1
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Epstein S, Fischer M, Cotton S, White F. Investigating Changes in Social Networks Following Conflict in Zoo-Housed Bonobos (Pan paniscus). Am J Primatol 2025; 87:e70047. [PMID: 40418144 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.70047] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/08/2024] [Revised: 04/17/2025] [Accepted: 05/04/2025] [Indexed: 05/27/2025]
Abstract
Bonobos (Pan paniscus) are successful at managing conflict and promoting group affiliation, but it is still uncertain how conflict affects the entire social group, particularly in captive populations. We conducted social network analyses using dyadic proximity data to understand the structure of five alternating social group compositions of a population of zoo-housed bonobos, using measures of centrality and social strength. We then compared social network measures between neutral, post-conflict (intergroup and intragroup), and post-single-party outburst (scream, display to the public) contexts to determine how conflict influences social behavior within the entire social network. We found that, across conflict contexts, dominant females have higher social group centralities than other individuals. Dominant females also received social initiations at a higher rate than others, suggesting this centrality is structurally maintained by other individuals. Further, rates of proximity are significantly higher following single-party outbursts than in other contexts, which indicates an important social distinction between this context and others and may be best explained by considering these outbursts as signals of group-level social tension, during which group members may seek social interaction and reassurance. Consistent differences in proximity rates were observed between dominant females and other group members, indicating that the social role of the dominant female in a bonobo social group across conflict contexts is different from that of other bonobos. The results of this study emphasize the flexible nature of bonobo sociality, highlight the distinct and important role of dominant females within the social network, and present social network analysis as a useful methodological tool for studying group-level changes in bonobo sociality and behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sedona Epstein
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Mariam Fischer
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Sara Cotton
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
| | - Frances White
- Department of Anthropology, University of Oregon, Eugene, OR, USA
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2
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Rose PE, Lewton J. Key Concepts for Enhancing Zoo Animal Welfare: Coping, Comfort, Choice, Control, Challenge, and Compassion. J APPL ANIM WELF SCI 2024:1-18. [PMID: 39736075 DOI: 10.1080/10888705.2024.2440891] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/19/2022] [Accepted: 12/05/2024] [Indexed: 01/01/2025]
Abstract
Zoo animal welfare is subject to increasing scrutiny by many audiences. Although zoo husbandry and management techniques have progressed, common welfare issues are still apparent. To encourage further improvements, converting theoretical welfare definition into practical application is key. This paper evaluates a familiar definition to form a baseline for practical welfare assessment that benefits animals and zoo operations. If we consider coping and comfort as measurable indicators, plus choice and control to cement autonomy for the animal, achieving positive welfare is more likely. Providing positive cognitive challenge results in improvements to behavioral diversity. When husbandry is ecologically relevant, this welfare-friendly approach evolves into husbandry-based evidence, further justifying approaches to animal care. The human element of husbandry (e.g., development and training of personnel) impacts on welfare, necessitating a compassionate approach to daily operations. Compassion - for animal and human wellbeing - ultimately embeds welfare as a core zoo goal. The unique environment of the zoo, with its mix of wild species, human workforce and visitors, coupled with the amount we still must learn about species' husbandry needs emphasizes continual development of welfare approaches.
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Affiliation(s)
- Paul E Rose
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Wildfowl & Wetlands Trust, WWT Slimbridge, Gloucestershire, UK
| | - Jack Lewton
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, Ascot, UK
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3
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Smith JE, Ingbretson JE, Miner MM, Oestreicher EC, Podas ML, Ravara TA, Teles LML, Wahl JC, Todd LM, Wild S. Vole hunting: novel predatory and carnivorous behavior by California ground squirrels. J ETHOL 2024; 43:3-12. [PMID: 39802484 PMCID: PMC11717845 DOI: 10.1007/s10164-024-00832-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/07/2024] [Accepted: 11/28/2024] [Indexed: 01/16/2025]
Abstract
Dietary flexibility allows animals to respond adaptively to food pulses in the environment. Here we document the novel emergence of widespread hunting of California voles and carnivorous feeding behavior by California ground squirrels. Over two months in the twelfth year of a long-term study on the squirrel population, we document 74 events of juvenile and adult ground squirrels of both sexes depredating, consuming, and/or competing over vole prey. Our video footage, photographic evidence, and direct observations of marked individual squirrels provide insights into the ecological circumstances favoring behavioral flexibility in foraging associated with a decadal peak in vole abundance. Digital video images related to the article are available at http://www.momo-p.com/showdetail-e.php?movieid=momo241126ob01a. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s10164-024-00832-6.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jennifer E. Smith
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 USA
| | - Joey E. Ingbretson
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 USA
| | - Mackenzie M. Miner
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 USA
| | - Ella C. Oestreicher
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 USA
| | - Mari L. Podas
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 USA
| | - Tia A. Ravara
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 USA
| | - Lupin M. L. Teles
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA
- Institute of Biological Sciences and Health, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, 57072-900 Brazil
| | - Jada C. Wahl
- Department of Biology, University of Wisconsin – Eau Claire, Eau Claire, Wisconsin 54701 USA
| | - Lucy M. Todd
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA
| | - Sonja Wild
- Department of Environmental Science and Policy, University of California, Davis, CA 95616 USA
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4
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Kopp KS, Kanngiesser P, Brügger RK, Daum MM, Gampe A, Köster M, van Schaik CP, Liebal K, Burkart JM. The proximate regulation of prosocial behaviour: towards a conceptual framework for comparative research. Anim Cogn 2024; 27:5. [PMID: 38429436 PMCID: PMC10907469 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-024-01846-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/07/2023] [Revised: 10/14/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 03/03/2024]
Abstract
Humans and many other animal species act in ways that benefit others. Such prosocial behaviour has been studied extensively across a range of disciplines over the last decades, but findings to date have led to conflicting conclusions about prosociality across and even within species. Here, we present a conceptual framework to study the proximate regulation of prosocial behaviour in humans, non-human primates and potentially other animals. We build on psychological definitions of prosociality and spell out three key features that need to be in place for behaviour to count as prosocial: benefitting others, intentionality, and voluntariness. We then apply this framework to review observational and experimental studies on sharing behaviour and targeted helping in human children and non-human primates. We show that behaviours that are usually subsumed under the same terminology (e.g. helping) can differ substantially across and within species and that some of them do not fulfil our criteria for prosociality. Our framework allows for precise mapping of prosocial behaviours when retrospectively evaluating studies and offers guidelines for future comparative work.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kathrin S Kopp
- Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
- Life Sciences, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany.
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | - Patricia Kanngiesser
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- School of Psychology, University of Plymouth, Plymouth, UK
| | - Rahel K Brügger
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Moritz M Daum
- Department of Psychology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Jacobs Center for Productive Youth Development, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Anja Gampe
- Institute of Socio-Economics, University of Duisburg-Essen, Duisburg, Germany
| | - Moritz Köster
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
- Institute of Psychology, University of Regensburg, Regensburg, Germany
| | - Carel P van Schaik
- Department of Evolutionary Biology & Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Katja Liebal
- Life Sciences, Institute of Biology, Leipzig University, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Education and Psychology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Judith M Burkart
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
- Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
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5
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van Leeuwen EJ, Staes N, Brooker JS, Kordon S, Nolte S, Clay Z, Eens M, Stevens JM. Group-specific expressions of co-feeding tolerance in bonobos and chimpanzees preclude dichotomous species generalizations. iScience 2023; 26:108528. [PMID: 38144453 PMCID: PMC10746535 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2023.108528] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/06/2023] [Revised: 07/21/2023] [Accepted: 11/20/2023] [Indexed: 12/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Bonobos are typically portrayed as more socially tolerant than chimpanzees, yet the current evidence supporting such a species-level categorization is equivocal. Here, we used validated group-level co-feeding assays to systematically test expressions of social tolerance in sixteen groups of zoo- and sanctuary-housed bonobos and chimpanzees. We found that co-feeding tolerance substantially overlaps between the species, thus precluding categorical inference at the species level. Instead, marked differences were observed between groups, with some bonobo communities exhibiting higher social tolerance than chimpanzee communities, and vice versa. Moreover, considerable intergroup variation was found within species living in the same environment, which attests to Pan's behavioral flexibility. Lastly, chimpanzees showed more tolerance in male-skewed communities, whereas bonobos responded less pronounced to sex-ratio variation. We conclude that the pervasive dichotomy between the tolerant bonobo and the belligerent chimpanzee requires quantitative nuance, and that accurate phylogenetic tracing of (human) social behavior warrants estimations of intraspecific group variation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J.C. van Leeuwen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, Utrecht 3584 CA, the Netherlands
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- Department for Comparative Cultural Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nicky Staes
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jake S. Brooker
- Psychology Department, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Stephanie Kordon
- Psychology Department, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Suska Nolte
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Padualaan 8, Utrecht 3584 CA, the Netherlands
| | - Zanna Clay
- Psychology Department, Durham University, South Road, Durham DH1 3LE, UK
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
| | - Jeroen M.G. Stevens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- SALTO Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University College, Hospitaalstraat 23, 9100 Sint Niklaas, Belgium
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6
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Formaux A, Sperber D, Fagot J, Claidière N. Guinea baboons are strategic cooperators. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2023; 9:eadi5282. [PMID: 37889969 PMCID: PMC10610893 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.adi5282] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/25/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023]
Abstract
Humans are strategic cooperators; we make decisions on the basis of costs and benefits to maintain high levels of cooperation, and this is thought to have played a key role in human evolution. In comparison, monkeys and apes might lack the cognitive capacities necessary to develop flexible forms of cooperation. We show that Guinea baboons (Papio papio) can use direct reciprocity and partner choice to develop and maintain high levels of cooperation in a prosocial choice task. Our findings demonstrate that monkeys have the cognitive capacities to adjust their level of cooperation strategically using a combination of partner choice and partner control strategies. Such capacities were likely present in our common ancestor and would have provided the foundations for the evolution of typically human forms of cooperation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anthony Formaux
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR7290, Université Aix-Marseille/CNRS, Marseille, France
- Station de Primatologie-Celphedia, CNRS UAR846, Rousset, France
| | - Dan Sperber
- Central European University, Wien, Austria
- Institut Jean Nicod, Ecole Normale Supérieure, Paris, France
| | - Joël Fagot
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR7290, Université Aix-Marseille/CNRS, Marseille, France
- Station de Primatologie-Celphedia, CNRS UAR846, Rousset, France
- Institute for Language, Communication and the Brain, Université Aix-Marseille, CNRS, Aix-en-Provence, France
| | - Nicolas Claidière
- Laboratoire de Psychologie Cognitive, UMR7290, Université Aix-Marseille/CNRS, Marseille, France
- Station de Primatologie-Celphedia, CNRS UAR846, Rousset, France
- Institute for Language, Communication and the Brain, Université Aix-Marseille, CNRS, Aix-en-Provence, France
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7
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Sauciuc GA, Persson T. Empirical challenges from the comparative and developmental literature to the Shared Intentionality Theory - a review of alternative data on recursive mind reading, prosociality, imitation and cumulative culture. Front Psychol 2023; 14:1157137. [PMID: 37901066 PMCID: PMC10613111 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2023.1157137] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2023] [Accepted: 09/28/2023] [Indexed: 10/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans have an irresistible inclination to coordinate actions with others, leading to species-unique forms of cooperation. According to the highly influential Shared Intentionality Theory (SITh), human cooperation is made possible by shared intentionality (SI), typically defined as a suite of socio-cognitive and motivational traits for sharing psychological states with others, thereby enabling individuals to engage in joint action in the mutually aware pursuit of shared goals. SITh theorises that SI evolved as late as 400,000 years ago, when our ancestors (in particular, Homo heidelbergensis) turned to a kind of food procurement that obligatorily required joint coordinated action. SI is, thus, hypothesized to be absent in other extant species, including our closest genetic relatives, the nonhuman great apes ("apes"). According to SITh, ape psychology is exclusively driven by individualistic motivations, as opposed to human psychology which is uniquely driven by altruistic motivations. The evolutionary scenario proposed by SITh builds on a series of findings from socio-cognitive research with apes and human children, and on the assumption that abilities expressed early in human development are human universals, unlikely to have been shaped by socio-cultural influences. Drawing on the primatological and developmental literature, we provide a systematic - albeit selective - review of SITh-inconsistent findings concerning psychological and behavioural traits theorised to be constitutive of SI. The findings we review pertain to all three thematic clusters typically addressed in SITh: (i) recursive mind reading; (ii) prosociality; (iii) imitation and cumulative culture. We conclude that such alternative data undermine two core SITh claims: the late evolutionary emergence of SI and the radical divide between ape and human psychology. We also discuss several conceptual and methodological limitations that currently hamper reliable comparative research on SI, in particular those engendered by Western-centric biases in the social sciences, where an overreliance on Western samples has promoted the formulation of Western-centric conceptualisations, operationalisations and methodologies.
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8
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Achorn A, Lindshield S, Ndiaye PI, Winking J, Pruetz JD. Reciprocity and beyond: Explaining meat transfers in savanna-dwelling chimpanzees at Fongoli, Senegal. AMERICAN JOURNAL OF BIOLOGICAL ANTHROPOLOGY 2023; 182:224-236. [PMID: 37452552 DOI: 10.1002/ajpa.24815] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/22/2022] [Revised: 06/28/2023] [Accepted: 06/30/2023] [Indexed: 07/18/2023]
Abstract
OBJECTIVES To understand the function of food sharing among our early hominin ancestors, we can turn to our nonhuman primate relatives for insight. Here, we examined the function of meat sharing by Fongoli chimpanzees, a community of western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) in southeastern Sénégal. MATERIALS AND METHODS We tested three non-mutually exclusive hypotheses that have been used to explain patterns of food sharing: kin selection, generalized reciprocity, and meat-for-mating opportunities. We analyzed meat sharing events (n = 484) resulting from hunts, along with data on copulations, age-sex class, and kinship to determine which variables predict the likelihood of meat sharing during this study period (2006-2019). RESULTS We found full or partial support for kin selection, direct reciprocity, and meat-for-mating-opportunities. However, the analyses reveal that reciprocity and a mother/offspring relationship were the strongest predictors of whether or not an individual shared meat. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study emphasize the complexity of chimpanzee meat sharing behaviors, especially at a site where social tolerance offers increased opportunities for meat sharing by individuals other than dominant males. These findings can be placed in a referential model to inform hypotheses about the sensitivity of food sharing to environmental pressures, such as resource scarcity in savanna landscapes.
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Affiliation(s)
- Angela Achorn
- Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michael E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, Texas, USA
| | - Stacy Lindshield
- Department of Anthropology, Purdue University, West Lafayette, Indiana, USA
| | - Papa Ibnou Ndiaye
- Département de Biologie Animale, Université Cheikh Anta Diop de Dakar, Dakar, Senegal
| | - Jeffrey Winking
- Department of Anthropology, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas, USA
| | - Jill D Pruetz
- Department of Anthropology, Texas State University, San Marcos, Texas, USA
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9
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Gibson V, Boysen ST, Hobaiter C, Davila-Ross M. Object use in communication of semi-wild chimpanzees. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:1521-1537. [PMID: 37314595 PMCID: PMC10442273 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-023-01792-z] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2022] [Revised: 04/17/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Object interactions play an important role in human communication but the extent to which nonhuman primates incorporate objects in their social interactions remains unknown. To better understand the evolution of object use, this study explored how objects are used in social interactions in semi-wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). We used an observational approach focusing on naturally occurring object actions where we examined their use and tested whether the production of object actions was influenced by the recipients' visual attention as well as by colony membership. The results show that chimpanzees adjusted both the type of object used, and the modality of object actions to match the visual attention of the recipient, as well as colony differences in the use of targeted object actions. These results provide empirical evidence highlighting that chimpanzees use objects in diverse ways to communicate with conspecifics and that their use may be shaped by social factors, contributing to our understanding of the evolution of human nonverbal communication, language, and tool use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Violet Gibson
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY, UK
| | | | - Catherine Hobaiter
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, KY16 9JP, UK
| | - Marina Davila-Ross
- Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 2DY, UK.
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10
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Following the human point: Research with nonhuman animals since Povinelli, Nelson, and Boysen (1990). Learn Behav 2023; 51:34-47. [PMID: 36175744 DOI: 10.3758/s13420-022-00546-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Accepted: 09/14/2022] [Indexed: 11/08/2022]
Abstract
For this special issue in honor of Dr. Sarah (Sally) Boysen's career, we review studies on point following in nonhuman animals. Of the 126 papers that we documented on this topic published since the publication of Povinelli, Nelson, and Boysen (1990, Journal of Comparative Psychology, 104, 203-210), 94 (75%) were published in the past 15 years, including 22 in the past 5 years, indicating that this topic is still an active area of interest in the field of animal behavior and cognition. We present results of a survey of publication trends, discussing the species tested and the sample sizes, and we note methodological considerations and current multilaboratory approaches. We then categorize and synthesize the research questions addressed in these studies, which have been at both the ultimate level (e.g., questions related to evolutionary adaptiveness and phylogenetic differences) and proximate level (e.g., questions related to experiential and temperamental processes). Throughout, we consider future directions for this area of research.
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11
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Cassar A, Rigdon M. Sustaining the potential for cooperation as female competitive strategy. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20210440. [PMID: 36988499 PMCID: PMC9703262 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 08/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
The lower female competitiveness often found in economic experiments presents a puzzle. If accumulating wealth and reaching high status affords women essential benefits for themselves and their children, why do women appear less competitive? By looking at behavioural strategies from a cooperative breeding perspective, we propose that women may have evolved an adaptation to strategically suppress competitiveness to elicit cooperation for the benefit of raising offspring. To support this idea, we review the literature that shows that women's behaviour is, in general, more reactive than men's to the social conditions of the different games. In particular, we focus on our experimental work where we show that women are not less competitive than men once the games evoke a parenting frame (by substituting cash with rewards that could benefit the participants' offspring), a gender-typical one (by using vouchers for prizes acceptable as domain of female interests), or include a prosocial option (by allowing winners to share some of the gains with losers). We conclude that, for women, nurturing the potential for cooperation intertwines with competitiveness to produce a complex, adaptive female social strategy. This article is part of the theme issue 'Cooperation among women: evolutionary and cross-cultural perspectives'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alessandra Cassar
- Department of Economics, University of San Francisco, San Francisco, CA 94117, USA
| | - Mary Rigdon
- Center for the Philosophy of Freedom, University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721, USA
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12
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Chotard H, Bard KA, Micheletta J, Davila-Ross M. Testing for personality consistency across naturally occurring behavioral contexts in sanctuary chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Am J Primatol 2023; 85:e23451. [PMID: 36394276 PMCID: PMC10078319 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23451] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/31/2021] [Revised: 09/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Personality is both a reflection of the bio-behavioral profile of individuals and a summary of how they typically interact with their physical and social world. Personality is usually defined as having distinct behavioral characteristics, which are assumed to be consistent over time and across contexts. Like other mammals, primates have individual differences in personality. Although temporal consistency is sometimes measured in primates, and contextual consistency is sometimes measured across experimental contexts, it is rare to measure both in the same individuals and outside of experimental settings. Here, we aim to measure both temporal and contextual consistency in chimpanzees, assessing their personality with behavioral observations from naturally occurring contexts (i.e., real-life settings). We measured personality-based behaviors in 22 sanctuary chimpanzees, in the contexts of feeding, affiliation, resting, and solitude, across two time periods, spanning 4 years. Of the 22 behaviors recorded, about 64% were consistent across two to four contexts and 50% were consistent over time. Ten behaviors loaded significantly onto three trait components: explorativeness, boldness-sociability, and anxiety-sociability, as revealed by factor analysis. Like others, we documented individual differences in the personality of chimpanzees based on reliably measured observations in real-life contexts. Furthermore, we demonstrated relatively strong, but not absolute, temporal, and contextual consistency in personality-based behaviors. We also found another aspect of individual differences in personality, specifically, the extent to which individual chimpanzees show consistency. Some individuals showed contextual and temporal consistency, whereas others show significant variation across behaviors, contexts, and/or time. We speculate that the relative degree of consistency in personality may vary within chimpanzees. It may be that different primate species vary in the extent to which individuals show consistency of personality traits. Our behavioral-based assessment can be used with wild populations, increasing the validity of personality studies, facilitating comparative studies and potentially being applicable to conservation efforts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Hélène Chotard
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Kim A Bard
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Jérôme Micheletta
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
| | - Marina Davila-Ross
- Department of Psychology, Centre for Comparative and Evolutionary Psychology, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, UK
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13
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Schweinfurth MK, Baldridge DB, Finnerty K, Call J, Knoblich GK. Inter-individual coordination in walking chimpanzees. Curr Biol 2022; 32:5138-5143.e3. [PMID: 36270278 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2022.09.059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/24/2022] [Revised: 08/11/2022] [Accepted: 09/28/2022] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
Humans, like many other animals, live in groups and coordinate actions with others in social settings.1 Such interpersonal coordination may emerge unconsciously and when the goal is not the coordination of movements, as when falling into the same rhythm when walking together.2 Although one of our closest living relatives, the chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes), shows the ability to succeed in complex joint action tasks where coordination is the goal,3 little is known about simpler forms of joint action. Here, we examine whether chimpanzees spontaneously synchronize their actions with conspecifics while walking together. We collected data on individual walking behavior of two groups of chimpanzees under semi-natural conditions. In addition, we assessed social relationships to investigate potential effects on the strength of coordination. When walking with a conspecific, individuals walked faster than when alone. The relative phase was symmetrically distributed around 0° with the highest frequencies around 0, indicating a tendency to coordinate actions. Further, coordination was stronger when walking with a partner compared with two individuals walking independently. Although the inter-limb entrainment was more pronounced between individuals of similar age as a proxy for height, it was not affected by the kinship or bonding status of the walkers or the behaviors they engaged in immediately after the walk. We conclude that chimpanzees adapt their individual behavior to temporally coordinate actions with others, which might provide a basis for engaging in other more complex forms of joint action. This spontaneous form of inter-individual coordination, often called entrainment, is thus shared with humans.
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Affiliation(s)
- Manon K Schweinfurth
- University of St Andrews, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland.
| | - Dylan B Baldridge
- University of St Andrews, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland
| | - Kyle Finnerty
- University of St Andrews, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland
| | - Josep Call
- University of St Andrews, School of Psychology & Neuroscience, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland
| | - Günther K Knoblich
- Central European University, Social Mind and Body group, 1100 Wien, Austria
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14
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Hopkins WD, Mulholland MM, Mareno MC, Webb SJN, Schapiro SJ. Neuroanatomical correlates of individual differences in the object choice task in chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes). Front Psychol 2022; 13:1057722. [PMID: 36507015 PMCID: PMC9732552 DOI: 10.3389/fpsyg.2022.1057722] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/29/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Declarative and imperative joint attention or joint engagement are important milestones in human infant development. These have been shown to be a significant predictor of later language development and are impaired in some individuals with, or at risk for, a diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder. Comparatively, while chimpanzees and other great apes have been reported to engage in imperative joint attention, evidence of declarative joint attention remains unclear based on existing studies. Some have suggested that differences in methods of assessing joint attention may have an influence on performance in nonhuman primates. Here, we report data on a measure of receptive joint attention (object choice task) in a sample of captive chimpanzees. Chimpanzees, as a group, performed significantly better than chance. By contrast, when considering individual performance, there was no significant difference in the number of those who passed and those who failed. Using quantitative genetic analyses, we found that performance on the object choice task was not significantly heritable nor were there any significant effects of sex, rearing history, or colony. Lastly, we found significant differences in gray matter covariation, between those who passed or failed the task. Those who passed contributed more to gray matter covariation in several brain regions within the social brain network, consistent with hypotheses regarding the importance of these regions in human and nonhuman primate social cognition.
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Affiliation(s)
- William D. Hopkins
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States
| | - Michele M. Mulholland
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States
| | - Mary Catherine Mareno
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States
| | - Sarah J. Neal Webb
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States
| | - Steven J. Schapiro
- Department of Comparative Medicine, Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, Bastrop, TX, United States
- Department of Experimental Medicine, University of Copenhagen, Copenhagen, Denmark
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15
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Pal S, Hilbe C. Reputation effects drive the joint evolution of cooperation and social rewarding. Nat Commun 2022; 13:5928. [PMID: 36207309 PMCID: PMC9547006 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-022-33551-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2022] [Accepted: 09/22/2022] [Indexed: 11/28/2022] Open
Abstract
People routinely cooperate with each other, even when cooperation is costly. To further encourage such pro-social behaviors, recipients often respond by providing additional incentives, for example by offering rewards. Although such incentives facilitate cooperation, the question remains how these incentivizing behaviors themselves evolve, and whether they would always be used responsibly. Herein, we consider a simple model to systematically study the co-evolution of cooperation and different rewarding policies. In our model, both social and antisocial behaviors can be rewarded, but individuals gain a reputation for how they reward others. By characterizing the game’s equilibria and by simulating evolutionary learning processes, we find that reputation effects systematically favor cooperation and social rewarding. While our baseline model applies to pairwise interactions in well-mixed populations, we obtain similar conclusions under assortment, or when individuals interact in larger groups. According to our model, rewards are most effective when they sway others to cooperate. This view is consistent with empirical observations suggesting that people reward others to ultimately benefit themselves. Rewards can motivate people to cooperate, but the evolution of rewarding behavior is itself poorly understood. Here, a game-theoretic analysis shows that reputation effects facilitate the simultaneous evolution of cooperation and social rewarding policies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Saptarshi Pal
- Max Planck Research Group Dynamics of Social Behavior, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306, Plön, Germany.
| | - Christian Hilbe
- Max Planck Research Group Dynamics of Social Behavior, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology, 24306, Plön, Germany
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16
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Paulsson NI, Taborsky M. Norway rats help social partners in need in response to ultrasonic begging signals. Ethology 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Niklas Ingvar Paulsson
- Division of Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern Switzerland
| | - Michael Taborsky
- Division of Behavioural Ecology Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Bern Switzerland
- Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
- Institute for Advanced Study (Wissenschaftskolleg) Berlin Germany
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17
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Melis AP, Rossano F. When and how do non-human great apes communicate to support cooperation? Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210109. [PMID: 35876197 PMCID: PMC9310173 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Several scholars have long suggested that human language and remarkable communicative abilities originate from the need and motivation to cooperate and coordinate actions with others. Yet, little work has focused on when and how great apes communicate during joint action tasks, partly because of the widely held assumption that animal communication is mostly manipulative, but also because non-human great apes' default motivation seems to be competitive rather than cooperative. Here, we review experimental cooperative tasks and show how situational challenges and the degree of asymmetry in terms of knowledge relevant for the joint action task affect the likelihood of communication. We highlight how physical proximity and strength of social bond between the participants affect the occurrence and type of communication. Lastly, we highlight how, from a production point of view, communicators appear capable of calibrating their signalling and controlling their delivery, showing clear evidence of first-order intentionality. On the other hand, recipients appear to struggle in terms of making use of referential information received. We discuss different hypotheses accounting for this asymmetry and provide suggestions concerning how future work could help us unveil to what degree the need for cooperation has shaped our closest living relatives' communicative behaviour.
This article is part of the theme issue ‘Revisiting the human ‘interaction engine’: comparative approaches to social action coordination’.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia P. Melis
- Experimental Psychology, University College London, London WC1H 0AP, UK
| | - F. Rossano
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California San Diego, San Diego CA 92093, USA
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18
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Fröhlich M, van Schaik CP, van Noordwijk MA, Knief U. Individual variation and plasticity in the infant-directed communication of orang-utan mothers. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220200. [PMID: 35582800 PMCID: PMC9114970 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0200] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Between-individual variation in behavioural expression, such as social responsiveness, has been shown to have important eco-evolutionary consequences. However, most comparative research on non-human primate communication has focused on species- or population-level variation, while among- and within-individual variation has been largely ignored or considered as noise. Here, we apply a behavioural reaction norm framework to repeated observations of mother-offspring interactions in wild and zoo-housed orang-utans (Pongo abelii, P. pygmaeus) to tease apart variation on the individual level from population-level and species-level differences. Our results showed that mothers not only differed in the composition of their infant-directed gestural repertoires, but also in communicative tactics, such as gestural redoings (i.e. persistence) and responsiveness to infants' requests. These differences remained after controlling for essential moderators, including species, setting, parity and infant age. Importantly, mothers differed in how they adjusted their behaviour across social contexts, making a strong case for investigating within-individual variation. Our findings highlight that partitioning behavioural variation into its within-individual, between-individual and environmental sources allows us to estimate the extent of plastic responses to the immediate environment in great ape communication.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marlen Fröhlich
- Paleoanthropology, Institute for Archaeological Sciences, Senckenberg Center for Human Evolution and Paleoenvironment, University of Tübingen, Tübingen, Germany,Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Carel P. van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland,Comparative Socioecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany,Center for the Interdisciplinary Study of Language Evolution (ISLE), University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Maria A. van Noordwijk
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland,Comparative Socioecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Ulrich Knief
- Division of Evolutionary Biology, Faculty of Biology, Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
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19
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Lemoine SRT, Samuni L, Crockford C, Wittig RM. Parochial cooperation in wild chimpanzees: a model to explain the evolution of parochial altruism. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20210149. [PMID: 35369746 PMCID: PMC8977654 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/18/2021] [Accepted: 01/24/2022] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Parochial altruism, taking individual costs to benefit the in-group and harm the out-group, has been proposed as one of the mechanisms underlying the human ability of large-scale cooperation. How parochial altruism has evolved remains unclear. In this review paper, we formulate a parochial cooperation model in small-scale groups and examine the model in wild chimpanzees. As suggested for human parochial altruism, we review evidence that the oxytocinergic system and in-group cooperation and cohesion during out-group threat are integral parts of chimpanzee collective action during intergroup competition. We expand this model by suggesting that chimpanzee parochial cooperation is supported by the social structure of chimpanzee groups which enables repeated interaction history and established social ties between co-operators. We discuss in detail the role of the oxytocinergic system in supporting parochial cooperation, a pathway that appears integral already in chimpanzees. The reviewed evidence suggests that prerequisites of human parochial altruism were probably present in the last common ancestor between Pan and Homo. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sylvain R. T. Lemoine
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Archaeology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Liran Samuni
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Department of Human Evolutionary Biology, Harvard University, Cambridge, MA, USA
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, CNRS/University of Lyon, Bron, France
| | - Roman M. Wittig
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Institute of Cognitive Sciences Marc Jeannerod, UMR 5229, CNRS/University of Lyon, Bron, France
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20
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Staes N, Vermeulen K, van Leeuwen EJC, Verspeek J, Torfs JRR, Eens M, Stevens JMG. Drivers of Dyadic Cofeeding Tolerance in Pan: A Composite Measure Approach. BIOLOGY 2022; 11:713. [PMID: 35625440 PMCID: PMC9138277 DOI: 10.3390/biology11050713] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/25/2022] [Revised: 04/28/2022] [Accepted: 04/28/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
This study aimed to construct a composite model of Dyadic Cofeeding Tolerance (DCT) in zoo-housed bonobos and chimpanzees using a validated experimental cofeeding paradigm and to investigate whether components resulting from this model differ between the two species or vary with factors such as sex, age, kinship and social bond strength. Using dimension reduction analysis on five behavioral variables from the experimental paradigm (proximity, aggression, food transfers, negative food behavior, participation), we found a two-factor model: "Tolerant Cofeeding" and "Agonistic Cofeeding". To investigate the role of social bond quality on DCT components alongside species effects, we constructed and validated a novel relationship quality model for bonobos and chimpanzees combined, resulting in two factors: Relationship Value and Incompatibility. Interestingly, bonobos and chimpanzees did not differ in DCT scores, and sex and kinship effects were identical in both species but biased by avoidance of the resource zone by male-male dyads in bonobos. Social bonds impacted DCT similarly in both species, as dyads with high Relationship Value showed more Tolerant Cofeeding, while dyads with higher Relationship Incompatibility showed more Agonistic Cofeeding. We showed that composite DCT models can be constructed that take into account both negative and positive cofeeding behavior. The resulting DCT scores were predicted by sex, kinship and social bonds in a similar fashion in both Pan species, likely reflecting their adaptability to changing socio-ecological environments. This novel operational measure to quantify cofeeding tolerance can now be applied to a wider range of species in captivity and the wild to see how variation in local socio-ecological circumstances influences fitness interdependence and cofeeding tolerance at the dyadic and group levels. This can ultimately lead to a better understanding of how local environments have shaped the evolution of tolerance in humans and other species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicky Staes
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (E.J.C.v.L.); (J.V.); (J.R.R.T.); (M.E.); (J.M.G.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Kim Vermeulen
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (E.J.C.v.L.); (J.V.); (J.R.R.T.); (M.E.); (J.M.G.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- Animal Behavior and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Edwin J. C. van Leeuwen
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (E.J.C.v.L.); (J.V.); (J.R.R.T.); (M.E.); (J.M.G.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- Animal Behavior and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, 3584 Utrecht, The Netherlands
| | - Jonas Verspeek
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (E.J.C.v.L.); (J.V.); (J.R.R.T.); (M.E.); (J.M.G.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Jonas R. R. Torfs
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (E.J.C.v.L.); (J.V.); (J.R.R.T.); (M.E.); (J.M.G.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (E.J.C.v.L.); (J.V.); (J.R.R.T.); (M.E.); (J.M.G.S.)
| | - Jeroen M. G. Stevens
- Behavioural Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, 2610 Antwerp, Belgium; (E.J.C.v.L.); (J.V.); (J.R.R.T.); (M.E.); (J.M.G.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- SALTO Agro- and Biotechnology, Odisee University College, 9100 Sint-Niklaas, Belgium
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21
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Affiliation(s)
- Gerald G. Carter
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University Columbus OH USA
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22
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Insights from comparative research on social and cultural learning. PROGRESS IN BRAIN RESEARCH 2021; 254:247-270. [PMID: 32859290 DOI: 10.1016/bs.pbr.2020.05.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/13/2023]
Abstract
Social cognitive skills play a crucial role in human life, and have allowed us to reach a unique level of behavioral and cultural complexity. However, many nonhuman species also show a complex understanding of the social world. Building on theories of human social development, we will follow the emergence of cultural learning skills across taxa, discussing similarities and differences between humans and other species. We will first review literature on social learning, including enhancement, emulation and imitation. Then, we will discuss existing studies on the evolution of teaching, and finally, we will critically review literature on the social transmission of skills and knowledge across generations. By adopting a comparative perspective, we will be able to identify the unique characteristics of social transmission in humans, and the social skills that are instead shared with other species, to gain a deeper understanding of the role of cultural learning in social cognitive development.
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23
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van Leeuwen EJC, DeTroy SE, Kaufhold SP, Dubois C, Schütte S, Call J, Haun DBM. Chimpanzees behave prosocially in a group-specific manner. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2021; 7:7/9/eabc7982. [PMID: 33627415 PMCID: PMC7904267 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.abc7982] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/14/2020] [Accepted: 01/14/2021] [Indexed: 05/17/2023]
Abstract
Chimpanzees act cooperatively in the wild, but whether they afford benefits to others, and whether their tendency to act prosocially varies across communities, is unclear. Here, we show that chimpanzees from neighboring communities provide valuable resources to group members at personal cost, and that the magnitude of their prosocial behavior is group specific. Provided with a resource-donation experiment allowing free (partner) choice, we observed an increase in prosocial acts across the study period in most of the chimpanzees. When group members could profit (test condition), chimpanzees provided resources more frequently and for longer durations than when their acts produced inaccessible resources (control condition). Strikingly, chimpanzees' prosocial behavior was group specific, with more socially tolerant groups acting more prosocially. We conclude that chimpanzees may purposely behave prosocially toward group members, and that the notion of group-specific sociality in nonhuman animals should crucially inform discussions on the evolution of prosocial behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Edwin J C van Leeuwen
- University of St Andrews, Westburn Lane, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland.
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, K. Astridplein 26, B 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Sarah E DeTroy
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig Research Centre for Early Child Development & Department for Early Child Development and Culture, Faculty of Education, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59 04109, Germany
| | - Stephan P Kaufhold
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Clara Dubois
- Leipzig Research Centre for Early Child Development & Department for Early Child Development and Culture, Faculty of Education, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59 04109, Germany
| | - Sebastian Schütte
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, 9500 Gilman Drive, La Jolla, San Diego, CA 92093, USA
| | - Josep Call
- University of St Andrews, Westburn Lane, KY16 9JP St Andrews, Scotland
| | - Daniel B M Haun
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
- Leipzig Research Centre for Early Child Development & Department for Early Child Development and Culture, Faculty of Education, Leipzig University, Jahnallee 59 04109, Germany
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24
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Bowden-Parry M, Postma E, Boogert NJ. Effects of food type and abundance on begging and sharing in Asian small-clawed otters ( Aonyx cinereus). PeerJ 2020; 8:e10369. [PMID: 33335807 PMCID: PMC7713600 DOI: 10.7717/peerj.10369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/04/2020] [Accepted: 10/25/2020] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Begging for food, a conspicuous solicitation display, is common in a variety of taxa, and it has received extensive research attention in a parent-offspring context. Both theoretical models and empirical evidence suggest that offspring begging can be an honest signal of hunger or a mediator of competition between siblings. At a behavioural mechanistic level, begging for food can be a form of harassment aimed at persuading those in possession of food to share. Food sharing, defined as the transfer of a defendable food item from one individual to another, can vary considerably between species, age-classes and food type and abundance. We investigated the determinants of begging and food-sharing behaviours in Asian small-clawed otters (Aonyx cinereus), a group-living species that commonly exhibits begging in captivity. We presented two captive otter populations with three food types that varied in exploitation complexity, in three different abundances. We predicted that begging rates would be highest when food was in lowest abundance and hardest to exploit, and that increased begging would lead to increased food sharing. We found that, over time, increased begging rates were indeed correlated with increased food transfers, but neither food type complexity nor abundance affected begging or sharing rates. However, age category was significantly associated with begging and food sharing rates: juvenile otters begged more and shared less than adult otters. The results from this first experimental study on begging and food sharing within the Mustelid family begin to reveal some of the drivers of these behaviours.
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Affiliation(s)
- Madison Bowden-Parry
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Erik Postma
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
| | - Neeltje J. Boogert
- Department of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, United Kingdom
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25
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Proximate mechanisms and relational history: the interdependence of food transfers in socially housed orang-utans (Pongo abelii). Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.07.016] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/23/2022]
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26
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Effects of indirect reputation and type of rearing on food choices in chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2020. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-020-02861-w] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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27
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Bădescu I, Sicotte P, Sandel AA, Desruelle KJ, Curteanu C, Watts DP, Sellen DW. Premasticated food transfer by wild chimpanzee mothers with their infants: Effects of maternal parity, infant age and sex, and food properties. J Hum Evol 2020; 143:102794. [PMID: 32371289 DOI: 10.1016/j.jhevol.2020.102794] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/12/2019] [Revised: 03/26/2020] [Accepted: 03/26/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022]
Abstract
Premasticated food transfer, when an individual partially breaks down food through chewing and feeds it to another individual, usually mouth-to-mouth, is described widely across human cultures. This behavior plays an important role in modern humans' strategy of complementary feeding, which involves supplementing maternal milk in infant diets with processed, easily digestible versions of adult foods. The extent to which other primates engage in premasticated food transfer with infants is unclear, as premasticated food transfers have been only occasionally reported in other ape species. We investigated premasticated food transfers in 62 mother-infant pairs of wild chimpanzees at Ngogo, Uganda, as well as unresisted food taking, when mothers passively allow infants to seize food. We evaluated the presence or absence and rates of premasticated food transfer and unresisted food taking relative to maternal parity and infant age and sex and assessed the food species and part used. We found that chimpanzee mothers regularly shared premasticated food with their infants aged between 6 months and 4 years, but they were more likely to share, and more frequently shared, with younger infants. The frequency with which females shared premasticated food may relate to maternal experience, as multiparous females shared premasticated food more often than did first-time mothers, which we did not find with unresisted food taking. Both easy-to-chew, commonly eaten foods and tougher, rarely eaten foods were shared. Premasticated food transfer and unresisted food taking may be infant-rearing strategies to facilitate the transition from a diet of exclusive maternal milk to solid food during early infancy. Premasticated food transfer in particular may provide energetic, immune, or growth benefits to infants through reduced chewing effort and maternal saliva. Given our findings in chimpanzees and earlier reports in other ape species, we suggest that the foundation of complementary feeding, a uniquely hominin strategy, might have been present in a common ancestor shared with the other great apes in the form of premasticated, mouth-to-mouth food transfer by mothers with their offspring.
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Affiliation(s)
- Iulia Bădescu
- Département D'Anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, 3150 Jean-Brillant, Montréal, QC, H3T 1N8, Canada.
| | - Pascale Sicotte
- Department of Anthropology and Archaeology, University of Calgary, 2500 University Dr. N.W., Calgary, AB, T2N 1N4, Canada
| | - Aaron A Sandel
- Department of Anthropology, University of Texas at Austin, SAC 4.102, 2201 Speedway Stop C3200, Austin, TX, 78712, USA
| | - Kelly J Desruelle
- Département D'Anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, 3150 Jean-Brillant, Montréal, QC, H3T 1N8, Canada
| | - Cassandra Curteanu
- Département D'Anthropologie, Université de Montréal, Pavillon Lionel-Groulx, 3150 Jean-Brillant, Montréal, QC, H3T 1N8, Canada
| | - David P Watts
- Department of Anthropology, Yale University, 10 Sachem Street, New Haven, CT, 06511-3707, USA
| | - Daniel W Sellen
- Department of Anthropology, University of Toronto, 19 Russell Street, Toronto, ON, M5S 2S2, Canada
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28
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Adriaense JEC, Koski SE, Huber L, Lamm C. Challenges in the comparative study of empathy and related phenomena in animals. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2020; 112:62-82. [PMID: 32001272 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2020.01.021] [Citation(s) in RCA: 48] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/01/2019] [Revised: 12/06/2019] [Accepted: 01/18/2020] [Indexed: 02/07/2023]
Abstract
The aim of this review is to discuss recent arguments and findings in the comparative study of empathy. Based on a multidisciplinary approach including psychology and ethology, we review the non-human animal literature concerning theoretical frameworks, methodology, and research outcomes. One specific objective is to highlight discrepancies between theory and empirical findings, and to discuss ambiguities present in current data and their interpretation. In particular, we focus on emotional contagion and its experimental investigation, and on consolation and targeted helping as measures for sympathy. Additionally, we address the feasibility of comparing across species with behavioural data alone. One main conclusion of our review is that animal research on empathy still faces the challenge of closing the gap between theoretical concepts and empirical evidence. To advance our knowledge, we propose to focus more on the emotional basis of empathy, rather than on possibly ambiguous behavioural indicators, and we provide suggestions to overcome the limitations of previous research .
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Affiliation(s)
- J E C Adriaense
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Department of Cognitive Biology, Faculty of Life Sciences, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
| | - S E Koski
- Faculty of Social Sciences, University of Helsinki, Unioninkatu 35, 00014 Helsinki, Finland
| | - L Huber
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - C Lamm
- Social, Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience Unit, Department of Cognition, Emotion, and Methods in Psychology, Faculty of Psychology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria; Vienna Cognitive Science Hub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
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29
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Voorhees B, Read D, Gabora L. Identity, Kinship, and the Evolution of Cooperation. CURRENT ANTHROPOLOGY 2020. [DOI: 10.1086/708176] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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30
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Fröhlich M, Müller G, Zeiträg C, Wittig RM, Pika S. Begging and social tolerance: Food solicitation tactics in young chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) in the wild. EVOL HUM BEHAV 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.evolhumbehav.2019.11.002] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/25/2022]
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31
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Staes N, Sherwood CC, Freeman H, Brosnan SF, Schapiro SJ, Hopkins WD, Bradley BJ. Serotonin Receptor 1A Variation Is Associated with Anxiety and Agonistic Behavior in Chimpanzees. Mol Biol Evol 2020; 36:1418-1429. [PMID: 31045220 DOI: 10.1093/molbev/msz061] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022] Open
Abstract
Serotonin is a neurotransmitter that plays an important role in regulating behavior and personality in humans and other mammals. Polymorphisms in genes coding for the serotonin receptor subtype 1A (HTR1A), the serotonin transporter (SLC6A4), and the serotonin degrading enzyme monoamine oxidase A (MAOA) are associated with anxiety, impulsivity, and neurotic personality in humans. In primates, previous research has largely focused on SLC6A4 and MAOA, with few studies investigating the role of HTR1A polymorphic variation on behavior. Here, we examined variation in the coding region of HTR1A across apes, and genotyped polymorphic coding variation in a sample of 214 chimpanzees with matched measures of personality and behavior. We found evidence for positive selection at three amino acid substitution sites, one in chimpanzees-bonobos (Thr26Ser), one in humans (Phe33Val), and one in orangutans (Ala274Gly). Investigation of the HTR1A coding region in chimpanzees revealed a polymorphic site, where a C/A single nucleotide polymorphism changes a proline to a glutamine in the amino acid sequence (Pro248Gln). The substitution is located in the third intracellular loop of the receptor, a region important for serotonin signal transduction. The derived variant is the major allele in this population (frequency 0.67), and is associated with a reduction in anxiety, decreased rates of male agonistic behavior, and an increase in socio-positive behavior. These results are the first evidence that the HTR1A gene may be involved in regulating social behavior in chimpanzees and encourage further systematic investigation of polymorphic variation in other primate populations with corresponding data on behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nicky Staes
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC.,Department of Biology, Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, University of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium.,Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Chet C Sherwood
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
| | - Hani Freeman
- Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterBastrop, TX
| | - Sarah F Brosnan
- Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterBastrop, TX.,Department of Psychology, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.,Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA
| | - Steven J Schapiro
- Michale E. Keeling Center for Comparative Medicine and Research, The University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer CenterBastrop, TX
| | - William D Hopkins
- Neuroscience Institute and Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Atlanta, GA.,Ape Cognition and Conservation Initiative, Des Moines, IA
| | - Brenda J Bradley
- Department of Anthropology, Center for the Advanced Study of Human Paleobiology, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
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32
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Dell'Anna F, Llorente M, Weiß BM, von Fersen L, Amici F. The effect of individual and food characteristics on food retrieval and food sharing in captive Guinea baboons (Papio papio). Am J Primatol 2019; 82:e23078. [PMID: 31840293 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23078] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2019] [Revised: 11/25/2019] [Accepted: 11/30/2019] [Indexed: 11/10/2022]
Abstract
Access to food is of major importance to the fitness and survival of every individual, particularly in group-living animals, in which individual characteristics and food distribution can affect food intake. Additionally, several species of primates are known to share food under certain conditions. Such unresisted transfer of food from one individual to another appears to be adaptive, for instance as a tool to maintain and reinforce social bonds. In this study, we aimed to test how food retrieval and food sharing varies depending on the social relationship between individuals, and on the characteristics of the food. In six different test conditions, we provided a captive group of Guinea baboons (Papio papio, N = 23) with multiple food items, differing in quality, quantity, density, monopolizability, and effort required to obtain it. We further used behavioral observations to assess individual relationships and possible variations in grooming exchanges linked to food sharing events. Out of 424 events in which food items were retrieved by the subjects, we detected no instances of active food sharing and only 17 of passive food sharing. The way food was retrieved was affected by individual and food characteristics (i.e., quantity, quality, and monopolizability of food): Males and central individuals (i.e., those connected to many partners, and/or having partners with many connections in the social network) were more likely to retrieve food during test conditions. In particular, events of passive food sharing mostly happened when the quality of food was low, and between individuals belonging to the same community (i.e., having close relationships). No other food characteristics affected the probability to share food, and the occurrence of food sharing had no immediate effect on grooming exchanges. Overall, our findings suggest that food sharing is relatively rare in Guinea baboons unless the food has a low quality and individuals form close social bonds.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fabrizio Dell'Anna
- Instituto de Neuroetologia, Universidad Veracruzana, Xalapa, Mexico.,Innovació i Formació, Fundació Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain
| | - Miquel Llorente
- Department of Psychology, Facultat d'Educació i Psicologia, Universitat de Girona, Girona, Spain.,Unitat de Recerca i Etologia, Fundació Mona, Riudellots de la Selva, Spain.,Institut de Recerca i Estudis en Primatologia-IPRIM, Girona, Spain
| | - Brigitte M Weiß
- Research Group "Primate Behavioural Ecology", Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA) Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, Germany.,Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Faculty of Life Science, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
| | | | - Federica Amici
- Research Group "Primate Behavioural Ecology", Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology (MPI EVA) Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig, Germany.,Behavioral Ecology Research Group, Faculty of Life Science, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, Leipzig, Germany
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33
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How chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) share the spoils with collaborators and bystanders. PLoS One 2019; 14:e0222795. [PMID: 31545837 PMCID: PMC6756536 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0222795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/15/2019] [Accepted: 09/06/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022] Open
Abstract
Chimpanzees hunt cooperatively in the wild, but the factors influencing food sharing after the hunt are not well understood. In an experimental study, groups of three captive chimpanzees obtained a monopolizable food resource, either via two individuals cooperating (with the third as bystander) or via one individual acting alone alongside two bystanders. The individual that obtained the resource first retained most of the food but the other two individuals attempted to obtain food from the "captor" by begging. We found the main predictor of the overall amount of food obtained by bystanders was proximity to the food at the moment it was obtained by the captor. Whether or not an individual had cooperated to obtain the food had no effect. Interestingly, however, cooperators begged more from captors than did bystanders, suggesting that they were more motivated or had a greater expectation to obtain food. These results suggest that while chimpanzee captors in cooperative hunting may not reward cooperative participation directly, cooperators may influence sharing behavior through increased begging.
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34
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Schriver J, Perunovic WE, Brymer K, Hachey T. Do Relatives With Greater Reproductive Potential Get Help First?: A Test of the Inclusive Fitness Explanation of Kin Altruism. EVOLUTIONARY PSYCHOLOGY 2019; 17:1474704919867094. [PMID: 31392902 PMCID: PMC10367187 DOI: 10.1177/1474704919867094] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/14/2018] [Accepted: 07/05/2019] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
According to inclusive fitness theory, people are more willing to help those they are genetically related to because relatives share a kin altruism gene and are able to pass it along. We tested this theory by examining the effect of reproductive potential on altruism. Participants read hypothetical scenarios and chose between cousins (Studies 1 and 2) and cousins and friends (Study 3) to help with mundane chores or a life-or-death rescue. In life-or-death situations, participants were more willing to help a cousin preparing to conceive rather than adopt a child (Study 1) and a cousin with high rather than low chance of reproducing (Studies 2 and 3). Patterns in the mundane condition were less consistent. Emotional closeness also contributed to helping intentions (Studies 1 and 2). By experimentally manipulating reproductive potential while controlling for genetic relatedness and emotional closeness, we provide a demonstration of the direct causal effects of reproductive potential on helping intentions, supporting the inclusive fitness explanation of kin altruism.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan Schriver
- University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
| | | | - Kyle Brymer
- University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Saskatchewan, Canada
| | - Timothy Hachey
- University of New Brunswick, Fredericton, New Brunswick, Canada
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35
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Carter GG, Schino G, Farine D. Challenges in assessing the roles of nepotism and reciprocity in cooperation networks. Anim Behav 2019. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2019.01.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
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36
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Samuni L, Preis A, Mielke A, Deschner T, Wittig RM, Crockford C. Social bonds facilitate cooperative resource sharing in wild chimpanzees. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 285:rspb.2018.1643. [PMID: 30305438 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2018.1643] [Citation(s) in RCA: 59] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/20/2018] [Accepted: 09/20/2018] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Why share when access to benefits is uncertain is crucial to our understanding of the evolution of humans' extensive cooperation. Here, we investigated some of the different human sharing hypotheses and potential neuroendocrine mechanisms, in one of our closest living relatives, chimpanzees. The strongest predictor of sharing across food types was the presence of enduring and mutually preferred grooming partners, more than harassment, direct signalling, or trade. Moreover, urinary oxytocin levels were higher after the sharing of both individually and jointly acquired resources compared with controls. We conclude that the emotional connection inherent in social bonds was a key factor determining sharing patterns, with the oxytocinergic system potentially facilitating long-term cooperative exchanges. Testing for the role of social bonds in increasing predictability of sharing behaviour, a feature frequently overlooked, may help us to identify the evolutionary drivers of resource sharing and mechanisms that sustain delayed reciprocity between non-kin.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Samuni
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany .,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, BP 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - A Preis
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, BP 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - A Mielke
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, BP 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - T Deschner
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - R M Wittig
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, BP 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - C Crockford
- Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany.,Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques, BP 1303 Abidjan 01, Côte d'Ivoire
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37
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Burkart JM, van Schaik C, Griesser M. Looking for unity in diversity: human cooperative childcare in comparative perspective. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1184. [PMID: 29237848 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1184] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/06/2017] [Accepted: 11/13/2017] [Indexed: 01/31/2023] Open
Abstract
Humans engage in cooperative childcare, which includes some elements not found in other animals, such as the presence of post-reproductive helpers, extensive food sharing among adults and a pervasive sexual division of labour. In animals, cooperative offspring care has typically been studied in two different contexts. The first mainly involves helpers contributing care in cooperatively breeding family groups; the second context is allomaternal care in species usually not categorized as cooperative breeders (e.g. plural and communal breeders, often without male care). Comparative analyses suggest that cooperative breeding and allomaternal care in plural and communal breeders have distinct evolutionary origins, with humans fitting neither pathway entirely. Nevertheless, some critical proximate mechanisms of helping, including hormonal regulators, are likely to be shared across species. Other mechanisms may vary among species, such as social tolerance, proactive prosociality or conditional mother-infant bonding. These are presumably associated with specific details of the care system, such as whether all group members contribute, or whether mothers can potentially raise offspring alone. Thus, cooperative offspring care is seen in different contexts across animal lineages, but may nonetheless share several important psychological characteristics. We end by discussing how work on humans may play a unifying role in studying cooperative offspring care.
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Affiliation(s)
- Judith M Burkart
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Carel van Schaik
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Michael Griesser
- Department of Anthropology, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Institute of Environmental Sciences, Jagiellonian University, Gronostajowa 7, Krakow 30-387, Poland
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38
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Habig B, Doellman MM, Woods K, Olansen J, Archie EA. Social status and parasitism in male and female vertebrates: a meta-analysis. Sci Rep 2018; 8:3629. [PMID: 29483573 PMCID: PMC5827031 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-018-21994-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 02/14/2018] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Social status is an important predictor of parasite risk in vertebrates. To date, general frameworks to explain status-related variation in parasitism have remained elusive. In this meta-analysis, we evaluated five hypotheses proposed to explain status-related variation in parasitism in male and female vertebrates by leveraging variation in hierarchy type, mating system, parasite transmission mode, and allostatic load to test associated predictions. Our meta-analyses span 66 analyses (26 studies) of male vertebrates (two orders and five classes), and 62 analyses (13 studies) of female vertebrates (four vertebrate orders). Contrary to the prevailing paradigm that low status is linked to poor health, we found that dominant animals typically faced higher parasite risk than subordinates. This pattern was especially well-supported in analyses of males versus females, in linear versus egalitarian hierarchies, in mating systems where dominance rank predicts mating effort, and for contact- and environmentally-transmitted parasites rather than vector-borne parasites. These findings supported the priority-of-access and tradeoffs hypotheses suggesting that variation in parasitism is driven by rank-associated differences in exposure to parasites and mating effort. Together, these results suggest that high parasite risk might sometimes be an unappreciated cost of high rank, and conversely, reduced parasite risk might be a benefit of social subordination.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bobby Habig
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA.
| | - Meredith M Doellman
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Kourtney Woods
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Jonathan Olansen
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, 100 Galvin Life Sciences Center, Notre Dame, IN, 46556, USA
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39
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Harten L, Matalon Y, Galli N, Navon H, Dor R, Yovel Y. Persistent producer-scrounger relationships in bats. SCIENCE ADVANCES 2018; 4:e1603293. [PMID: 29441356 PMCID: PMC5810609 DOI: 10.1126/sciadv.1603293] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/17/2017] [Accepted: 01/11/2018] [Indexed: 06/08/2023]
Abstract
Social foraging theory suggests that group-living animals gain from persistent social bonds, which lead to increased tolerance in competitive foraging and information sharing. Bats are among the most social mammals, often living in colonies of tens to thousands of individuals for dozens of years, yet little is known about their social foraging dynamics. We observed three captive bat colonies for over a year, quantifying >13,000 social foraging interactions. We found that individuals consistently used one of two foraging strategies, either producing (collecting) food themselves or scrounging it directly from the mouth of other individuals. Individual foraging types were consistent over at least 16 months except during the lactation period when females shifted toward producing. Scroungers intentionally selected whom to interact with when socially foraging, thus generating persistent nonrandom social relationships with two to three specific producers. These persistent producer-scrounger relationships seem to reduce aggression over time. Finally, scrounging was highly correlated with vigilance, and we hypothesize that vigilant-prone individuals turn to scrounging in the wild to mitigate the risk of landing on a potentially unsafe fruit tree. We find the bat colony to be a rich and dynamic social system, which can serve as a model to study the role that social foraging plays in the evolution of mammalian sociality. Our results highlight the importance of considering individual tendencies when exploring social behavior patterns of group-living animals. These tendencies further emphasize the necessity of studying social networks over time.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lee Harten
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Yasmin Matalon
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Naama Galli
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Hagit Navon
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Roi Dor
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
| | - Yossi Yovel
- Department of Zoology, Faculty of Life Sciences, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
- Sagol School of Neuroscience, Tel Aviv University, Tel Aviv 69978, Israel
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40
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Fröhlich M, Müller G, Zeiträg C, Wittig RM, Pika S. Gestural development of chimpanzees in the wild: the impact of interactional experience. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.12.018] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/15/2022]
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41
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Liebal K, Rossano F. The give and take of food sharing in Sumatran orang-utans, Pongo abelii, and chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
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42
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Mielke A, Samuni L, Preis A, Gogarten JF, Crockford C, Wittig RM. Bystanders intervene to impede grooming in Western chimpanzees and sooty mangabeys. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:171296. [PMID: 29291114 PMCID: PMC5717689 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.171296] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/03/2017] [Accepted: 10/05/2017] [Indexed: 05/23/2023]
Abstract
Grooming interactions benefit groomers, but may have negative consequences for bystanders. Grooming limits bystanders' grooming access and ensuing alliances could threaten the bystander's hierarchy rank or their previous investment in the groomers. To gain a competitive advantage, bystanders could intervene into a grooming bout to increase their own grooming access or to prevent the negative impact of others' grooming. We tested the impact of dominance rank and social relationships on grooming intervention likelihood and outcome in two sympatric primate species, Western chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes verus) and sooty mangabeys (Cercocebus atys atys). In both species, rather than increasing their own access to preferred partners, bystanders intervened mainly when an alliance between groomers could have a negative impact on them: when the lower-ranking groomer was close to the bystander in rank, when either groomer was an affiliation partner whose services they could lose, or the groomers were not yet strongly affiliated with each other. Thus, bystanders in both species appear to monitor grooming interactions and intervene based on their own dominance rank and social relationships, as well as triadic awareness of the relationship between groomers. While the motivation to intervene did not differ between species, mangabeys appeared to be more constrained by dominance rank than chimpanzees.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Mielke
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Liran Samuni
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Anna Preis
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Jan F. Gogarten
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
- Department of Biology, McGill University, Montreal, Canada
- P3: “Epidemiology of Highly Pathogenic Microorganisms”, Robert Koch Institute, Berlin, Germany
| | - Catherine Crockford
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
| | - Roman M. Wittig
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
- Taï Chimpanzee Project, Centre Suisse de Recherches Scientifiques en Côte d'Ivoire, Abidjan, Côte d'Ivoire
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Hobaiter C, Samuni L, Mullins C, Akankwasa WJ, Zuberbühler K. Variation in hunting behaviour in neighbouring chimpanzee communities in the Budongo forest, Uganda. PLoS One 2017; 12:e0178065. [PMID: 28636646 PMCID: PMC5479531 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0178065] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/26/2016] [Accepted: 05/08/2017] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
Hunting and sharing of meat is seen across all chimpanzee sites, with variation in prey preferences, hunting techniques, frequencies, and success rates. Here, we compared hunting and meat-eating behaviour in two adjacent chimpanzee communities (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) of Budongo Forest, Uganda: the Waibira and Sonso communities. We observed consistent between-group differences in prey-species preferences and in post-hunting behaviour. Sonso chimpanzees show a strong prey preference for Guereza colobus monkeys (Colobus guereza occidentalis; 74.9% hunts), and hunt regularly (1-2 times a month) but with large year-to-year and month-to-month variation. Waibira chimpanzee prey preferences are distributed across primate and duiker species, and resemble those described in an early study of Sonso hunting. Waibira chimpanzees (which include ex-Sonso immigrants) have been observed to feed on red duiker (Cephalophus natalensis; 25%, 9/36 hunts), a species Sonso has never been recorded to feed on (18 years data, 27 years observations), despite no apparent differences in prey distribution; and show less rank-related harassment of meat possessors. We discuss the two most likely and probably interrelated explanations for the observed intergroup variation in chimpanzee hunting behaviour, that is, long-term disruption of complex group-level behaviour due to human presence and possible socially transmitted differences in prey preferences.
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Affiliation(s)
- Catherine Hobaiter
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution and Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
| | - Liran Samuni
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Department of Primatology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Caroline Mullins
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution and Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
| | - Walter John Akankwasa
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Animal Resources, Makerere University, Kampala, Uganda
| | - Klaus Zuberbühler
- Centre for Social Learning and Cognitive Evolution and Scottish Primate Research Group, School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, Scotland
- Budongo Conservation Field Station, Masindi, Uganda
- Department of Comparative Cognition, Institute of Biology, University of Neuchatel, Neuchâtel, Switzerland
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Abstract
Humans regularly provide others with resources at a personal cost to themselves. Chimpanzees engage in some cooperative behaviors in the wild as well, but their motivational underpinnings are unclear. In three experiments, chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes) always chose between an option delivering food both to themselves and a partner and one delivering food only to themselves. In one condition, a conspecific partner had just previously taken a personal risk to make this choice available. In another condition, no assistance from the partner preceded the subject's decision. Chimpanzees made significantly more prosocial choices after receiving their partner's assistance than when no assistance was given (experiment 1) and, crucially, this was the case even when choosing the prosocial option was materially costly for the subject (experiment 2). Moreover, subjects appeared sensitive to the risk of their partner's assistance and chose prosocially more often when their partner risked losing food by helping (experiment 3). These findings demonstrate experimentally that chimpanzees are willing to incur a material cost to deliver rewards to a conspecific, but only if that conspecific previously assisted them, and particularly when this assistance was risky. Some key motivations involved in human cooperation thus may have deeper phylogenetic roots than previously suspected.
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Tennie C, Jensen K, Call J. The nature of prosociality in chimpanzees. Nat Commun 2016; 7:13915. [PMID: 27996969 PMCID: PMC5187495 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms13915] [Citation(s) in RCA: 38] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/10/2015] [Accepted: 11/11/2016] [Indexed: 12/04/2022] Open
Abstract
An important debate centres around the nature of prosociality in nonhuman primates. Chimpanzees help other individuals in some experimental settings, yet they do not readily share food. One solution to this paradox is that they are motivated to help others provided there are no competing interests. However, benefits to recipients could arise as by-products of testing. Here we report two studies that separate by-product from intended helping in chimpanzees using a GO/NO-GO paradigm. Actors in one group could help a recipient by releasing a food box, but the same action for another group prevented a recipient from being able to get food. We find no evidence for helping-chimpanzees engaged in the test regardless of the effects on their partners. Illusory prosocial behaviour could arise as a by-product of task design.
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Affiliation(s)
- Claudio Tennie
- School of Psychology, University of Birmingham, Edgbaston, Birmingham B15 2TT, UK
| | - Keith Jensen
- School of Psychological Sciences, University of Manchester, Coupland 1 Building, Coupland Street, Oxford Road, Manchester M13 9PL, UK
| | - Josep Call
- School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St. Andrews, Fife KY16 9JU, UK
- Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, Leipzig D-04103, Germany
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Völter CJ, Rossano F, Call J. Social manipulation in nonhuman primates: Cognitive and motivational determinants. Neurosci Biobehav Rev 2016; 82:76-94. [PMID: 27639446 DOI: 10.1016/j.neubiorev.2016.09.008] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2016] [Revised: 09/09/2016] [Accepted: 09/13/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
Social interactions are the result of individuals' cooperative and competitive tendencies expressed over an extended period of time. Although social manipulation, i.e., using another individual to achieve one's own goals, is a crucial aspect of social interactions, there has been no comprehensive attempt to differentiate its various types and to map its cognitive and motivational determinants. For this purpose, we survey in this article the experimental literature on social interactions in nonhuman primates. We take social manipulation, illustrated by a case study with orangutans (Pongo abelii), as our starting point and move in two directions. First, we will focus on a flexibility/sociality axis that includes technical problem solving, social tool-use and communication. Second, we will focus on a motivational/prosociality axis that includes exploitation, cooperation, and helping. Combined, the two axes offer a way to capture a broad range of social interactions performed by human and nonhuman primates.
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Affiliation(s)
- C J Völter
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK; Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany.
| | - F Rossano
- Department of Cognitive Science, University of California, San Diego, USA
| | - J Call
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Andrews, UK; Department of Developmental and Comparative Psychology, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Marshall-Pescini S, Dale R, Quervel-Chaumette M, Range F. Critical issues in experimental studies of prosociality in non-human species. Anim Cogn 2016; 19:679-705. [PMID: 27000780 PMCID: PMC4891369 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-0973-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 52] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2015] [Revised: 01/29/2016] [Accepted: 03/04/2016] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
Prosociality and acts of altruism are defined as behaviours which benefit another with either no gain or some immediate cost to the self. To understand the evolutionary origins of these behaviours, in recent years, studies have extended to primate species; however, studies on non-primates are still scarce. In light of the fact that phylogenetic closeness to humans does not appear to correlate with prosocial tendencies, but rather differences in the propensity towards prosociality may be linked to allomaternal care or collaborative foraging, it appears that convergent selection pressures may be at work in the evolution of prosociality. It would hence seem particularly important to extend such studies to species outside the primate clade, to allow for comparative hypothesis testing of the factors affecting the evolution of prosocial behaviours. In the current review, we focus on the experimental paradigms which have been used so far (i.e. the prosocial choice task, helping paradigms and food-sharing tests) and highlight the strengths and weaknesses of each method. In line with the aim of encouraging a broader comparative approach to the topic of prosociality, particular emphasis is placed on the methodological issues that need to be taken into account. We conclude that although a number of the paradigms used so far may be successfully applied to non-primate species, there is a need to simplify the cognitive demands of the tasks and ensure task comprehension to allow for a 'fair' comparative approach of prosocial tendencies across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- S Marshall-Pescini
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria.
- Wolf Science Centre, Ernstbrunn, Austria.
| | - R Dale
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
- Wolf Science Centre, Ernstbrunn, Austria
| | - M Quervel-Chaumette
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - F Range
- Comparative Cognition, Messerli Research Institute, University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Medical University of Vienna, University of Vienna, Veterinärplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
- Wolf Science Centre, Ernstbrunn, Austria
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Do gray wolves (Canis lupus) support pack mates during aggressive inter-pack interactions? Anim Cogn 2016; 19:939-47. [PMID: 27193460 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-016-0994-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Revised: 05/03/2016] [Accepted: 05/09/2016] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
Abstract
For group-living mammals, social coordination increases success in everything from hunting and foraging (Crofoot and Wrangham in Mind the Gap, Springer, Berlin, 2010; Bailey et al. in Behav Ecol Sociobiol 67:1-17, 2013) to agonism (Mosser and Packer in Anim Behav 78:359-370, 2009; Wilson et al. in Anim Behav 83:277-291, 2012; Cassidy et al. in Behav Ecol 26:1352-1360, 2015). Cooperation is found in many species and, due to its low costs, likely is a determining factor in the evolution of living in social groups (Smith in Anim Behav 92:291-304, 2014). Beyond cooperation, many mammals perform costly behaviors for the benefit of group mates (e.g., parental care, food sharing, grooming). Altruism is considered the most extreme case of cooperation where the altruist increases the fitness of the recipient while decreasing its own fitness (Bell in Selection: the mechanism of evolution. Oxford University Press, Oxford 2008). Gray wolf life history requires intra-pack familiarity, communication, and cooperation in order to succeed in hunting (MacNulty et al. in Behav Ecol doi: 10.1093/beheco/arr159 2011) and protecting group resources (Stahler et al. in J Anim Ecol 82: 222-234, 2013; Cassidy et al. in Behav Ecol 26:1352-1360, 2015). Here, we report 121 territorial aggressive inter-pack interactions in Yellowstone National Park between 1 April 1995 and 1 April 2011 (>5300 days of observation) and examine each interaction where one wolf interferes when its pack mate is being attacked by a rival group. This behavior was recorded six times (17.6 % of interactions involving an attack) and often occurred between dyads of closely related individuals. We discuss this behavior as it relates to the evolution of cooperation, sociality, and altruism.
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Kopp KS, Liebal K. Here you are!—Selective and active food sharing within and between groups in captive Sumatran orangutans (Pongo abelii). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2016. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-016-2130-2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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50
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Wright BM, Stredulinsky EH, Ellis GM, Ford JK. Kin-directed food sharing promotes lifetime natal philopatry of both sexes in a population of fish-eating killer whales, Orcinus orca. Anim Behav 2016. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2016.02.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
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