scholarly journals Arboreal twig-nesting ants form dominance hierarchies over nesting resources

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e8124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Senay Yitbarek ◽  
Stacy M. Philpott
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Species Coexistence ◽  
Motif Analysis ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystem ◽  
Ant Communities ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Species Dominance ◽  
Rating Method ◽  
Nesting Resources

Interspecific dominance hierarchies have been widely reported across animal systems. High-ranking species are expected to monopolize more resources than low-ranking species via resource monopolization. In some ant species, dominance hierarchies have been used to explain species coexistence and community structure. However, it remains unclear whether or in what contexts dominance hierarchies occur in tropical ant communities. This study seeks to examine whether arboreal twig-nesting ants competing for nesting resources in a Mexican coffee agricultural ecosystem are arranged in a linear dominance hierarchy. We described the dominance relationships among 10 species of ants and measured the uncertainty and steepness of the inferred dominance hierarchy. We also assessed the orderliness of the hierarchy by considering species interactions at the network level. Based on the randomized Elo-rating method, we found that the twig-nesting ant species Myrmelachista mexicana ranked highest in the ranking, while Pseudomyrmex ejectus was ranked as the lowest in the hierarchy. Our results show that the hierarchy was intermediate in its steepness, suggesting that the probability of higher ranked species winning contests against lower ranked species was fairly high. Motif analysis and significant excess of triads further revealed that the species networks were largely transitive. This study highlights that some tropical arboreal ant communities organize into dominance hierarchies.

scholarly journals Tropical arboreal ants form dominance hierarchies over nesting resources in agroecosystems

2018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Senay Yibarek ◽  
Stacy M. Philpott
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Species Coexistence ◽  
Relative Fitness ◽  
Motif Analysis ◽  
Agricultural Ecosystem ◽  
Ant Communities ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Species Dominance ◽  
Nesting Resources

AbstractInterspecific dominance hierarchies have been widely reported across animal systems. While some dominant individuals (winners) get to monopolize resources, during dyadic interactions, they can increase their relative fitness as compared to subdominant individuals (losers). In some ant species, dominance hierarchies have been used to explain species coexistence and community structure. However, it remains unclear whether or in what contexts dominance hierarchies occur in tropical ant communities. Furthermore, it can be challenging to infer and quantify reliable dominance hierarchies from observed interactions. This study seeks to examine whether arboreal twig-nesting ants competing for nesting resources in a Mexican coffee agricultural ecosystem are arranged in a dominance hierarchy. Using network analysis, we quantified interactions between ten species by measuring the uncertainty and steepness in the dominance hierarchy. We also assessed the orderliness of the hierarchy by considering species interactions at the network level. Based on the Elo-ranking method, we found that the twig-nesting ant species Myrmelachista mexicana ranked highest in the ranking, while Pseudomyrmex ejectus was ranked as the lowest in the hierarchy. We quantified the uncertainty in the dominance hierarchy and found that the hierarchy was intermediate in its steepness, suggesting that the probability of higher ranked individuals winning contests against lower ranked individuals was fairly high. Motif analysis and significant excess of triads further revealed that the species networks were largely transitive. This study highlights that some tropical arboreal ant communities self-organize into dominance hierarchies.

Resource variability and the collapse of a dominance hierarchy in a colour polymorphic species

Behaviour ◽  
2018 ◽  
Vol 155 (6) ◽  
pp. 443-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Dawson M. Brown ◽  
Matthew S. Lattanzio
Keyword(s):  
Social Dominance ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Environmental Variability ◽  
Behavioural Flexibility ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Species Dominance ◽  
Polymorphic Species ◽  
Series Of Experiments ◽  
Colour Morphs ◽  
Resource Variability

Abstract Intraspecific social dominance hierarchies should be influenced by environmental variation; however, in colour polymorphic species, dominance hierarchies are often assumed fixed, and thus insensitive to environmental variability. We ran a series of experiments using the colour polymorphic long-tailed brush lizard (Urosaurus graciosus) to challenge this assumption. We staged contests between orange and yellow morph males over a single heated perch, two perches at the same temperature, or two perches differing in temperature. Our first experiment revealed that orange-throated males are socially dominant. However, this hierarchy collapsed in our other experiments as yellow males became more aggressive. Interestingly, both males only ever secured their own perch where the perches differed in temperature. These findings mirror observations of morph behavioural flexibility in nature and studies of behaviour–environment interactions in non-polymorphic taxa. We conclude that colour morphs may have an underappreciated ability to assess resource-level changes and respond with concomitant flexibility in behaviour.

scholarly journals Topographic Effects on the Spatial Species Associations in Diverse Heterogeneous Tropical Evergreen Forests

2021 ◽  
Vol 13 (5) ◽  
pp. 2468
Author(s):  
Nguyen Hong Hai ◽  
Yousef Erfanifard ◽  
Van Bac Bui ◽  
Trinh Hien Mai ◽  
Any Mary Petritan ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Species Coexistence ◽  
Spatial Scales ◽  
Interspecific Interactions ◽  
Spatial Association ◽  
Topographic Effects ◽  
Habitat Association ◽  
Important Species ◽  
Evergreen Forests ◽  
Partial Overlap

Studying spatial patterns and habitat association of plant communities may provide understanding of the ecological mechanisms and processes that maintain species coexistence. To conduct assessments of correlation between community compositions and habitat association, we used data from two topographically different plots with 2 ha area in tropical evergreen forests with the variables recorded via grid systems of 10 × 10 m subplots in Northern-Central Vietnam. First, we tested the relationship between community composition and species diversity indices considering the topographical variables. We then assessed the interspecific interactions of 20 dominant plant species using the nearest-neighbor distribution function, Dij(r), and Ripley’s K-function, Kij(r). Based on the significant spatial association of species pairs, indices of interspecific interaction were calculated by the quantitative amounts of the summary statistics. The results showed that (i) community compositions were significantly influenced by the topographic variables and (ii) almost 50% significant pairs of species interactions were increased with increasing spatial scales up to 10–15 m, then declined and disappeared at scales of 30–40 m. Segregation and partial overlap were the dominant association types and disappeared at larger spatial scales. Spatial segregation, mixing, and partial overlap revealed the important species interactions in maintaining species coexistence under habitat heterogeneity in diverse forest communities.

scholarly journals Effect of agricultural land-use change on ant dominance hierarchy and food preferences in a temperate oak forest

PeerJ ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 7 ◽  
pp. e6255 ◽  
Author(s):  
Citlalli Castillo-Guevara ◽  
Mariana Cuautle ◽  
Carlos Lara ◽  
Brenda Juárez-Juárez
Keyword(s):  
Land Use ◽  
Land Use Change ◽  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Agricultural Land ◽  
Food Preferences ◽  
Cold Climate ◽  
Agricultural Land Use ◽  
Oak Forest ◽  
Ant Communities ◽  
Trade Off

Background The discovery-dominance trade-off is the inverse relationship between the ability of a species to discover resources and the species’ dominance of those resources; a paradigm used to explain species coexistence in ant communities dependent on similar resources. However, factors such as stress (e.g., temperature) or disturbance (e.g., removal of biomass) associated with the change in land use, can modify this trade-off. Here, we aimed to determine the potential effects of land use change on dominance hierarchy, food preferences and on the discovery-dominance trade-off. Methods An experiment with baits was used to investigate the dominance hierarchies of ant communities in a temperate mountain habitat in central Mexico. We evaluated the dominance index (DI), food preferences and discovery-dominance trade-offs of ants inhabiting two types of vegetation: a native oak forest and agricultural land resulting from agricultural land use and grazing. Results The ant communities in both environments were comprised of three species of ants (Monomorium minimum, Myrmica mexicana, and Camponotus picipes pilosulus), four morphospecies (Pheidole sp.1 and Pheidole sp.2, Temnothorax sp. and Lasius sp.) and one genus (Formica spp.). All Formicidae showed values of intermediate to low DI, and this factor did not seem to be influenced by the change in land use. Ants in the modified vegetation (i.e., agricultural land) were found to be numerically greater. Overall, a higher number of visits were registered to the tuna bait, although the duration of foraging events to the honey baits was longer. However, foraging times were dependent on the species considered: the generalized Myrmicinae, M. minimum, the ant species with highest DI, foraged for longer periods of time in the agricultural land and on the tuna bait. Meanwhile, the cold-climate specialist Formica spp., with a lower DI, foraged for longer periods of time in the oak (although not significant) and on the honey bait. We found little evidence of the discovery-dominance trade-off; instead, we found considerable diversity in the strategies used by the different species to access resources. This range of strategies is well represented by the generalized Myrmicinae M. minimum, the cold-climate specialists Formica spp. and Temnothorax sp., and the rare species, as the cold climate specialist Lasius sp. (insinuators). Conclusions Our evaluation shows that transformation of the original habitat does not appear to affect the hierarchical dominance of the ant communities, but it does affect their food preferences. Species with higher DI values such as the generalized Myrmicinae are more skilled at resource acquisition in modified habitats. Our results suggest that change in land use promotes an increase in the diversity of foraging strategies used by different ant species. This diversity may contribute to resource partitioning which favors coexistence.

scholarly journals Genotype-Species Interactions in Neighbourhoods of Forest Tree Communities

2007 ◽  
Vol 56 (1-6) ◽  
pp. 101-110 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chr. Wehenkel ◽  
F. Bergmann ◽  
H.-R. Gregorius
Keyword(s):  
Species Interactions ◽  
Species Coexistence ◽  
Biotic Interactions ◽  
Forest Tree ◽  
Target Species ◽  
Species Identity ◽  
Enzymatic Function ◽  
Genotype Frequencies ◽  
Tree Communities ◽  
Large Survey

Abstract Studies on plant communities of various annual species suggest that there are particular biotic interactions among individuals from different species which could be the basis for long-term species coexistence. In the course of a large survey on species-genetic diversity relationships in several forest tree communities, it was found that statistically significant differences exist among isozyme genotype frequencies of conspecific tree groups, which differ only by species identity of their neighbours. Based on a specific measure, the association of the neighbouring species with the genotypes of the target species or that of the genotypes with the neighbouring species was quantified. Since only AAT and HEK of the five analysed enzyme systems differed in their genotype frequencies among several tree groups of the same target species, a potential involvement of their enzymatic function in the observed differences was discussed. The results of this study demonstrate a fine-scale genetic differentiation within single tree species of forest communities, which may be the result of biotic interactions between the genetic structure of a species and the species composition of its community. This observation also suggests the importance of intraspecific genetic variation for interspecific adaptation.

scholarly journals Metabolic Symbiosis Facilitates Species Coexistence and Generates Light-Dependent Priority Effects

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Veronica Hsu ◽  
Holly V. Moeller
Keyword(s):  
Carbon Source ◽  
Community Composition ◽  
Green Algae ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Species Coexistence ◽  
Priority Effects ◽  
Competitive Interactions ◽  
Paramecium Bursaria ◽  
Mutual Benefit ◽  
Cascading Effects

Metabolic symbiosis is a form of symbiosis in which organisms exchange metabolites, typically for mutual benefit. For example, acquired phototrophs like Paramecium bursaria obtain photosynthate from endosymbiotic green algae called Chlorella. In addition to facilitating the persistence of P. bursaria by providing a carbon source that supplements P. bursaria’s heterotrophic digestion of bacteria, symbiotic Chlorella may impact competitive interactions between P. bursaria and other bacterivores, with cascading effects on community composition and overall diversity. Here, we tested the effects of metabolic symbiosis on coexistence by assessing the impacts of acquired phototrophy on priority effects, or the effect of species arrival order on species interactions, between P. bursaria and its competitor Colpidium. Our results suggest light-dependent priority effects. The acquired phototroph benefited from metabolic symbiosis during sequential arrival of each organism in competition, and led to increased growth of late-arriving Colpidium. These findings demonstrate that understanding the consequences of priority effects for species coexistence requires consideration of metabolic symbiosis.

Benthic species as mud patrol - modelled effects of bioturbators and biofilms on large-scale estuarine mud and morphology

2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Muriel Brückner ◽  
Christian Schwarz ◽  
Giovanni Coco ◽  
Anne Baar ◽  
Márcio Boechat Albernaz ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Morphological Change ◽  
Species Interactions ◽  
Large Scale ◽  
Habitat Degradation ◽  
Species Abundance ◽  
Estuarine Sediments ◽  
Morphological Development ◽  
Benthic Species ◽  
Species Dominance ◽  
Species Specific

<p>Benthic species that live within estuarine sediments stabilize or destabilize local mud deposits through their eco-engineering activities, affecting the erosion of intertidal sediments. Possibly, the altered magnitudes in eroded sediment affect the large-scale redistribution of fines and hence morphological change. To quantify this biological control on the morphological development of estuaries, we numerically model i) biofilms, ii) two contrasting bioturbating species present in NW-Europe, and iii) their combinations by means of our novel eco-morphodynamic model. The model predicts local mud erodibility based on species pattern, which dynamically evolves from the hydrodynamics, soil mud content, competition and grazing, and is fed back into the hydromorphodynamic computations.</p><p>We find that biofilms reduce mud erosion on intertidal floodplains and stabilize estuarine morphology, whereas the two bioturbators significantly enhance inter- and supratidal mud erosion and bed elevation change, leading to a large-scale reduction in deposited mud and a widening of the estuary. In turn, the species-dependent changes in mud content redefines their habitat and leads to a redistribution of species abundances. Here, the eco-engineering affects habitat conditions and species abundance while species interactions determine species dominance. Our results show that species-specific biostabilization and bioturbation determine large-scale morphological change through mud redistribution, and at the same time affect species distribution. This suggests that benthic species have subtly changed estuarine morphology through space and time and that aggravating habitat degradation might lead to large effects on the morphology of future estuaries.</p>

The establishment and maintenance of dominance hierarchies

2022 ◽  
Vol 377 (1845) ◽  
Author(s):  
Elizabeth A. Tibbetts ◽  
Juanita Pardo-Sanchez ◽  
Chloe Weise
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Social Dynamics ◽  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Future Research ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Dominance Relationships ◽  
Hierarchy Formation ◽  
Behavioural Dynamics ◽  
Self Organizing

Animal groups are often organized hierarchically, with dominant individuals gaining priority access to resources and reproduction over subordinate individuals. Initial dominance hierarchy formation may be influenced by multiple interacting factors, including an animal's individual attributes, conventions and self-organizing social dynamics. After establishment, hierarchies are typically maintained over the long-term because individuals save time, energy and reduce the risk of injury by recognizing and abiding by established dominance relationships. A separate set of behaviours are used to maintain dominance relationships within groups, including behaviours that stabilize ranks (punishment, threats, behavioural asymmetry), as well as signals that provide information about dominance rank (individual identity signals, signals of dominance). In this review, we describe the behaviours used to establish and maintain dominance hierarchies across different taxa and types of societies. We also review opportunities for future research including: testing how self-organizing behavioural dynamics interact with other factors to mediate dominance hierarchy formation, measuring the long-term stability of social hierarchies and the factors that disrupt hierarchy stability, incorporating phenotypic plasticity into our understanding of the behavioural dynamics of hierarchies and considering how cognition coevolves with the behaviours used to establish and maintain hierarchies. This article is part of the theme issue ‘The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies’.

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.

Dominance Hierarchies in Psychotherapy Groups

1986 ◽  
Vol 148 (6) ◽  
pp. 625-631 ◽  
Author(s):  
James L. Kennedy ◽  
K. Roy MacKenzie
Keyword(s):  
Dominance Hierarchy ◽  
Survival Strategies ◽  
Recent Theory ◽  
Human Group ◽  
Dominance Hierarchies ◽  
Diagnostic Categories ◽  
Group Behaviour ◽  
Adaptive Processes ◽  
Psychotherapy Groups ◽  
Biochemical Mechanisms

For a social group to develop, two opposing adaptive processes must be reconciled—mechanisms for developing cohesion and mechanisms for establishing a dominance hierarchy. The formation of stable groups provides significant evolutionary advantages: a source of protection, increased reproductive opportunities, and a larger store of survival strategies than any one individual could encompass. A recent theory of human evolution (Reynolds, 1981) stresses that social behaviour would seem to be the most likely single cause of the origin of human intelligence, if one origin must be isolated. Current interest in the biological basis of behaviour has been focused particularly on specific diagnostic categories and biochemical mechanisms. This paper reviews a different research tradition, based on ethological principles, and applies the findings to an understanding of human group behaviour.

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