scholarly journals Social dominance mediates behavioral adaptation to chronic stress in a sex-specific manner

eLife ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stoyo Karamihalev ◽  
Elena Brivio ◽  
Cornelia Flachskamm ◽  
Rainer Stoffel ◽  
Mathias V Schmidt ◽  
...  

Sex differences and social context independently contribute to the development of stress-related disorders. However, less is known about how their interplay might influence behavior and physiology. Here we focused on social hierarchy status, a major component of the social environment in mice, and whether it influences behavioral adaptation to chronic stress in a sex-specific manner. We used a high-throughput automated behavioral monitoring system to assess social dominance in same-sex, group-living mice. We found that position in the social hierarchy at baseline was a significant predictor of multiple behavioral outcomes following exposure to chronic stress. Crucially, this association carried opposite consequences for the two sexes. This work demonstrates the importance of recognizing the interplay between sex and social factors and enhances our understating of how individual differences shape the stress response.

2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stoyo Karamihalev ◽  
Elena Brivio ◽  
Cornelia Flachskamm ◽  
Rainer Stoffel ◽  
Mathias V Schmidt ◽  
...  

2021 ◽  
Vol 12 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daeeun Kim ◽  
JuYoung Kim ◽  
Hackjin Kim

Why would people conform more to others with higher social positions? People may place higher confidence in the opinions of those who rank higher in the social hierarchy, or they may wish to make better impressions on people of higher social status. We investigated how individual preferences for novel stimuli are influenced by the preferences of others in the social hierarchy and whether anonymity affects such preference changes. After manipulation of their social rank, participants were asked to indicate how much they liked or disliked a series of images. Then, they were shown the rating given to each image by a partner (either inferior or superior in social rank) and were given a chance to adjust their ratings. The participants were more likely to change their preferences to match those of a superior partner in the public vs. private condition. The tendency to conform to the views of the superior partner was stronger among those with higher social dominance orientation (SDO) and those with greater fear of negative evaluation (FNE) by others. Altogether, the findings suggest that the motivation to make better impressions on people of higher social status can be the major driver of conformity to others with higher social positions.


2009 ◽  
Vol 6 (3) ◽  
pp. 301-303 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lyndon A. Jordan ◽  
Marian Y. L. Wong ◽  
Sigal S. Balshine

Members of animal groups face a trade-off between the benefits of remaining with a familiar group and the potential benefits of dispersing into a new group. Here, we examined the group membership decisions of Neolamprologus pulcher , a group-living cichlid. We found that subordinate helpers showed a preference for joining familiar groups, but when choosing between two unfamiliar groups, helpers did not preferentially join groups that maximized their social rank. Rather, helpers preferred groups containing larger, more dominant individuals, despite receiving significantly more aggression within these groups, possibly owing to increased protection from predation in such groups. These results suggest a complex decision process in N. pulcher when choosing among groups, dependent not only on familiarity but also on the social and life-history consequences of joining new groups.


2020 ◽  
Vol 60 (3) ◽  
pp. 753-764 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kay E Holekamp ◽  
Eli D Strauss

Abstract The reproductive biology of many female mammals is affected by their social environment and their interactions with conspecifics. In mammalian societies structured by linear dominance hierarchies, such as that of the spotted hyena (Crocuta crocuta), a female’s social rank can have profound effects on both her reproductive success and her longevity. In this species, social rank determines priority of access to food, which is the resource limiting reproduction. Due largely to rank-related variation in access to food, reproduction from the perspective of a female spotted hyena can only be understood in the context of her position in the social hierarchy. In this review, we examine the effects of rank on the various phases of reproduction, from mating to weaning. Summed over many individual reproductive lifespans, the effect of rank at these different reproductive phases leads to dramatic rank-related variation in fitness among females and their lineages. Finally, we ask why females reproduce socially despite these apparent costs of group living to low-ranking females. Gregariousness enhances the fitness of females regardless of their positions in the social hierarchy, and females attempting to survive and reproduce without clanmates lose all their offspring. The positive effects of gregariousness appear to result from having female allies, both kin and non-kin, who cooperate to advertise and defend a shared territory, acquire, and defend food resources, maintain the status quo, and occasionally also to rise in social rank.


1997 ◽  
Vol 77 (2) ◽  
pp. 205-209 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. W. Gonyou

Forty litters of eight pigs each were paired by age and weight and re-grouped at the beginning of a 12-wk grower/finisher period. Each pair of litters was assigned to two pens, with two pigs from one litter (Minority) and six pigs from the other (Majority) in each pen. Four pairs of litters were removed from the experiment due to loss of pigs from injury or poor health. Agonistic encounters following re-grouping were used to rank each Minority pig and to classify it as being within the Dominant or Subordinate half of the social hierarchy. Minority pigs within a pen tended to obtain similar social ranks (within two ranks in 20 of 30 pens; P < 0.05), but were as likely to be Dominant as Subordinate (11 vs. 9 pairs, respectively). The activity and position of all pigs were sampled once daily, 5 days a week. One Minority pig was designated as the focal pig for these observations. The second Minority pig was more likely to be engaged in the same activity as the focal pig than were Majority pigs (P < 0.01), and would lie closer to the focal pig than would the Majority pigs (P < 0.01). There were no differences in the proportion of Majority and Minority pigs which were removed from the experiment due to injuries, nor in the type of injuries requiring their removal. Examination of all pigs at the mid-point of the study revealed some evidence of injury on the head, ears, shoulders, back, flanks, ramp and tail of 76, 75, 87, 90, 91 and 95% of the pigs, respectively, but no differences between Majority and Minority pigs in location or severity of injuries. Average daily gain for the entire experiment was 775 g d−1, and did not differ between Majority and Minority pigs during any 2-wk period of the study. It is concluded that littermates continue to associate with each other after re-grouping and that they attain similar social status. However, the litter with the largest number of pigs present does not consistently achieve social dominance or a competitive advantage manifested in improved weight gain. Key words: Pigs, littermates, re-grouping, social status


2020 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stoyo Karamihalev ◽  
Elena Brivio ◽  
Cornelia Flachskamm ◽  
Rainer Stoffel ◽  
Mathias V. Schmidt ◽  
...  

AbstractBackgroundSex and social context are two major factors in the development of depression and other stress-related disorders. However, few studies of the effects of stress on rodent behavior and physiology have investigated social context and fewer still have assessed the possibility of sex-specific effects of social context.MethodsWe assessed social dominance of group-living mice during several days of monitoring using a high-throughput automated behavioral tracking system. We then exposed groups from each sex to a three-week chronic mild stress (CMS) procedure, followed by a behavioral test battery. Finally, we used principle component analysis and post-hoc tests to explore the sources of variance in the behavioral outcome data.ResultsWe found stable hierarchies in both sexes, however social dominance in males exhibited several additional associations with behaviors related to locomotion and exploration that were not seen in females. Crucially, pre-stress social dominance status was associated with opposing outcomes on multiple behavioral readouts between the two sexes following CMS. In particular, subordinate male mice and dominant female mice appeared more responsive to the environmental challenge, as observed in anxiety-like and locomotor behaviors.ConclusionsThis work demonstrates that sex differences interact with preexisting social dominance status to alter the effects of chronic stress. It highlights the importance of understanding the interplay between sex and social context and its contribution to individual differences in stress response.


2014 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
pp. 123-133
Author(s):  
Marzena Możdżyńska

Abstract In recent decades, we observe a significant disorganization of family life, especially in the sphere of parental functions performed by unprepared for the role emotional, socially and economically young people. Lack of education, difficulties in finding work, and the lack of prospects for positive change are the main causes of their impoverishment and progressive degradation in the social hierarchy. Reaching young people at risk of social exclusion and provide them with comprehensive care, should be a priority of modern social work and educational work. In order to provide help this social group and cope with the adverse event created a lot of programs to support systemically start in life. An example would be presented in the article KARnet 15+ program as a form of complex activities of a person stimulating subjectivity, and allows you to modify support in individual cases


Author(s):  
Jeffrey P. Copeland ◽  
Arild Landa ◽  
Kimberly Heinemeyer ◽  
Keith B. Aubry ◽  
Jiska van Dijk ◽  
...  

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.


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