1
|
Rooke R, Krupp JJ, Rasool A, Golemiec M, Stewart M, Schneider J, Levine JD. The gene "degrees of kevin bacon" (dokb) regulates a social network behaviour in Drosophila melanogaster. Nat Commun 2024; 15:3339. [PMID: 38688961 PMCID: PMC11061139 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-024-47499-8] [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: 08/31/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024] Open
Abstract
Social networks are a mathematical representation of interactions among individuals which are prevalent across various animal species. Studies of human populations have shown the breadth of what can spread throughout a social network: obesity, smoking cessation, happiness, drug use and divorce. 'Betweenness centrality' is a key property of social networks that indicates an individual's importance in facilitating communication and cohesion within the network. Heritability of betweenness centrality has been suggested in several species, however the genetic regulation of this property remains enigmatic. Here, we demonstrate that the gene CG14109, referred to as degrees of kevin bacon (dokb), influences betweenness centrality in Drosophila melanogaster. We identify strain-specific alleles of dokb with distinct amino acid sequences and when the dokb allele is exchanged between strains, flies exhibit the betweenness centrality pattern dictated by the donor allele. By inserting a GAL4 reporter into the dokb locus, we confirm that dokb is expressed in the central nervous system. These findings define a novel genetic entry point to study social network structure and thereby establish gene-to-social structure relationships. While dokb sequence homology is exclusive to Diptera, we anticipate that dokb-associated molecular pathways could unveil convergent neural mechanisms of social behaviour that apply in diverse animal species.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Rebecca Rooke
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. North, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Joshua J Krupp
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. North, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Amara Rasool
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. North, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada
| | - Mireille Golemiec
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. North, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Megan Stewart
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. North, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Jonathan Schneider
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. North, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada
| | - Joel D Levine
- Department of Biology, University of Toronto at Mississauga, 3359 Mississauga Rd. North, Mississauga, ON, L5L 1C6, Canada.
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of Toronto, 25 Willcocks St., Toronto, ON, M5S 3B2, Canada.
| |
Collapse
|
2
|
Corral-Lopez A, Bloch NI, van der Bijl W, Cortazar-Chinarro M, Szorkovszky A, Kotrschal A, Darolti I, Buechel SD, Romenskyy M, Kolm N, Mank JE. Functional convergence of genomic and transcriptomic architecture underlies schooling behaviour in a live-bearing fish. Nat Ecol Evol 2024; 8:98-110. [PMID: 37985898 PMCID: PMC10781616 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-023-02249-9] [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: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 11/22/2023]
Abstract
The organization and coordination of fish schools provide a valuable model to investigate the genetic architecture of affiliative behaviours and dissect the mechanisms underlying social behaviours and personalities. Here we used replicate guppy selection lines that vary in schooling propensity and combine quantitative genetics with genomic and transcriptomic analyses to investigate the genetic basis of sociability phenotypes. We show that consistent with findings in collective motion patterns, experimental evolution of schooling propensity increased the sociability of female, but not male, guppies when swimming with unfamiliar conspecifics. This finding highlights a relevant link between coordinated motion and sociability for species forming fission-fusion societies in which both group size and the type of social interactions are dynamic across space and time. We further show that alignment and attraction, the two major traits forming the sociability personality axis in this species, showed heritability estimates at the upper end of the range previously described for social behaviours, with important variation across sexes. The results from both Pool-seq and RNA-seq data indicated that genes involved in neuron migration and synaptic function were instrumental in the evolution of sociability, highlighting a crucial role of glutamatergic synaptic function and calcium-dependent signalling processes in the evolution of schooling.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alberto Corral-Lopez
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada.
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
- Division of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - Natasha I Bloch
- Department of Biomedical Engineering, University of Los Andes, Bogota, Colombia
| | - Wouter van der Bijl
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| | - Maria Cortazar-Chinarro
- Department of Earth, Ocean and Atmospheric Sciences, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- MEMEG Department of Biology, Lund University, Lund, Sweden
| | - Alexander Szorkovszky
- RITMO Centre for Interdisciplinary Studies in Rhythm, Time and Motion, University of Oslo, Oslo, Norway
| | - Alexander Kotrschal
- Behavioural Ecology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Iulia Darolti
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland
| | - Severine D Buechel
- Behavioural Ecology, Wageningen University and Research, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Maksym Romenskyy
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Niclas Kolm
- Department of Zoology/Ethology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Judith E Mank
- Department of Zoology and Biodiversity Research Centre, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
3
|
Lange EC, Griffin M, Fogel AS, Archie EA, Tung J, Alberts SC. Environmental, sex-specific and genetic determinants of infant social behaviour in a wild primate. Proc Biol Sci 2023; 290:20231597. [PMID: 37964524 PMCID: PMC10646456 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.1597] [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: 10/14/2022] [Accepted: 10/23/2023] [Indexed: 11/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Affiliative social bonds are linked to fitness components in many social mammals. However, despite their importance, little is known about how the tendency to form social bonds develops in young animals, or if the timing of development is heritable and thus can evolve. Using four decades of longitudinal observational data from a wild baboon population, we assessed the environmental determinants of an important social developmental milestone in baboons-the age at which a young animal first grooms a conspecific-and we assessed how the rates at which offspring groom their mothers develops during the juvenile period. We found that grooming development differs between the sexes: female infants groom at an earlier age and reach equal rates of grooming with their mother earlier than males. We also found that age at first grooming for both sexes is weakly heritable (h2 = 0.043, 95% CI: 0.002-0.110). These results show that sex differences in grooming emerge at a young age; that strong, equitable social relationships between mothers and daughters begin very early in life; and that age at first grooming is heritable and therefore can be shaped by natural selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth C. Lange
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Biological Sciences, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY, USA
| | | | - Arielle S. Fogel
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics, Cornell University, Ithaca, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Susan C. Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, USA
| |
Collapse
|
4
|
McLean EM, Moorad JA, Tung J, Archie EA, Alberts SC. Genetic variance and indirect genetic effects for affiliative social behavior in a wild primate. Evolution 2023; 77:1607-1621. [PMID: 37094802 PMCID: PMC10309972 DOI: 10.1093/evolut/qpad066] [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: 09/07/2022] [Revised: 04/11/2023] [Accepted: 04/20/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023]
Abstract
Affiliative social behaviors are linked to fitness components in multiple species. However, the role of genetic variance in shaping such behaviors remains largely unknown, limiting our understanding of how affiliative behaviors can respond to natural selection. Here, we employed the "animal model" to estimate environmental and genetic sources of variance and covariance in grooming behavior in the well-studied Amboseli wild baboon population. We found that the tendency for a female baboon to groom others ("grooming given") is heritable (h2 = 0.22 ± 0.048), and that several environmental variables-including dominance rank and the availability of kin as grooming partners-contribute to variance in this grooming behavior. We also detected small but measurable variance due to the indirect genetic effect of partner identity on the amount of grooming given within dyadic grooming partnerships. The indirect and direct genetic effects for grooming given were positively correlated (r = 0.74 ± 0.09). Our results provide insight into the evolvability of affiliative behavior in wild animals, including the possibility for correlations between direct and indirect genetic effects to accelerate the response to selection. As such they provide novel information about the genetic architecture of social behavior in nature, with important implications for the evolution of cooperation and reciprocity.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Emily M McLean
- University Program in Genetics and Genomics, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Division of Natural Sciences and Mathematics, Oxford College, Emory University, Oxford, GA, United States
| | - Jacob A Moorad
- Institute of Ecology and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, Scotland
| | - Jenny Tung
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Primate Behavior and Evolution, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Elizabeth A Archie
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, United States
| | - Susan C Alberts
- Department of Biology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
- Population Research Institute, Duke University, Durham, NC, United States
| |
Collapse
|
5
|
Dunning J, Burke T, Hoi Hang Chan A, Ying Janet Chik H, Evans T, Schroeder J. Opposite-sex associations are linked with annual fitness, but sociality is stable over lifetime. Behav Ecol 2023; 34:315-324. [PMID: 37192923 PMCID: PMC10183206 DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arac124] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/25/2022] [Revised: 11/27/2022] [Accepted: 12/06/2022] [Indexed: 03/11/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal sociality, an individual's propensity to associate with others, has fitness consequences through mate choice, for example, directly, by increasing the pool of prospective partners, and indirectly through increased survival, and individuals benefit from both. Annually, fitness consequences are realized through increased mating success and subsequent fecundity. However, it remains unknown whether these consequences translate to lifetime fitness. Here, we quantified social associations and their link to fitness annually and over lifetime, using a multi-generational, genetic pedigree. We used social network analysis to calculate variables representing different aspects of an individual's sociality. Sociality showed high within-individual repeatability. We found that birds with more opposite-sex associates had higher annual fitness than those with fewer, but this did not translate to lifetime fitness. Instead, for lifetime fitness, we found evidence for stabilizing selection on opposite-sex sociality, and sociality in general, suggesting that reported benefits are only short-lived in a wild population, and that selection favors an average sociality.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jamie Dunning
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, UK
| | - Terry Burke
- Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, School of Biosciences, The University of Sheffield, UK
| | - Alex Hoi Hang Chan
- Department of Life Sciences, Imperial College London, UK
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Germany
- Max Plank Institute of Animal Behaviour, Germany
| | - Heung Ying Janet Chik
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Netherlands
- School of Natural Sciences, Macquarie University, Australia
| | - Tim Evans
- Center for Complexity Science, Imperial College London, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
6
|
Wice EW, Saltz JB. Indirect genetic effects for social network structure in Drosophila melanogaster. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220075. [PMID: 36802774 PMCID: PMC9939268 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0075] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/02/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
The position an individual holds in a social network is dependent on both its direct and indirect social interactions. Because social network position is dependent on the actions and interactions of conspecifics, it is likely that the genotypic composition of individuals within a social group impacts individuals' network positions. However, we know very little about whether social network positions have a genetic basis, and even less about how the genotypic makeup of a social group impacts network positions and structure. With ample evidence indicating that network positions influence various fitness metrics, studying how direct and indirect genetic effects shape network positions is crucial for furthering our understanding of how the social environment can respond to selection and evolve. Using replicate genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster fruit flies, we created social groups that varied in their genotypic makeup. Social groups were videoed, and networks were generated using motion-tracking software. We found that both an individual's own genotype and the genotypes of conspecifics in its social group affect its position within a social network. These findings provide an early example of how indirect genetic effects and social network theory can be linked, and shed new light on how quantitative genetic variation shapes the structure of social groups. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Eric Wesley Wice
- Department of Biosciences, Rice University, Houston, TX 77005, USA
| | | |
Collapse
|
7
|
Fisher DN. Direct and indirect phenotypic effects on sociability indicate potential to evolve. J Evol Biol 2023; 36:209-220. [PMID: 36263954 PMCID: PMC10092521 DOI: 10.1111/jeb.14110] [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: 05/19/2022] [Revised: 07/19/2022] [Accepted: 09/02/2022] [Indexed: 01/11/2023]
Abstract
The decision to leave or join a group is important as group size influences many aspects of organisms' lives and their fitness. This tendency to socialise with others, sociability, should be influenced by genes carried by focal individuals (direct genetic effects) and by genes in partner individuals (indirect genetic effects), indicating the trait's evolution could be slower or faster than expected. However, estimating these genetic parameters is difficult. Here, in a laboratory population of the cockroach Blaptica dubia, I estimate phenotypic parameters for sociability: repeatability (R) and repeatable influence (RI), that indicate whether direct and indirect genetic effects respectively are likely. I also estimate the interaction coefficient (Ψ), which quantifies how strongly a partner's trait influences the phenotype of the focal individual and is key in models for the evolution of interacting phenotypes. Focal individuals were somewhat repeatable for sociability across a 3-week period (R = 0.080), and partners also had marginally consistent effects on focal sociability (RI = 0.053). The interaction coefficient was non-zero, although in opposite sign for the sexes; males preferred to associate with larger individuals (Ψmale = -0.129), while females preferred to associate with smaller individuals (Ψfemale = 0.071). Individual sociability was consistent between dyadic trials and in social networks of groups. These results provide phenotypic evidence that direct and indirect genetic effects have limited influence on sociability, with perhaps most evolutionary potential stemming from heritable effects of the body mass of partners. Sex-specific interaction coefficients may produce sexual conflict and the evolution of sexual dimorphism in social behaviour.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- David N Fisher
- School of Biological Sciences, King's College, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| |
Collapse
|
8
|
Agha S, Turner SP, Lewis CRG, Desire S, Roehe R, Doeschl-Wilson A. Genetic Associations of Novel Behaviour Traits Derived from Social Network Analysis with Growth, Feed Efficiency, and Carcass Characteristics in Pigs. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13091616. [PMID: 36140784 PMCID: PMC9498370 DOI: 10.3390/genes13091616] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/11/2022] [Revised: 09/06/2022] [Accepted: 09/07/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Reducing harmful aggressive behaviour remains a major challenge in pig production. Social network analysis (SNA) showed the potential in providing novel behavioural traits that describe the direct and indirect role of individual pigs in pen-level aggression. Our objectives were to (1) estimate the genetic parameters of these SNA traits, and (2) quantify the genetic associations between the SNA traits and commonly used performance measures: growth, feed intake, feed efficiency, and carcass traits. The animals were video recorded for 24 h post-mixing. The observed fighting behaviour of each animal was used as input for the SNA. A Bayesian approach was performed to estimate the genetic parameters of SNA traits and their association with the performance traits. The heritability estimates for all SNA traits ranged from 0.01 to 0.35. The genetic correlations between SNA and performance traits were non-significant, except for weighted degree with hot carcass weight, and for both betweenness and closeness centrality with test daily gain, final body weight, and hot carcass weight. Our results suggest that SNA traits are amenable for selective breeding. Integrating these traits with other behaviour and performance traits may potentially help in building up future strategies for simultaneously improving welfare and performance in commercial pig farms.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Saif Agha
- The Roslin Institute, University of Edinburgh, Easter Bush, Edinburgh EH25 9RG, UK
- Animal Production Department, Faculty of Agriculture, Ain Shams University, Cairo 11241, Egypt
- Correspondence:
| | - Simon P. Turner
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Scotland’s Rural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
| | - Craig R. G. Lewis
- PIC, C/Pau Vila no. 22, Sant Cugat del Valles, 08174 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Suzanne Desire
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Scotland’s Rural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
| | - Rainer Roehe
- Animal and Veterinary Sciences Department, Scotland’s Rural College, West Mains Road, Edinburgh EH9 3JG, UK
| | | |
Collapse
|
9
|
Sex-specific reproductive strategies in wild yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer): senescence and genetic variance in annual reproductive success differ between the sexes. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03191-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
|
10
|
Genetic Analysis of Novel Behaviour Traits in Pigs Derived from Social Network Analysis. Genes (Basel) 2022; 13:genes13040561. [PMID: 35456367 PMCID: PMC9027576 DOI: 10.3390/genes13040561] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/05/2022] [Revised: 03/16/2022] [Accepted: 03/21/2022] [Indexed: 11/22/2022] Open
Abstract
Social network analysis (SNA) has provided novel traits that describe the role of individual pigs in aggression. The objectives were to (1) estimate the genetic parameters for these SNA traits, (2) quantify the genetic association between SNA and skin lesion traits, and (3) investigate the possible response to selection for SNA traits on skin lesion traits. Pigs were video recorded for 24 h post-mixing. The observed fight and bullying behaviour of each animal was used as input for the SNA. Skin lesions were counted on different body parts at 24 h (SL24h) and 3 weeks (SL3wk) post-mixing. A Bayesian approach estimated the genetic parameters of SNA traits and their association with skin lesions. SNA traits were heritable (h2 = 0.09 to 0.26) and strongly genetically correlated (rg > 0.88). Positive genetic correlations were observed between all SNA traits and anterior SL24h, except for clustering coefficient. Our results suggest that selection for an index that combines the eigenvector centrality and clustering coefficient could potentially decrease SL24h and SL3wk compared to selection for each trait separately. This study provides a first step towards potential integration of SNA traits into a multi-trait selection index for improving pigs’ welfare.
Collapse
|
11
|
Cook PA, Baker OM, Costello RA, Formica VA, Brodie ED. Group composition of individual personalities alters social network structure in experimental populations of forked fungus beetles. Biol Lett 2022; 18:20210509. [PMID: 35291883 PMCID: PMC8923822 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2021.0509] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 02/24/2022] [Indexed: 01/02/2023] Open
Abstract
Social network structure is a critical group character that mediates the flow of information, pathogens and resources among individuals in a population, yet little is known about what shapes social structures. In this study, we experimentally tested whether social network structure depends on the personalities of individual group members. Replicate groups of forked fungus beetles (Bolitotherus cornutus) were engineered to include only members previously assessed as either more social or less social. We found that individuals expressed consistent personalities across social contexts, exhibiting repeatable numbers of interactions and numbers of partners. Groups composed of more social individuals formed networks with higher interaction rates, higher tie density, higher global clustering and shorter average shortest paths than those composed of less social individuals. We highlight group composition of personalities as a source of variance in group traits and a potential mechanism by which networks could evolve.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Phoebe A. Cook
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Olivia M. Baker
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | - Robin A. Costello
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| | | | - Edmund D. Brodie
- Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA
| |
Collapse
|
12
|
Gartland LA, Firth JA, Laskowski KL, Jeanson R, Ioannou CC. Sociability as a personality trait in animals: methods, causes and consequences. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:802-816. [PMID: 34894041 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Within animal populations there is variation among individuals in their tendency to be social, where more sociable individuals associate more with other individuals. Consistent inter-individual variation in 'sociability' is considered one of the major axes of personality variation in animals along with aggressiveness, activity, exploration and boldness. Not only is variation in sociability important in terms of animal personalities, but it holds particular significance for, and can be informed by, two other topics of major interest: social networks and collective behaviour. Further, knowledge of what generates inter-individual variation in social behaviour also holds applied implications, such as understanding disorders of social behaviour in humans. In turn, research using non-human animals in the genetics, neuroscience and physiology of these disorders can inform our understanding of sociability. For the first time, this review brings together insights across these areas of research, across animal taxa from primates to invertebrates, and across studies from both the laboratory and field. We show there are mixed results in whether and how sociability correlates with other major behavioural traits. Whether and in what direction these correlations are observed may differ with individual traits such as sex and body condition, as well as ecological conditions. A large body of evidence provides the proximate mechanisms for why individuals vary in their social tendency. Evidence exists for the importance of genes and their expression, chemical messengers, social interactions and the environment in determining an individual's social tendency, although the specifics vary with species and other variables such as age, and interactions amongst these proximate factors. Less well understood is how evolution can maintain consistent variation in social tendencies within populations. Shifts in the benefits and costs of social tendencies over time, as well as the social niche hypothesis, are currently the best supported theories for how variation in sociability can evolve and be maintained in populations. Increased exposure to infectious diseases is the best documented cost of a greater social tendency, and benefits include greater access to socially transmitted information. We also highlight that direct evidence for more sociable individuals being safer from predators is lacking. Variation in sociability is likely to have broad ecological consequences, but beyond its importance in the spread of infectious diseases, direct evidence is limited to a few examples related to dispersal and invasive species biology. Overall, our knowledge of inter-individual variation in sociability is highly skewed towards the proximate mechanisms. Our review also demonstrates, however, that considering research from social networks and collective behaviour greatly enriches our understanding of sociability, highlighting the need for greater integration of these approaches into future animal personality research to address the imbalance in our understanding of sociability as a personality trait.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lizzy A Gartland
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, U.K
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, U.K
| | - Kate L Laskowski
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, U.S.A
| | - Raphael Jeanson
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), Centre de Biologie Intégrative, CNRS, UPS, Université de Toulouse, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Christos C Ioannou
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, U.K
| |
Collapse
|
13
|
Wice EW, Saltz JB. Selection on heritable social network positions is context-dependent in Drosophila melanogaster. Nat Commun 2021; 12:3357. [PMID: 34099680 PMCID: PMC8185000 DOI: 10.1038/s41467-021-23672-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/27/2020] [Accepted: 04/26/2021] [Indexed: 02/05/2023] Open
Abstract
Social group structure is highly variable and can be important for nearly every aspect of behavior and its fitness consequences. Group structure can be modeled using social network analysis, but we know little about the evolutionary factors shaping and maintaining variation in how individuals are embedded within their networks (i.e., network position). While network position is a pervasive target of selection, it remains unclear whether network position is heritable and can respond to selection. Furthermore, it is unclear how environmental factors interact with genotypic effects on network positions, or how environmental factors shape selection on heritable network structure. Here we show multiple measures of social network position are heritable, using replicate genotypes and replicate social groups of Drosophila melanogaster flies. Our results indicate genotypic differences in network position are largely robust to changes in the environment flies experience, though some measures of network position do vary across environments. We also show selection on multiple network position metrics depends on the environmental context they are expressed in, laying the groundwork for better understanding how spatio-temporal variation in selection contributes to the evolution of variable social group structure.
Collapse
|
14
|
Kroeger SB, Blumstein DT, Martin JGA. How social behaviour and life-history traits change with age and in the year prior to death in female yellow-bellied marmots. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2021; 376:20190745. [PMID: 33678024 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2019.0745] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Studies in natural populations are essential to understand the evolutionary ecology of senescence and terminal allocation. While there are an increasing number of studies investigating late-life variation in different life-history traits of wild populations, little is known about these patterns in social behaviour. We used long-term individual based data on yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) to quantify how affiliative social behaviours and different life-history traits vary with age and in the last year of life, and how patterns compare between the two. We found that some social behaviours and all life-history traits varied with age, whereas terminal last year of life effects were only observed in life-history traits. Our results imply that affiliative social behaviours do not act as a mechanism to adjust allocation among traits when close to death, and highlight the importance of adopting an integrative approach, studying late-life variation and senescence across multiple different traits, to allow the identification of potential trade-offs. This article is part of the theme issue 'Ageing and sociality: why, when and how does sociality change ageing patterns?'
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Svenja B Kroeger
- Department of Landscape and Biodiversity, The Norwegian Institute of Bioeconomy Research, Klæbuveien 153, Trondheim 7031, Norway
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA.,The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Julien G A Martin
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, 30 Marie Curie, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada K1N 6N5
| |
Collapse
|
15
|
Affiliation(s)
- Reinder Radersma
- Biometris Wageningen University & Research Wageningen The Netherlands
| |
Collapse
|
16
|
Plaza M, Burke T, Cox T, Flynn‐Carroll A, Girndt A, Halford G, Martin DA, Sanchez‐Fortún M, Sánchez‐Tójar A, Somerville J, Schroeder J. Repeatable social network node‐based metrics across populations and contexts in a passerine. J Evol Biol 2020; 33:1634-1642. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/09/2020] [Revised: 08/29/2020] [Accepted: 09/05/2020] [Indexed: 01/30/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Mireia Plaza
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Ascot UK
- Department of Evolutionary Ecology National Museum of Natural Sciences (CSIC) Madrid Spain
| | - Terry Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences University of Sheffield Sheffield UK
| | - Tara Cox
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Ascot UK
| | | | - Antje Girndt
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
- International Max‐Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Organismal Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | | | | | - Moises Sanchez‐Fortún
- Department of Zoology and Anthropology Faculty of Biology University of Barcelona Barcelona Spain
| | - Alfredo Sánchez‐Tójar
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Ascot UK
- International Max‐Planck Research School (IMPRS) for Organismal Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology Bielefeld University Bielefeld Germany
| | | | - Julia Schroeder
- Department of Life Sciences Imperial College London Ascot UK
| |
Collapse
|
17
|
Webber QM, Schneider DC, Vander Wal E. Is less more? A commentary on the practice of ‘metric hacking’ in animal social network analysis. Anim Behav 2020. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2020.08.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/02/2023]
|
18
|
Formica V, Donald H, Marti H, Irgebay Z, Brodie E. Social network position experiences more variable selection than weaponry in wild subpopulations of forked fungus beetles. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:168-182. [PMID: 32808282 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13322] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/27/2019] [Accepted: 06/17/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The phenotypic expression and fitness consequences of behaviours that are exhibited during social interactions are especially sensitive to their local social context. This context-dependence is expected to generate more variation in the sign and magnitude of selection on social behaviour than that experienced by static characters like morphology. Relatively few studies, however, have examined selection on behavioural traits in multiple populations. We estimated sexual selection in the wild to determine if the strength and form of selection on social phenotypes is more variable than that on morphology. We compared selection gradients on social network position, body size, and weaponry of male forked fungus beetles Bolitotherus cornutus as they influenced mating success across nine natural subpopulations. Male horn length consistently experienced positive sexual selection. However, the sign and magnitude of selection on individual measures of network centrality (strength and betweenness) differed significantly among subpopulations. Moreover, selection on social behaviours occurred at a local scale ('soft selection'), whereas selection on horn length occurred at the metapopulation scale ('hard selection'). These results indicate that an individual with a given social phenotype could experience different fitness consequences depending on the network it occupies. While individuals seem to be unable to escape the fitness effects of their morphology, they may have the potential to mediate the pressures of selection on behavioural phenotypes by moving among subpopulations or altering social connections within a network.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Vincent Formica
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
| | - Hannah Donald
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
| | - Hannah Marti
- Department of Integrative Biology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Zhazira Irgebay
- Department of Biology, Swarthmore College, Swarthmore, PA, USA
| | - Edmund Brodie
- Mountain Lake Biological Station and Department of Biology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
19
|
Menz CS, Carter AJ, Best EC, Freeman NJ, Dwyer RG, Blomberg SP, Goldizen AW. Higher sociability leads to lower reproductive success in female kangaroos. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2020; 7:200950. [PMID: 32968533 PMCID: PMC7481692 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.200950] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/02/2020] [Accepted: 08/05/2020] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
In social mammals, social integration is generally assumed to improve females' reproductive success. Most species demonstrating this relationship exhibit complex forms of social bonds and interactions. However, female eastern grey kangaroos (Macropus giganteus) exhibit differentiated social relationships, yet do not appear to cooperate directly. It is unclear what the fitness consequences of such sociability could be in species that do not exhibit obvious forms of cooperation. Using 4 years of life history, spatial and social data from a wild population of approximately 200 individually recognizable female eastern grey kangaroos, we tested whether higher levels of sociability are associated with greater reproductive success. Contrary to expectations, we found that the size of a female's social network, her numbers of preferential associations with other females and her group sizes all negatively influenced her reproductive success. These factors influenced the survival of dependent young that had left the pouch rather than those that were still in the pouch. We also show that primiparous females (first-time breeders) were less likely to have surviving young. Our findings suggest that social bonds are not always beneficial for reproductive success in group-living species, and that female kangaroos may experience trade-offs between successfully rearing young and maintaining affiliative relationships.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- C. S. Menz
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - A. J. Carter
- Department of Anthropology, University College London, London, UK
| | - E. C. Best
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - N. J. Freeman
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - R. G. Dwyer
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
- Global Change Ecology Research Group, University of the Sunshine Coast, Maroochydore, Queensland 4556, Australia
| | - S. P. Blomberg
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| | - A. W. Goldizen
- School of Biological Sciences, The University of Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, Australia
| |
Collapse
|
20
|
Tolvanen J, Kivelä SM, Doligez B, Morinay J, Gustafsson L, Bijma P, Pakanen VM, Forsman JT. Quantitative genetics of the use of conspecific and heterospecific social cues for breeding site choice. Evolution 2020; 74:2332-2347. [PMID: 32725635 PMCID: PMC7589285 DOI: 10.1111/evo.14071] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/03/2019] [Revised: 07/04/2020] [Accepted: 07/23/2020] [Indexed: 12/03/2022]
Abstract
Social information use for decision‐making is common and affects ecological and evolutionary processes, including social aggregation, species coexistence, and cultural evolution. Despite increasing ecological knowledge on social information use, very little is known about its genetic basis and therefore its evolutionary potential. Genetic variation in a trait affecting an individual's social and nonsocial environment may have important implications for population dynamics, interspecific interactions, and, for expression of other, environmentally plastic traits. We estimated repeatability, additive genetic variance, and heritability of the use of conspecific and heterospecific social cues (abundance and breeding success) for breeding site choice in a population of wild collared flycatchers Ficedula albicollis. Repeatability was found for two social cues: previous year conspecific breeding success and previous year heterospecific abundance. Yet, additive genetic variances for these two social cues, and thus heritabilities, were low. This suggests that most of the phenotypic variation in the use of social cues and resulting conspecific and heterospecific social environment experienced by individuals in this population stems from phenotypic plasticity. Given the important role of social information use on ecological and evolutionary processes, more studies on genetic versus environmental determinism of social information use are needed.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jere Tolvanen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, 90014, Finland
| | - Sami M Kivelä
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, 90014, Finland.,Department of Zoology, Institute of Ecology and Earth Sciences, University of Tartu, Tartu, 51014, Estonia.,Current Address: Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, 90014, Finland
| | - Blandine Doligez
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, CNRS UMR 5558, Université de Lyon - Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, 69622, France
| | - Jennifer Morinay
- Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, CNRS UMR 5558, Université de Lyon - Université Claude Bernard Lyon 1, Villeurbanne, 69622, France.,Department of Ecology and Genetics/Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SE-75236, Sweden
| | - Lars Gustafsson
- Department of Ecology and Genetics/Animal Ecology, Uppsala University, Uppsala, SE-75236, Sweden
| | - Piter Bijma
- Animal Breeding and Genomics, Wageningen University, Wageningen, 6700AH, The Netherlands
| | - Veli-Matti Pakanen
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, 90014, Finland.,Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SE-40530, Sweden.,Current Address: Department of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Gothenburg, Gothenburg, SE-40530, Sweden
| | - Jukka T Forsman
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, University of Oulu, Oulu, 90014, Finland.,Current Address: Natural Resources Institute Finland, University of Oulu, Oulu, 90014, Finland
| |
Collapse
|
21
|
Feng D, Altmeyer R, Stafford D, Christakis NA, Zhou HH. Testing for Balance in Social Networks. J Am Stat Assoc 2020. [DOI: 10.1080/01621459.2020.1764850] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/24/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Derek Feng
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | - Randolf Altmeyer
- Department of Pure Mathematics and Mathematical Statistics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Derek Stafford
- Yale Institute for Network Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| | | | - Harrison H. Zhou
- Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University, New Haven, CT
| |
Collapse
|
22
|
Geiger AP, Saltz JB. Strong and weak cross‐sex correlations govern the quantitative‐genetic architecture of social group choice in
Drosophila melanogaster. Evolution 2019; 74:145-155. [DOI: 10.1111/evo.13887] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2019] [Revised: 10/14/2019] [Accepted: 10/22/2019] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Adam P. Geiger
- Rice University 6100 Main Street Houston TX 77005
- Present address: Facebook 300 W 6th St (Lavaca) Austin TX 78701
| | | |
Collapse
|
23
|
Pinho GM, Ortiz-Ross X, Reese AN, Blumstein DT. Correlates of maternal glucocorticoid levels in a socially flexible rodent. Horm Behav 2019; 116:104577. [PMID: 31442430 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2019.104577] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2019] [Revised: 08/09/2019] [Accepted: 08/19/2019] [Indexed: 12/27/2022]
Abstract
While it is generally accepted that social isolation has detrimental effects on social species, little is known about the importance of social interactions in less social species-particularly for wild reproductive females. We studied socially-flexible yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) and asked whether features of the social environment are associated with maternal fecal glucocorticoid metabolite (FGM) concentrations. Since changes in maternal baseline glucocorticoids may have positive or negative consequences for offspring fitness, we were also interested in estimating their relationship with measures of reproductive success. We fitted generalized linear mixed effects models to a dataset including maternal FGM measurements, social network metrics, maternal/alloparental care, and pup FGM and survival. Agonistic interactions were positively associated with maternal FGM levels, while mothers that engaged in relatively more affiliative interactions had reduced FGM levels when living in environments with low predator pressure. Pups associated with mothers exhibiting high FGM levels had low annual survival rates, received less maternal/alloparental care and had higher FGM levels. Interestingly, offspring from mothers with high FGM levels were more likely to survive the summer when born in small litters. In sum, social interactions likely influence and are influenced by glucocorticoid levels of facultatively social females. Potential benefits of social bonds may be context-specific, and agonistic interactions may be tightly correlated with fitness. Female marmots exhibiting high FGM levels had overall low reproductive success, which is predicted by the cort-fitness hypothesis. However, under adverse conditions, offspring summer survival can be maximized if pups are born in small litters.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriela M Pinho
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA.
| | | | - Andrew N Reese
- Department of Biology, Indiana University, Bloomington, IN 47405, USA.
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA; Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA.
| |
Collapse
|
24
|
Murphy D, Mumby HS, Henley MD. Age differences in the temporal stability of a male African elephant (Loxodonta africana) social network. Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz152] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Social animals live in complex and variable socio-ecological environments where individuals adapt their behavior to local conditions. Recently, there have been calls for studies of animal social networks to take account of temporal dynamics in social relationships as these have implications for the spread of information and disease, group cohesion, and the drivers of sociality, and there is evidence that maintaining stable social relationships has fitness benefits. It has recently been recognized that male elephants form strong social bonds with other males. The nature of these relationships, and thus network structure, may vary over time in response to varying environmental conditions and as individuals age. Using social network analysis, we examine the stability of relationships and network centrality in a population of male African elephants. Our results suggest that males may maintain stable social relationships with others over time. Older males show greater stability in network centrality than younger males, suggesting younger males face uncertainty in transitioning to adult society. For elephants, where older individuals function as social repositories of knowledge, maintaining a social network underpinned by older males could be of particular importance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Derek Murphy
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Hannah S Mumby
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- College for Life Sciences, Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Wallotstraße, Berlin, Germany
- Centre for African Ecology, School of Animal, Plant and Environmental Sciences, University of Witwatersrand, Wits, South Africa
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Hong Kong, Pok Fu Lam, Hong Kong
| | - Michelle D Henley
- Elephants Alive, Hoedspruit, South Africa
- Applied Ecosystem and Conservation Research Unit, University of South Africa, Johannesburg, South Africa
| |
Collapse
|
25
|
Siva-Jothy JA, Vale PF. Viral infection causes sex-specific changes in fruit fly social aggregation behaviour. Biol Lett 2019; 15:20190344. [PMID: 31530113 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2019.0344] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
Host behavioural changes following infection are common and could be important determinants of host behavioural competence to transmit pathogens. Identifying potential sources of variation in sickness behaviours is therefore central to our understanding of disease transmission. Here, we test how group social aggregation and individual locomotor activity vary between different genotypes of male and female fruit flies (Drosophila melanogaster) following septic infection with Drosophila C virus (DCV). We find genetic-based variation in both locomotor activity and social aggregation, but we did not detect an effect of DCV infection on fly activity or sleep patterns within the initial days following infection. However, DCV infection caused sex-specific effects on social aggregation, as male flies in most genetic backgrounds increased the distance to their nearest neighbour when infected. We discuss possible causes for these differences in the context of individual variation in immunity and their potential consequences for disease transmission.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Jonathon A Siva-Jothy
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| | - Pedro F Vale
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, School of Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK.,Centre for Immunity, Infection and Evolution, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh EH9 3FL, UK
| |
Collapse
|
26
|
Deng K, Cui JG. Vocal networks remain stable after a disturbance in Emei music frogs. Ecol Evol 2019; 9:9290-9297. [PMID: 31463021 PMCID: PMC6706236 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.5473] [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: 07/05/2018] [Revised: 03/26/2019] [Accepted: 07/03/2019] [Indexed: 11/27/2022] Open
Abstract
Social network analysis has been widely used to investigate the dynamics of social interactions and the evolution of social complexity across a range of taxa. Anuran species are highly dependent on vocal communication in mate choice; however, these species have rarely been the subject of social network analysis. The present study used social network analysis to investigate whether vocal network structures are consistent in Emei music frog (Babina daunchina) after the introduction of a simulated exotic rival of varying competitiveness into the social group. We broadcasted six categories of artificial calls (either highly sexually attractive calls produced from inside male nests or calls of low sexual attractiveness produced outside nests with three, five or seven notes, respectively) to simulate an intruder with different levels of competitiveness. We then constructed vocal networks for two time periods (before and after the disturbance) and quantified three network metrics (strength, closeness, and betweenness) that measure different aspects of individual-level position. We used the mean values of these network metrics to evaluate group-level changes in network structure. We found that the mean strength, mean closeness and mean betweenness were consistent between two time periods in all ponds, despite the fact that the positions of some individuals had changed markedly after disturbance. In addition, there was no significant interaction effect between period and numbers of notes on the three network metrics. These finding suggest that the structure of vocal networks in Emei music frogs remain stable at the group level after a conspecific disturbance, regardless of the intruder's competitiveness.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ke Deng
- Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| | - Jian-Guo Cui
- Chengdu Institute of BiologyChinese Academy of SciencesChengduChina
| |
Collapse
|
27
|
Saltz JB. Gene–Environment Correlation in Humans: Lessons from Psychology for Quantitative Genetics. J Hered 2019; 110:455-466. [DOI: 10.1093/jhered/esz027] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/29/2018] [Accepted: 04/17/2019] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
Evolutionary biologists have long been aware that the effects of genes can reach beyond the boundary of the individual, that is, the phenotypic effects of genes can alter the environment. Yet, we rarely apply a quantitative genetics approach to understand the causes and consequences of genetic variation in the ways that individuals choose and manipulate their environments, particularly in wild populations. Here, I aim to stimulate research in this area by reviewing empirical examples of such processes from the psychology literature. Indeed, psychology researchers have been actively investigating genetic variation in the environments that individuals experience—a phenomenon termed “gene–environment correlation” (rGE)—since the 1970s. rGE emerges from genetic variation in individuals’ behavior and personality traits, which in turn affects the environments that they experience. I highlight concepts and examples from this literature, emphasizing the relevance to quantitative geneticists working on wild, nonhuman organisms. I point out fruitful areas of crossover between these disciplines, including how quantitative geneticists can test ideas about rGE in wild populations.
Collapse
|
28
|
Kulahci IG, Quinn JL. Dynamic Relationships between Information Transmission and Social Connections. Trends Ecol Evol 2019; 34:545-554. [PMID: 30902359 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.02.007] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2018] [Revised: 01/21/2019] [Accepted: 02/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/19/2022]
Abstract
Understanding the drivers of sociality is a major goal in biology. Individual differences in social connections determine the overall group structure and have consequences for a variety of processes, including if and when individuals acquire information from conspecifics. Effects in the opposite direction, where information acquisition and transmission have consequences for social connections, are also likely to be widespread. However, these effects are typically overlooked. We propose that individuals who successfully learn about their environment become valuable social partners and become highly connected, leading to feedback-based dynamic relationships between social connections and information transmission. These dynamics have the potential to change our understanding of social evolution, including how selection acts on behavior and how sociality influences population-level processes.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Ipek G Kulahci
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Distillery Fields, North Mall Campus, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.
| | - John L Quinn
- School of Biological, Earth, and Environmental Sciences, Distillery Fields, North Mall Campus, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland; Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| |
Collapse
|
29
|
Isakov A, Fowler JH, Airoldi EM, Christakis NA. The Structure of Negative Social Ties in Rural Village Networks. SOCIOLOGICAL SCIENCE 2019; 6:197-218. [PMID: 32704522 PMCID: PMC7340493 DOI: 10.15195/v6.a8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/16/2019] [Accepted: 02/10/2019] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Negative (antagonistic) connections have been of longstanding theoretical importance for social structure. In a population of 24,696 adults interacting face to face within 176 isolated villages in western Honduras, we measured all connections that were present, amounting to 105,175 positive and 16,448 negative ties. Here, we show that negative and positive ties exhibit many of the same structural characteristics. We then develop a complete taxonomy of all 138 possible triads of two-type relationships. Consistent with balance theory, we find that antagonists of friends and friends of antagonists tend to be antagonists; but, in an important empirical refutation of balance theory, we find that antagonists of antagonists also tend to be antagonists, not friends. Finally, villages with comparable levels of animosity tend to be geographically proximate. Similar processes, involving social contact, give rise to both positive and negative social ties in rural villages, and negative ties play an important role in social structure.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Alexander Isakov
- Alexander Isakov Yale Institute for Network Science, Yale University; Department of Sociology, Yale University. E-mail:
| | - James H Fowler
- James H. Fowler Department of Medicine, University of California, Sand Diego; Political Science Department, University of California, San Diego. E-mail:
| | - Edoardo M Airoldi
- Edoardo M. Airoldi Department of Statistical Science, Fox School of Business, Temple University; Department of Statistics and Institute for Quantitative Social Sciences, Harvard University. E-mail:
- Nicholas A. Christakis Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University; Department of Statistics and Data Science, Yale University. E-mail:
| | - Nicholas A Christakis
- Alexander Isakov Yale Institute for Network Science, Yale University; Department of Sociology, Yale University. E-mail:
| |
Collapse
|
30
|
Blumstein DT, Williams DM, Lim AN, Kroeger S, Martin JGA. Strong social relationships are associated with decreased longevity in a facultatively social mammal. Proc Biol Sci 2019; 285:rspb.2017.1934. [PMID: 29343594 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1934] [Citation(s) in RCA: 33] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/28/2017] [Accepted: 12/04/2017] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
Humans in strong social relationships are more likely to live longer because social relationships may buffer stressors and thus have protective effects. However, a shortcoming of human studies is that they often rely on self-reporting of these relationships. By contrast, observational studies of non-human animals permit detailed analyses of the specific nature of social relationships. Thus, discoveries that some social animals live longer and healthier lives if they are involved in social grooming, forage together or have more affiliative associates emphasizes the potential importance of social relationships on health and longevity. Previous studies have focused on the impact of social metrics on longevity in obligately social species. However, if sociality indeed has a key role in longevity, we might expect that affiliative relationships should also influence longevity in less social species. We focused on socially flexible yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) and asked whether female longevity covaries with the specific nature of social relationships. We quantified social relationships with social network statistics that were based on affiliative interactions, and then estimated the correlation between longevity and sociality using bivariate models. We found a significant negative phenotypic correlation between affiliative social relationship strength and longevity; marmots with greater degree, closeness and those with a greater negative average shortest path length died at younger ages. We conclude that sociality plays an important role in longevity, but how it does so may depend on whether a species is obligately or facultatively social.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA .,The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, USA
| | - Dana M Williams
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Alexandra N Lim
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, 621 Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA 90095-1606, USA
| | - Svenja Kroeger
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| | - Julien G A Martin
- Institute of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen AB24 2TZ, UK
| |
Collapse
|
31
|
Firth JA, Sheldon BC, Brent LJN. Indirectly connected: simple social differences can explain the causes and apparent consequences of complex social network positions. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1939. [PMID: 29142116 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal societies are often structurally complex. How individuals are positioned within the wider social network (i.e. their indirect social connections) has been shown to be repeatable, heritable and related to key life-history variables. Yet, there remains a general lack of understanding surrounding how complex network positions arise, whether they indicate active multifaceted social decisions by individuals, and how natural selection could act on this variation. We use simulations to assess how variation in simple social association rules between individuals can determine their positions within emerging social networks. Our results show that metrics of individuals' indirect connections can be more strongly related to underlying simple social differences than metrics of their dyadic connections. External influences causing network noise (typical of animal social networks) generally inflated these differences. The findings demonstrate that relationships between complex network positions and other behaviours or fitness components do not provide sufficient evidence for the presence, or importance, of complex social behaviours, even if direct network metrics provide less explanatory power than indirect ones. Interestingly however, a plausible and straightforward heritable basis for complex network positions can arise from simple social differences, which in turn creates potential for selection to act on indirect connections.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK .,Merton College, Merton Street, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 4JD
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| |
Collapse
|
32
|
O’Brien PP, Webber QMR, Vander Wal E. Consistent individual differences and population plasticity in network-derived sociality: An experimental manipulation of density in a gregarious ungulate. PLoS One 2018; 13:e0193425. [PMID: 29494640 PMCID: PMC5832262 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0193425] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/13/2017] [Accepted: 02/09/2018] [Indexed: 11/20/2022] Open
Abstract
In many taxa, individual social traits appear to be consistent across time and context, thus meeting the criteria for animal personality. How these differences are maintained in response to changes in population density is unknown, particularly in large mammals, such as ungulates. Using a behavioral reaction norm (BRN) framework, we examined how among- and within-individual variation in social connectedness, measured using social network analyses, change as a function of population density. We studied a captive herd of elk (Cervus canadensis) separated into a group of male elk and a group of female elk. Males and females were exposed to three different density treatments and we recorded social associations between individuals with proximity-detecting radio-collars fitted to elk. We constructed social networks using dyadic association data and calculated three social network metrics reflective of social connectedness: eigenvector centrality, graph strength, and degree. Elk exhibited consistent individual differences in social connectedness across densities; however, they showed little individual variation in their response to changes in density, i.e., individuals oftentimes responded plastically, but in the same manner to changes in density. Female elk had highest connectedness at an intermediate density. In contrast, male elk increased connectedness with increasing density. Whereas this may suggest that the benefits of social connectedness outweigh the costs of increased competition at higher density for males, females appear to exhibit a threshold in social benefits (e.g. predator detection and forage information). Our study illustrates the importance of viewing social connectedness as a density-dependent trait, particularly in the context of plasticity. Moreover, we highlight the need to revisit our understanding of density dependence as a population-level phenomenon by accounting for consistent individual differences not only in social connectedness, but likely in other ecological processes (e.g., predator-prey dynamics, mate choice, disease transfer).
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Paul P. O’Brien
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Quinn M. R. Webber
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| | - Eric Vander Wal
- Department of Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
- Cognitive and Behavioural Ecology Interdisciplinary Program, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John’s, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada
| |
Collapse
|
33
|
Thompson NA, Cords M. Stronger social bonds do not always predict greater longevity in a gregarious primate. Ecol Evol 2018; 8:1604-1614. [PMID: 29435236 PMCID: PMC5792528 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.3781] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Revised: 12/02/2017] [Accepted: 12/11/2017] [Indexed: 01/21/2023] Open
Abstract
In group-living species, individuals often have preferred affiliative social partners, with whom ties or bonds can confer advantages that correspond with greater fitness. For example, in adult female baboons and juvenile horses, individuals with stronger or more social ties experience greater survival. We used detailed behavioral and life history records to explore the relationship between tie quality and survival in a gregarious monkey (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni), while controlling for dominance rank, group size, and life history strategy. We used Cox proportional hazards regressions to model the cumulative (multi-year) and current (single-year) relationships of social ties and the hazard of mortality in 83 wild adult females of known age, observed 2-8 years each (437 subject-years) in eight social groups. The strength of bonds with close partners was associated with increased mortality risk under certain conditions: Females that had strong bonds with close partners that were inconsistent over multiple years had a higher risk of mortality than females adopting any other social strategy. Within a given year, females had a higher risk of death if they were strongly bonded with partners that changed from the previous year versus with partners that remained consistent. Dominance rank, number of adult female groupmates, and age at first reproduction did not predict the risk of death. This study demonstrates that costs and benefits of strong social bonds can be context-dependent, relating to the consistency of social partners over time.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Nicole A. Thompson
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental BiologyColumbia UniversityNew YorkNYUSA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary PrimatologyNew YorkNYUSA
| | - Marina Cords
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental BiologyColumbia UniversityNew YorkNYUSA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary PrimatologyNew YorkNYUSA
| |
Collapse
|
34
|
Larson SM, Ruiz-Lambides A, Platt ML, Brent LJ. Social network dynamics precede a mass eviction in group-living rhesus macaques. Anim Behav 2018; 136:185-193. [PMID: 29887618 PMCID: PMC5990275 DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.08.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 10] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/24/2022]
Abstract
Network dynamics can reveal information about the adaptive function of social behaviour and the extent to which social relationships can flexibly respond to extrinsic pressures. Changes in social networks occur following changes to the social and physical environment. By contrast, we have limited understanding of whether changes in social networks precede major group events. Permanent evictions can be important determinants of gene flow and population structure and are a clear example of an event that might be preceded by social network dynamics. Here we examined the social networks of a group of rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, in the 2 years leading up to the eviction of 22% of adult females, which are the philopatric sex. We found that females engaged in the same amount of aggression and grooming in the 2 years leading up to the eviction but that there were clear changes in their choice of social partners. Females that would eventually be evicted received more aggression from lower-ranking females as the eviction approached. Evicted females also became more discriminating in their grooming relationships in the year nearer the split, showing a greater preference for one another and becoming more cliquish. Put simply, the females that would later be evicted continued to travel with the rest of the group as the eviction approached but were less likely to interact with other group members in an affiliative manner. These results have potential implications for understanding group cohesion and the balance between cooperation and competition that mediates social groups.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Sam M. Larson
- Department of Anthropology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | | | - Michael L. Platt
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, U.S.A
| | - Lauren J.N. Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, U.K
| |
Collapse
|
35
|
Šárová R, Špinka M, Ceacero F. Higher dominance position does not result in higher reproductive success in female beef cattle. J Anim Sci 2018; 95:3301-3309. [PMID: 28805904 DOI: 10.2527/jas.2017.1415] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
The aim of this study was to investigate whether beef cows that achieve higher dominance status than their age-mates have prolonged reproductive life, increased number of offspring born and weaned, and/or heavier BW of the offspring. We also assessed whether maternal dominance rank affects the offspring sex ratio. We recorded data on 309 potential deliveries of female beef cows with known dominance status in a seasonally pastured herd over a 14-yr period and linked them with yearly records of dominance status of the cows assessed around feeding. We did not find any effect of age-corrected dominance index on cow reproductive success measured as delivery or weaning success, calf birth weight or weaning weight, survival of the cow to the following reproductive season, or sex of the conceived calf (generalized linear models, > 0.05). In conclusion, the results indicate that in a typical situation of pastured beef cattle, there might be no selection for individual striving to achieve higher dominance status.
Collapse
|
36
|
Ostner J, Schülke O. Linking Sociality to Fitness in Primates: A Call for Mechanisms. ADVANCES IN THE STUDY OF BEHAVIOR 2018. [DOI: 10.1016/bs.asb.2017.12.001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 63] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
|
37
|
Blaszczyk MB. Consistency in social network position over changing environments in a seasonally breeding primate. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2425-y] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
|
38
|
Brent LJN, Ruiz-Lambides A, Platt ML. Persistent social isolation reflects identity and social context but not maternal effects or early environment. Sci Rep 2017; 7:17791. [PMID: 29259240 PMCID: PMC5736592 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-017-18104-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/25/2017] [Accepted: 12/05/2017] [Indexed: 11/16/2022] Open
Abstract
Individuals who are well integrated into society have greater access to resources and tend to live longer. Why some individuals are socially isolated and others are not is therefore puzzling from an evolutionary perspective. Answering this question requires establishing the mix of intrinsic and contextual factors that contribute to social isolation. Using social network data spanning up to half of the median adult lifespan in a gregarious primate, we found that some measures of social isolation were modestly repeatable within individuals, consistent with a trait. By contrast, social isolation was not explained by the identity of an animal’s mother or the group into which it was born. Nevertheless, age, sex and social status each played a role, as did kin dynamics and familiarity. Females with fewer close relatives were more isolated, and the more time males spent in a new group the less isolated they became, independent of their social status. These results show that social isolation results from a combination of intrinsic and environmental factors. From an evolutionary perspective, these findings suggest that social isolation could be adaptive in some contexts and partly maintained by selection.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- L J N Brent
- School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.
| | - A Ruiz-Lambides
- Caribbean Primate Research Center, University of Puerto Rico, San Juan, Puerto Rico
| | - M L Platt
- Departments of Neuroscience, Psychology, and Marketing, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, USA
| |
Collapse
|
39
|
Fisher DN, McAdam AG. Social traits, social networks and evolutionary biology. J Evol Biol 2017; 30:2088-2103. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.13195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2017] [Revised: 10/08/2017] [Accepted: 10/12/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- D. N. Fisher
- Department for Integrative Biology; University of Guelph; Guelph Ontario Canada
| | - A. G. McAdam
- Department for Integrative Biology; University of Guelph; Guelph Ontario Canada
| |
Collapse
|
40
|
Social security: social relationship strength and connectedness influence how marmots respond to alarm calls. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2374-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/18/2022]
|
41
|
|
42
|
Snijders L, Blumstein DT, Stanley CR, Franks DW. Animal Social Network Theory Can Help Wildlife Conservation. Trends Ecol Evol 2017. [PMID: 28648805 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2017.05.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 79] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/28/2023]
Abstract
Many animals preferentially associate with certain other individuals. This social structuring can influence how populations respond to changes to their environment, thus making network analysis a promising technique for understanding, predicting, and potentially manipulating population dynamics. Various network statistics can correlate with individual fitness components and key population-level processes, yet the logical role and formal application of animal social network theory for conservation and management have not been well articulated. We outline how understanding of direct and indirect relationships between animals can be profitably applied by wildlife managers and conservationists. By doing so, we aim to stimulate the development and implementation of practical tools for wildlife conservation and management and to inspire novel behavioral research in this field.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Lysanne Snijders
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Berlin, Germany; Behavioural Ecology Group, Wageningen University & Research, Wageningen, The Netherlands.
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
| | | | - Daniel W Franks
- York Centre for Complex Systems Analysis, The University of York, York, UK
| |
Collapse
|
43
|
Petelle MB, Dang BN, Blumstein DT. The effect of maternal glucocorticoid levels on juvenile docility in yellow-bellied marmots. Horm Behav 2017; 89:86-91. [PMID: 28062231 DOI: 10.1016/j.yhbeh.2016.12.014] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/25/2016] [Revised: 12/29/2016] [Accepted: 12/31/2016] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Maternal effects can have significant and long-term consequences on offspring behavior and survival, while consistent individual differences (i.e., personality) can have profound impacts on individual fitness. Thus, both can influence population dynamics. However, the underlying mechanisms that determine variation in personality traits are poorly understood. Maternal effects are one potential mechanism that may explain personality variation. We capitalized on a long-term study of yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris) to identify maternal effects on juvenile docility. To do so, we partitioned the variance in juvenile docility using a quantitative genetic modeling approach to isolate potential maternal effects. We also directly tested whether maternal stress, measured through fecal glucocorticoid metabolite levels during lactation of 82 mothers, was associated with offspring docility. Docility scores were estimated for 645 juveniles trapped between 2002 and 2012. We found an interaction between maternal glucocorticoid levels and dam age on juvenile docility. We also found significant maternal, litter, permanent environment, and year effects. These results suggest that a mother's life history stage interacts with stress to influence offspring personality. This early life influence can have long lasting effects on an individual's docility throughout life.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew B Petelle
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA; Department of Zoology & Entomology, University of the Free State Qwaqwa, Phuthaditjhaba, South Africa.
| | - Brian N Dang
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology & Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, CA, USA; The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, CO, USA
| |
Collapse
|
44
|
Brommer JE, Class B. Phenotypic correlations capture between-individual correlations underlying behavioral syndromes. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2017. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-017-2278-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/15/2023]
|
45
|
Krause S, Wilson AD, Ramnarine IW, Herbert-Read JE, Clément RJ, Krause J. Guppies occupy consistent positions in social networks: mechanisms and consequences. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw177] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
|
46
|
|
47
|
Saltz JB. Genetic variation in social environment construction influences the development of aggressive behavior in Drosophila melanogaster. Heredity (Edinb) 2016; 118:340-347. [PMID: 27848947 DOI: 10.1038/hdy.2016.101] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2015] [Revised: 09/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/08/2016] [Indexed: 01/08/2023] Open
Abstract
Individuals are not merely subject to their social environments; they choose and create them, through a process called social environment (or social niche) construction. When genotypes differ in social environment-constructing behaviors, different genotypes are expected to experience different social environments. As social experience often affects behavioral development, quantitative genetics and psychology theories predict that genetic variation in social environment construction should have an important role in determining phenotypic variation; however, this hypothesis has not been tested directly. I identify multiple mechanisms of social environment construction that differ among natural genotypes of Drosophila melanogaster and investigate their consequences for the development of aggressive behavior. Male genotypes differed in the group sizes that they preferred and in their aggressive behavior; both of these behaviors influenced social experience, demonstrating that these behaviors function as social environment-constructing traits. Further, the effects of social experience-as determined in part by social environment construction-carried over to affect focal male aggression at a later time and with a new opponent. These results provide manipulative experimental support for longstanding hypotheses in psychology, that genetic variation in social environment construction has a causal role in behavioral development. More broadly, these results imply that studies of the genetic basis of complex traits should be expanded to include mechanisms by which genetic variation shapes the environments that individuals experience.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- J B Saltz
- Biosciences at Rice University, Houston, TX, USA
| |
Collapse
|
48
|
Formica V, Wood C, Cook P, Brodie E. Consistency of animal social networks after disturbance. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw128] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/17/2023] Open
|
49
|
Yang WJ, Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Blumstein DT. A cost of being amicable in a hibernating mammal. Behav Ecol 2016. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arw125] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
|
50
|
Ilany A, Akçay E. Social inheritance can explain the structure of animal social networks. Nat Commun 2016; 7:12084. [PMID: 27352101 PMCID: PMC4931239 DOI: 10.1038/ncomms12084] [Citation(s) in RCA: 85] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/01/2015] [Accepted: 05/27/2016] [Indexed: 11/09/2022] Open
Abstract
The social network structure of animal populations has major implications for survival, reproductive success, sexual selection and pathogen transmission of individuals. But as of yet, no general theory of social network structure exists that can explain the diversity of social networks observed in nature, and serve as a null model for detecting species and population-specific factors. Here we propose a simple and generally applicable model of social network structure. We consider the emergence of network structure as a result of social inheritance, in which newborns are likely to bond with maternal contacts, and via forming bonds randomly. We compare model output with data from several species, showing that it can generate networks with properties such as those observed in real social systems. Our model demonstrates that important observed properties of social networks, including heritability of network position or assortative associations, can be understood as consequences of social inheritance.
Collapse
Affiliation(s)
- Amiyaal Ilany
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| | - Erol Akçay
- Department of Biology, University of Pennsylvania, 433 South University Avenue, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19104, USA
| |
Collapse
|