of Meixian Hakkas from Calcutta to Vienna

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ralf Vollmann ◽  
◽  
Wooi Soon Tek ◽  
Keyword(s):  
Social Identity ◽  
Cultural Practices ◽  
Mutual Support ◽  
Minority Culture ◽  
Language Identity ◽  
Closed Group ◽  
Group Life ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Close Friendship ◽  
Younger Generation

Hakkas from Meizhou who migrated to Calcutta established suc¬cessful businesses, and then, in the 1970s to the 1990s, moved on to settle in Vienna (and Toronto). Prac¬ticing a closed-group life both in Vienna and across continents, the Hakkas preserved their lan¬gua¬ge and culture while adapting both to India and Austria in various ways. In a series of open interviews with Vienna-based Hakkas, questions of identity and the preservation of a minority culture are raised. In dependence to age, the consultants have very different personal identities behind a shared social identity of being ‘Indian Hak¬ka¬s,’ which is, however, mostly borne out of practical considerations of mutual support and certain cultural practices. As mi¬grants, they can profit from close friendship and loyalty between group members, sharing the same pro¬fes¬sions, marrying inside the group, and speaking their own language. Questions of identity are most¬ly relevant for the younger generation which has to deal with a confusingly layered familial iden¬tity.

Turning Points in Group Life: Using High-Tension Moments to Promote Group Purpose and Mutual Aid

2003 ◽  
Vol 84 (3) ◽  
pp. 433-440 ◽  
Author(s):  
Alex Gitterman ◽  
Julianne Wayne
Keyword(s):  
Environmental Factors ◽  
Interpersonal Relationships ◽  
Social Worker ◽  
Group Composition ◽  
Turning Points ◽  
Mutual Aid ◽  
Group Life ◽  
High Tension ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Professional Interventions

The interactions among and between group members and a social worker often generate natural interpersonal tensions in group life. If handled with skill, these difficult moments have the potential to become significant turning points in members' ability to feel safe in the group and in their motivation to achieve the group's purpose through a mutual aid process. In this article the authors examine five areas of group life that are often sources of tension-filled situations. These areas are group composition, group purpose and the working agreement, the worker's authority, members' interpersonal relationships, painful material, and environmental factors. The authors recommend professional interventions aimed at converting high-tension moments into incidents that promote trust, caring, and mutual aid.

Dominance relations and agonistic behaviour of Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus columbianus) during fall and spring migration

2003 ◽  
Vol 81 (4) ◽  
pp. 727-733 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shannon S Badzinski
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Agonistic Behaviour ◽  
Social Environments ◽  
Group Status ◽  
Cygnus Columbianus ◽  
Dominance Relations ◽  
Low Intensity ◽  
Simple Decision Rule

Social interactions and agonistic activities of Tundra Swans (Cygnus columbianus columbianus) were documented at Long Point, Ontario, to determine (i) dominance relations among social groups and (ii) the frequency and intensity of agonistic acts by swans. Families were involved in one-third as many interactions as were nonfamily groups. Nonfamily groups initiated interactions with other nonfamily groups more often than they did with family groups, but families initiated the same relative numbers of interactions with family and nonfamily groups. Further, families won nearly all conflicts with nonfamily groups, which suggests that they generally dominated nonfamily groups. Tundra Swans also showed a dominance hierarchy based largely on family or group size. To reduce conflict and energy expenditure, swans may use a simple "decision rule" during interactions: larger groups and initiators win. Two results supported this: (1) swans initiated interactions more often with smaller groups and (2) groups that initiated won interactions more often than did recipients. Swans used low-intensity agonistic acts more frequently than higher intensity ones when engaging members of other social groups, but intensity of aggression was independent of group status. Dominance based on the use of simple cues may be especially beneficial in unstable social environments at major staging areas.

scholarly journals Protogyny in a tropical damselfish: females queue for future benefit

PeerJ ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 4 ◽  
pp. e2198 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark I. McCormick
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Nest Site ◽  
Group Living ◽  
Trade Offs ◽  
Pomacentrus Amboinensis ◽  
Reproductive Male ◽  
The Cost ◽  
Removal Studies ◽  
Linear Dominance Hierarchy

Membership of the group is a balance between the benefits associated with group living and the cost of socially constrained growth and breeding opportunities, but the costs and benefits are seldom examined. The goal of the present study was to explore the trade-offs associated with group living for a sex-changing, potentially protogynous coral reef fish, the Ambon damselfish,Pomacentrus amboinensis. Extensive sampling showed that the species exhibits resource defence polygyny, where dominant males guard a nest site that is visited by females.P. amboinensishave a longevity of about 6.5 years on the northern Great Barrier Reef. While the species can change sex consistent with being a protogynous hermaphrodite, it is unclear the extent to which the species uses this capability. Social groups are comprised of one reproductive male, 1–7 females and a number of juveniles. Females live in a linear dominance hierarchy, with the male being more aggressive to the beta-female than the alpha-female, who exhibits lower levels of ovarian cortisol. Surveys and a tagging study indicated that groups were stable for at least three months. A passive integrated transponder tag study showed that males spawn with females from their own group, but also females from neighbouring groups.In situbehavioural observations found that alpha-females have priority of access to the nest site that the male guarded, and access to higher quality foraging areas. Male removal studies suggest that the alpha-females can change sex to take over from the male when the position becomes available. Examination of otolith microstructure showed that those individuals which change sex to males have different embryonic characteristics at hatching, suggesting that success may involve a component that is parentally endowed. The relative importance of parental effects and social organisation in affecting the importance of female queuing is yet to be studied, but will likely depend on the strength of social control by the dominant members of the group.

Social organization of reindeer (Rangifer tarandus), with special reference to relationships among females

1990 ◽  
Vol 68 (4) ◽  
pp. 743-749 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akira Hirotani
Keyword(s):  
Body Weight ◽  
Special Reference ◽  
Social Organization ◽  
Rangifer Tarandus ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Social Rank ◽  
Finnish Lapland ◽  
Temporary Association ◽  
Linear Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Antagonistic Interactions

Approximately 130 individually recognized reindeer, plus unidentified calves, were observed over the course of 9 months from the rutting period to the calving period in Finnish Lapland. The level of association among nonrelated females in resting groups fluctuated with the passage of time. Among related females, only yearling daughters associated significantly with their respective mothers, although coexistence between mothers and yearling daughters was accompanied by antagonism. Two-year-old daughters were next in terms of association with their mothers, whereas daughters of 3 years of age and older rarely associated with their mothers and the level of association decreased to the level observed for nonrelated females. When two herds joined each other, the frequency of antagonistic interactions among foreign individuals was initially quite high. Thereafter, the two herds became united as a new herd within a week or two. A linear dominance hierarchy was found among 90 females that joined the studied herd. Their social rank was correlated with body weight. Thereby, the dominance hierarchy was stably maintained even though the herd itself was a temporary association of individuals. During the nonrutting period, animals segregated themselves by sex. The shedding of male antlers was correlated with drastic changes in ranking.

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