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Kleindorfer S, Krupka MA, Katsis AC, Frigerio D, Common LK. Aggressiveness predicts dominance rank in greylag geese: mirror tests and agonistic interactions. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2024; 11:231686. [PMID: 38577211 PMCID: PMC10987982 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231686] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/12/2023] [Revised: 01/10/2024] [Accepted: 02/07/2024] [Indexed: 04/06/2024]
Abstract
Individual differences in aggressiveness, if consistent across time and contexts, may contribute to the long-term maintenance of social hierarchies in complex animal societies. Although agonistic interactions have previously been used to calculate individuals' positions within a dominance hierarchy, to date the repeatability of agonistic behaviour has not been tested when calculating social rank. Here, we examined the consistency and social relevance of aggressiveness as a personality trait in a free-flying population of greylag geese (Anser anser). For each individual, we quantified (i) aggressiveness using a standardized mirror stimulation test and (ii) dominance ranking based on the number of agonistic interactions won and lost in a feeding context. We found that individual differences in aggressiveness were significantly repeatable and that individuals' aggressiveness predicted their dominance rank position. The flock showed a robust and intermediately steep dominance hierarchy. Social rank was higher in paired birds, males and older birds, and most agonistic interactions occurred between individuals with moderate rank differences. We suggest that selection favours aggressiveness as a personality trait associated with resource acquisition and social rank, whereby a dominance hierarchy may increase the benefits of group living and reduce costs over conflict within dyads.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sonia Kleindorfer
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition, Core Facility of the University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Vienna4645, Austria
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna1030, Austria
- College of Science and Engineering, Flinders University, Adelaide, South Australia5042, Australia
| | - Mara A. Krupka
- Biology Department, Kalamazoo College, Kalamazoo, MI49006, USA
| | - Andrew C. Katsis
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition, Core Facility of the University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Vienna4645, Austria
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna1030, Austria
| | - Didone Frigerio
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition, Core Facility of the University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Vienna4645, Austria
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna1030, Austria
| | - Lauren K. Common
- Konrad Lorenz Research Center for Behavior and Cognition, Core Facility of the University of Vienna, Grünau im Almtal, Vienna4645, Austria
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna1030, Austria
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Bugnyar T. Why are ravens smart? Exploring the social intelligence hypothesis. JOURNAL OF ORNITHOLOGY 2023; 165:15-26. [PMID: 38225936 PMCID: PMC10787684 DOI: 10.1007/s10336-023-02111-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2023] [Revised: 09/01/2023] [Accepted: 09/07/2023] [Indexed: 01/17/2024]
Abstract
Ravens and other corvids are renowned for their 'intelligence'. For long, this reputation has been based primarily on anecdotes but in the last decades experimental evidence for impressive cognitive skills has accumulated within and across species. While we begin to understand the building blocks of corvid cognition, the question remains why these birds have evolved such skills. Focusing on Northern Ravens Corvus corax, I here try to tackle this question by relating current hypotheses on brain evolution to recent empirical data on challenges faced in the birds' daily life. Results show that foraging ravens meet several assumptions for applying social intelligence: (1) they meet repeatedly at foraging sites, albeit individuals have different site preferences and vary in grouping dynamics; (1) foraging groups are structured by dominance rank hierarchies and social bonds; (3) individual ravens memorize former group members and their relationship valence over years, deduce third-party relationships and use their social knowledge in daily life by supporting others in conflicts and intervening in others' affiliations. Hence, ravens' socio-cognitive skills may be strongly shaped by the 'complex' social environment experienced as non-breeders.
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Affiliation(s)
- Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030 Vienna, Austria
- Konrad Lorenz Forschungsstelle, Core Faculty for Behavior and Cognition, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645 Grünau im Almtal, Austria
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Grethen KJ, Gómez Y, Toscano MJ. Coup in the coop: Rank changes in chicken dominance hierarchies over maturation. Behav Processes 2023:104904. [PMID: 37302665 DOI: 10.1016/j.beproc.2023.104904] [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: 11/01/2022] [Revised: 06/06/2023] [Accepted: 06/07/2023] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
Chicken dominance hierarchies or pecking orders are established before maturation and maintained by consistent submissive responses of subordinate individuals, leading to stable ranks within unchanged groups. We observed interactions of 418 laying hens (Gallus gallus domesticus) distributed across three small (20) and three large (~120) groups. The observations were performed before sexual maturation (young period) and additionally after onset of maturation (mature period) to confirm stability of ranks. Dominance ranks were estimated via the Elo rating system across both observation periods. Diagnostics of the ranks revealed unexpected uncertainty and rank instability for the full dataset, although sampling appeared to be adequate. Subsequent evaluations of ranks based on the mature period only, showed more reliable ranks than across both observation periods. Furthermore, winning success during the young period did not directly predict high rank during the mature period. These results indicated rank changes between observation periods. The current study design could not discern whether ranks were stable in all pens before maturation. However, our data rather suggested active rank mobility after hierarchy establishment to be the cause for our findings. Once thought to be stable, chicken hierarchies may provide an excellent system to study causes and implications of active rank mobility.
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Affiliation(s)
- Klara J Grethen
- Center for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ), Division of Animal Welfare, VPH Institute, University of Bern, Burgerweg 22, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland; Graduate School of Cellular and Biomedical Sciences, University of Bern, 3012 Bern, Switzerland.
| | - Yamenah Gómez
- Center for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ), Division of Animal Welfare, VPH Institute, University of Bern, Burgerweg 22, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland.
| | - Michael J Toscano
- Center for Proper Housing: Poultry and Rabbits (ZTHZ), Division of Animal Welfare, VPH Institute, University of Bern, Burgerweg 22, 3052 Zollikofen, Switzerland.
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Vanhooland LC, Szabó A, Bugnyar T, Massen JJM. A comparative study of mirror self-recognition in three corvid species. Anim Cogn 2023; 26:229-248. [PMID: 36173469 PMCID: PMC9876878 DOI: 10.1007/s10071-022-01696-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/22/2022] [Revised: 08/31/2022] [Accepted: 09/03/2022] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Mirror self-recognition (MSR) assessed by the Mark Test has been the staple test for the study of animal self-awareness. When tested in this paradigm, corvid species return discrepant results, with only the Eurasian magpies and the Indian house crow successfully passing the test so far, whereas multiple other corvid species fail. The lack of replicability of these positive results and the large divergence in applied methodologies calls into question whether the observed differences are in fact phylogenetic or methodological, and, if so, which factors facilitate the expression of MSR in some corvids. In this study, we (1) present new results on the self-recognition abilities of common ravens, (2) replicate results of azure-winged magpies, and (3) compare the mirror responses and performances in the mark test of these two corvid species with a third corvid species: carrion crows, previously tested following the same experimental procedure. Our results show interspecies differences in the approach of and the response to the mirror during the mirror exposure phase of the experiment as well as in the subsequent mark test. However, the performances of these species in the Mark Test do not provide any evidence for their ability of self-recognition. Our results add to the ongoing discussion about the convergent evolution of MSR and we advocate for consistent methodologies and procedures in comparing this ability across species to advance this discussion.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lisa-Claire Vanhooland
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Anita Szabó
- Department of Zoology, Charles University, Prague, Czech Republic
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerassiplatz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Jorg J M Massen
- Animal Behaviour and Cognition, Department of Biology, Utrecht University, Utrecht, The Netherlands
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Blum CR, Fitch WT, Bugnyar T. Social dynamics impact scolding behaviour in captive groups of common ravens (Corvus corax). Front Zool 2022; 19:32. [PMID: 36503565 PMCID: PMC9743665 DOI: 10.1186/s12983-022-00477-6] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/16/2022] [Accepted: 11/20/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
BACKGROUND Predator avoidance can have immense impacts on fitness, yet individual variation in the expression of anti-predator behaviour remains largely unexplained. Existing research investigating learning of novel predators has focused either on individuals or groups, but not both. Testing in individual settings allows evaluations of learning or personality differences, while testing in group settings makes it impossible to distinguish any such individual differences from social dynamics. In this study, we investigate the effect of social dynamics on individual anti-predator behaviour. We trained 15 captive ravens to recognize and respond to a novel experimental predator and then exposed them to this predator in both group and isolation settings across 1.5 years to tease apart individual differences from social effects and evaluate two hypotheses: (1) weaker anti-predator responses of some individuals in the group occurred, because they failed to recognize the experimental predator as a threat, leading to weak responses when separated, or (2) some individuals had learned the new threat, but their scolding intensity was repressed in the group trials due to social dynamics (such as dominance rank), leading to increased scolding intensity when alone. RESULTS We found that dominance significantly influences scolding behaviour in the group trials; top-ranked individuals scold more and earlier than lower ranking ones. However, in the separation trials scolding duration is no longer affected by rank. CONCLUSIONS We speculate that, while top-ranked individuals use their anti-predator responses to signal status in the group, lower-ranking ravens may be suppressed from, or are less capable of, performing intense anti-predator behaviour while in the group. This suggests that, in addition to its recruitment or predator-deterrent effects, alarm calling may serve as a marker of individual quality to conspecifics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Christian R Blum
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
| | - W Tecumseh Fitch
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
- Vienna CogSciHub, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Department of Behavioral and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Vienna, Austria.
- Haidlhof Research Station, University of Vienna and University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna, Austria.
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Takeda K, Takahashi N, Izawa EI. Social encounters produce different autonomic response between dominants and subordinates in crows. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2022; 9:220972. [PMID: 36300140 PMCID: PMC9579753 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.220972] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/28/2022] [Accepted: 09/30/2022] [Indexed: 06/16/2023]
Abstract
Recent studies of behavioural physiology on animals have suggested the crucial role of peripherally physiological signals in eliciting arousal and emotion. Heart rate (HR) is one of the useful and critical signals to measure autonomic regulation as a physiological basis for arousal and emotion in response to biologically significant stimuli such as social encounter with conspecific individuals. However, our understanding of peripherally physiological response such as HRs and autonomic activities under social contexts of non-human animals is still limited, particularly in birds. Here, we examined the autonomic activity of behaving crows exposed to a dominant and a subordinate conspecific by using non-invasive electrocardiogram recording. We found different patterns of autonomic responses dependent on the relative dominance position: dominant crows encountering subordinates showed the elevation of sympathetic activity, whereas subordinates encountering dominants showed decreased HR with elevated parasympathetic activity. This is the first study in birds to report different autonomic responses dependent on relative dominance positions during dyadic social encounters. The present study advances our understanding of the role of the peripheral autonomic system, as an interactive system with the brain, in eliciting emotion/arousal associated with socially challenging environments from an evolutionary perspective.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kazuaki Takeda
- Department of Psychology, Keio University, Tokyo 108-8345, Japan
| | - Nana Takahashi
- Department of Psychology, Keio University, Tokyo 108-8345, Japan
- Japan Society of the Promotion for Science, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Ei-Ichi Izawa
- Department of Psychology, Keio University, Tokyo 108-8345, Japan
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Jain V, Bugnyar T, Cunningham SJ, Gallego-Abenza M, Loretto MC, Sumasgutner P. The spatial and temporal exploitation of anthropogenic food sources by common ravens (Corvus corax) in the Alps. MOVEMENT ECOLOGY 2022; 10:35. [PMID: 36008849 PMCID: PMC9414151 DOI: 10.1186/s40462-022-00335-4] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/25/2022] [Accepted: 08/05/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Anthropogenic food sources (AFSs) are widespread in human-transformed landscapes and the current scale at which they occur drives ecological change at the individual, population, and community levels. AFSs are exploited extensively by common ravens, Corvus corax. Understanding how raven populations use AFSs can provide insight into their ecological responses to AFSs. METHODS We equipped 81 ravens in the Austrian Alps with GPS-transmitters over a period of 2.75 years. Using these tracking data, we investigated how cohort differences (i.e., age, sex, and origin) and seasonal changes influence raven movement patterns (i.e., occurrence distribution and maximum daily displacement) and AFS-use (i.e., number of AFSs visited and probability of being present at any AFS) at 45 extensively exploited sites. RESULTS We found that proxies for experience and dominance, inferred by age (i.e., juvenile versus adult) and origin (i.e., wild-caught versus captive-bred-released) cohorts, influenced movement patterns and the number of AFSs visited. However, all individuals were equally likely to be present at AFSs, highlighting the importance of AFSs for non-breeders in the study population. Seasonal changes in environmental conditions that affect energetic demands, the availability of natural and anthropogenic food, and foraging competition, influenced individuals' occurrence distributions and AFS-use. We found that under harsher conditions in autumn and winter, individuals ranged wider and depended on AFSs to a larger degree. However, contrary to expectation, they were less likely to be present at AFSs in these seasons compared to spring and summer, suggesting a trade-off between time spent moving and exploiting resources. We attribute the small ranging movements exhibited by non-breeders in spring and summer to the presence of highly territorial and socially dominant breeders. As breeders mostly stay and forage within their territories during these seasons, competition at AFSs decrease, thereby increasing the likelihood of individuals being present at any AFS. CONCLUSIONS We emphasize that movement and AFS-use differ according to cohort differences and the seasonality of the environment. Our results highlight that predictable AFSs affect foraging strategies among non-breeding ravens. The extent of AFS-exploitation among non-breeding ravens in our study emphasize the potential of AFSs in shaping raven movement and resource-use.
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Affiliation(s)
- Varalika Jain
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, Private Bax X3, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa.
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria.
| | - Thomas Bugnyar
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerasi Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
| | - Susan J Cunningham
- FitzPatrick Institute of African Ornithology, DSI-NRF Centre of Excellence, Private Bax X3, Rondebosch, Cape Town, 7701, South Africa
| | - Mario Gallego-Abenza
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerasi Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
- Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Matthias-Claudio Loretto
- Ecosystem Dynamics and Forest Management Group, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Hans-Carl-von-Carlowitz-Platz 2, 85354, Freising, Germany
- Berchtesgaden National Park, Doktorberg 6, 83471, Berchtesgaden, Germany
| | - Petra Sumasgutner
- Core Facility for Behaviour and Cognition, Konrad Lorenz Research Centre, University of Vienna, Fischerau 13, 4645, Grünau im Almtal, Austria
- Department of Behavioural and Cognitive Biology, University of Vienna, Djerasi Platz 1, 1030, Vienna, Austria
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Horn L, Cimarelli G, Boucherie PH, Šlipogor V, Bugnyar T. Beyond the dichotomy between field and lab — the importance of studying cognition in context. Curr Opin Behav Sci 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.cobeha.2022.101172] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/15/2022]
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Strauss ED, DeCasien AR, Galindo G, Hobson EA, Shizuka D, Curley JP. DomArchive: a century of published dominance data. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200436. [PMID: 35000444 PMCID: PMC8743893 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0436] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/31/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Dominance behaviours have been collected for many groups of animals since 1922 and serve as a foundation for research on social behaviour and social structure. Despite a wealth of data from the last century of research on dominance hierarchies, these data are only rarely used for comparative insight. Here, we aim to facilitate comparative studies of the structure and function of dominance hierarchies by compiling published dominance interaction datasets from the last 100 years of work. This compiled archive includes 436 datasets from 190 studies of 367 unique groups (mean group size 13.8, s.d. = 13.4) of 135 different species, totalling over 243 000 interactions. These data are presented in an R package alongside relevant metadata and a tool for subsetting the archive based on biological or methodological criteria. In this paper, we explain how to use the archive, discuss potential limitations of the data, and reflect on best practices in publishing dominance data based on our experience in assembling this dataset. This archive will serve as an important resource for future comparative studies and will promote the development of general unifying theories of dominance in behavioural ecology that can be grounded in testing with empirical data. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli D. Strauss
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, 78464 Konstanz, Germany
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0118 USA
| | - Alex R. DeCasien
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
- New York Consortium in Evolutionary Primatology, New York, NY, USA
- Section on Developmental Neurogenomics, National Institute of Mental Health, Bethesda, MA, USA
| | - Gabriela Galindo
- Department of Anthropology, New York University, New York, NY, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, 68588-0118 USA
| | - James P. Curley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
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Strauss ED, Curley JP, Shizuka D, Hobson EA. The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200432. [PMID: 35000437 PMCID: PMC8743894 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0432] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2021] [Accepted: 12/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022] Open
Abstract
A century ago, foundational work by Thorleif Schjelderup-Ebbe described a 'pecking order' in chicken societies, where individuals could be ordered according to their ability to exert their influence over their group-mates. Now known as dominance hierarchies, these structures have been shown to influence a plethora of individual characteristics and outcomes, situating dominance research as a pillar of the study of modern social ecology and evolution. Here, we first review some of the major questions that have been answered about dominance hierarchies in the last 100 years. Next, we introduce the contributions to this theme issue and summarize how they provide ongoing insight in the epistemology, physiology and neurobiology, hierarchical structure, and dynamics of dominance. These contributions employ the full range of research approaches available to modern biologists. Cross-cutting themes emerging from these contributions include a focus on cognitive underpinnings of dominance, the application of network-analytical approaches, and the utility of experimental rank manipulations for revealing causal relationships. Reflection on the last 100 years of dominance research reveals how Schjelderup-Ebbe's early ideas and the subsequent research helped drive a shift from an essentialist view of species characteristics to the modern recognition of rich inter-individual variation in social, behavioural and physiological phenotypes. This article is part of the theme issue 'The centennial of the pecking order: current state and future prospects for the study of dominance hierarchies'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eli D. Strauss
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - James P. Curley
- Department of Psychology, University of Texas at Austin, Austin, TX, USA
| | - Daizaburo Shizuka
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Nebraska Lincoln, Lincoln, NE, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, USA
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