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Zhu Q, Guan J, Lei T, Xuan K, Guo S, Zhao Y, Fu C, Yang L, Li Z. Sexually differentiated decision-making involves faster recruitment in the early stages for the Tibetan antelopes Pantholops hodgsonii. Curr Zool 2025; 71:124-135. [PMID: 39996253 PMCID: PMC11847017 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoae036] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/17/2024] [Accepted: 06/22/2024] [Indexed: 02/26/2025] Open
Abstract
Group living is widespread across diverse taxa, and the mechanisms underlying collective decision-making in contexts of variable role division are critical for understanding the dynamics of group stability. While studies on collective behavior in small animals such as fish and insects are well-established, similar research on large wild animals remains challenging due to the limited availability of sufficient and systematic field data. Here, we aimed to explore the collective decision-making pattern and its sexual difference for the dimorphic Tibetan antelopes Pantholops hodgsonii (chiru) in Xizang Autonomous Region, China, by analyzing individual leadership distribution, as well as the joining process, considering factors such as calving stages and joining ranks. The distinct correlations of decision participants' ratio with group size and decision duration underscore the trade-off between accuracy and speed in decision-making. Male antelopes display a more democratic decision-making pattern, while females exhibit more prompt responses after calving at an early stage. This study uncovers a partially shared decision-making strategy among Tibetan antelopes, suggesting flexible self-organization in group decision processes aligned with animal life cycle progression.
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Affiliation(s)
- Qin Zhu
- Lab of Animal Behaviour & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Jian Guan
- School of Electronic and Information Engineering, Jinling Institute of Technology, Nanjing, Jiangsu 211169, China
| | - Tianya Lei
- Lab of Animal Behaviour & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Kun Xuan
- Lab of Animal Behaviour & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Sile Guo
- Lab of Animal Behaviour & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Yumeng Zhao
- Lab of Animal Behaviour & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Changjian Fu
- Lab of Animal Behaviour & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
| | - Le Yang
- Department of Zoology, Tibet Plateau Institute of Biology, Lhasa 850000, China
| | - Zhongqiu Li
- Lab of Animal Behaviour & Conservation, School of Life Sciences, Nanjing University, Nanjing, Jiangsu 210023, China
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Ioannou CC, Laskowski KL. A multi-scale review of the dynamics of collective behaviour: from rapid responses to ontogeny and evolution. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2023; 378:20220059. [PMID: 36802782 PMCID: PMC9939272 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2022.0059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 15] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/25/2023] [Accepted: 01/26/2023] [Indexed: 02/21/2023] Open
Abstract
Collective behaviours, such as flocking in birds or decision making by bee colonies, are some of the most intriguing behavioural phenomena in the animal kingdom. The study of collective behaviour focuses on the interactions between individuals within groups, which typically occur over close ranges and short timescales, and how these interactions drive larger scale properties such as group size, information transfer within groups and group-level decision making. To date, however, most studies have focused on snapshots, typically studying collective behaviour over short timescales up to minutes or hours. However, being a biological trait, much longer timescales are important in animal collective behaviour, particularly how individuals change over their lifetime (the domain of developmental biology) and how individuals change from one generation to the next (the domain of evolutionary biology). Here, we give an overview of collective behaviour across timescales from the short to the long, illustrating how a full understanding of this behaviour in animals requires much more research attention on its developmental and evolutionary biology. Our review forms the prologue of this special issue, which addresses and pushes forward understanding the development and evolution of collective behaviour, encouraging a new direction for collective behaviour research. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'Collective behaviour through time'.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Kate L. Laskowski
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA 95616, USA
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The Youngest, the Heaviest and/or the Darkest? Selection Potentialities and Determinants of Leadership in Canarian Dromedary Camels. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11102886. [PMID: 34679907 PMCID: PMC8532867 DOI: 10.3390/ani11102886] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/08/2021] [Revised: 09/24/2021] [Accepted: 09/28/2021] [Indexed: 11/23/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Genetic selection of camels for behavioral traits is not an extended practice in livestock scenarios. Given the existence of pleiotropic genes that influence two or more seemingly unrelated phenotypic traits, here we studied the sociodemographic, zoometric and phaneroptical characteristics potentially determining the intraherd leadership role in Canarian camels. This local endangered breed is mainly reared in same-sex groups because of biased morphostructural preferences, that is, tourism/leisure and milk production for males and females, respectively. The attribute most influencing leadership role was sexual status, as gelded animals more frequently initiated group movements. Furthermore, younger camels were mainly endorsed as group leaders, a condition that could be ascribed to their recognized fluid intelligence and need for constant social and environmental interaction. Referring to zoometrics and phaneroptics, the heaviest and darkest-coated dromedaries were significantly more prone to reaching higher positions in the leadership hierarchy. The presence of white-haired zones in the extremities, head and neck as well as iris depigmentation had non-negligible influence on this type of social organization. This information is valuable for application both in refining animal handling procedures and in genetic selection of animals for their social behavior. Abstract Several idiosyncratic and genetically correlated traits are known to extensively influence leadership in both domestic and wild species. For minor livestock such as camels, however, this type of behavior remains loosely defined and approached only for sex-mixed herds. The interest in knowing those animal-dependent variables that make an individual more likely to emerge as a leader in a single-sex camel herd has its basis in the sex-separated breeding of Canarian dromedary camels for utilitarian purposes. By means of an ordinal logistic regression, it was found that younger, gelded animals may perform better when eliciting the joining of mates, assuming that they were castrated just before reaching sexual maturity and once they were initiated in the pertinent domestication protocol for their lifetime functionality. The higher the body weight, the significantly (p < 0.05) higher the score in the hierarchical rank when leading group movements, although this relationship appeared to be inverse for the other considered zoometric indexes. Camels with darker and substantially depigmented coats were also significantly (p < 0.05) found to be the main initiators. Routine intraherd management and leisure tourism will be thus improved in efficiency and security through the identification and selection of the best leader camels.
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Smith JE, von Rueden CR, van Vugt M, Fichtel C, Kappeler PM. An Evolutionary Explanation for the Female Leadership Paradox. Front Ecol Evol 2021. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2021.676805] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Abstract
Social influence is distributed unequally between males and females in many mammalian societies. In human societies, gender inequality is particularly evident in access to leadership positions. Understanding why women historically and cross-culturally have tended to be under-represented as leaders within human groups and organizations represents a paradox because we lack evidence that women leaders consistently perform worse than men. We also know that women exercise overt influence in collective group-decisions within small-scale human societies, and that female leadership is pervasive in particular contexts across non-human mammalian societies. Here, we offer a transdisciplinary perspective on this female leadership paradox. Synthesis of social science and biological literatures suggests that females and males, on average, differ in why and how they compete for access to political leadership in mixed-gender groups. These differences are influenced by sexual selection and are moderated by socioecological variation across development and, particularly in human societies, by culturally transmitted norms and institutions. The interplay of these forces contributes to the emergence of female leaders within and across species. Furthermore, females may regularly exercise influence on group decisions in less conspicuous ways and different domains than males, and these underappreciated forms of leadership require more study. We offer a comprehensive framework for studying inequality between females and males in access to leadership positions, and we discuss the implications of this approach for understanding the female leadership paradox and for redressing gender inequality in leadership in humans.
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Movement orders in spontaneous group movements in cattle: 6-year monitoring of a beef cow herd with changing composition. J ETHOL 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10164-021-00700-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
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Bowyer RT, McCullough DR, Rachlow JL, Ciuti S, Whiting JC. Evolution of ungulate mating systems: Integrating social and environmental factors. Ecol Evol 2020; 10:5160-5178. [PMID: 32551090 PMCID: PMC7297761 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.6246] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/11/2019] [Revised: 03/12/2020] [Accepted: 03/13/2020] [Indexed: 11/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Ungulates exhibit diverse mating systems that range from monogamous pair territories to highly polygynous leks. We review mating systems and behaviors across ungulates and offer a new approach synthesizing how interacting factors may shape those mating systems. Variability exists in mating systems among and within species of ungulates and likely is affected by predation risk, availability of resources (food and mates), habitat structure, and sociality. Ungulate mating systems may be labile as a consequence of the varying strength of those interacting factors. In addition, degree of polygyny and sexual dimorphism in size are associated with the evolution of mating systems. Neither male-male combat nor paternal care, however, can completely explain differences in sexual size dimorphism for ungulates, a necessary component in understanding the development of some mating systems. Whatever the evolutionary pathway, sexual segregation limits paternal care allowing more intense male-male competition. Selection of habitat structure, because it modifies risk of predation, is a major determinant of sociality for ungulates. Likewise, ruggedness and steepness of terrain limit the types of mating systems that can occur because of limitations in group size and cohesiveness, as well as the ability of males to herd even small groups of females effectively. The quality and defensibility of resources affect mating systems, as does the defensibility of females. Population density of females also may be a critical determinant of the types of mating systems that develop. Size of groups likewise constrains the types of mating tactics that males can employ. Our aim was to use those relationships to create a broad conceptual model that predicts how various environmental and social factors interact to structure mating systems in ungulates. This model provides a useful framework for future tests of the roles of both ecological and social conditions in influencing the social systems of ungulates.
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Affiliation(s)
- R. Terry Bowyer
- Institute of Arctic BiologyUniversity of Alaska FairbanksFairbanksAKUSA
| | - Dale R. McCullough
- Department of Environmental Science, Policy and ManagementUniversity of CaliforniaBerkeleyCAUSA
| | - Janet L. Rachlow
- Department of Fish and Wildlife SciencesUniversity of IdahoMoscowIDUSA
| | - Simone Ciuti
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and BehaviourSchool of Biology and Environmental ScienceUniversity College DublinDublinIreland
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Predators attacking virtual prey reveal the costs and benefits of leadership. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2019; 116:8925-8930. [PMID: 30988193 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.1816323116] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
A long-standing assumption in social behavior is that leadership incurs costs as well as benefits, and this tradeoff can result in diversified social roles in groups. The major cost of leadership in moving animal groups is assumed to be predation, with individuals leading from the front of groups being targeted more often by predators. Nevertheless, empirical evidence for this is limited, and experimental tests are entirely lacking. To avoid confounding effects associated with observational studies, we presented a simulation of virtual prey to real fish predators to directly assess the predation cost of leadership. Prey leading others are at greater risk than those in the middle of groups, confirming that any benefits of leading may be offset by predation costs. Importantly, however, followers confer a net safety benefit to leaders, as prey leading others were less likely to be attacked compared with solitary prey. We also find that the predators preferentially attacked when solitary individuals were more frequent, but this effect was relatively weak compared with the preference for attacking solitary prey during an attack. Using virtual prey, where the appearance and behavior of the prey can be manipulated and controlled exactly, we reveal a hierarchy of risk from solitary to leading to following social strategies. Our results suggest that goal-orientated individuals (i.e., potential leaders) are under selective pressure to maintain group cohesion, favoring effective leadership rather than group fragmentation. Our results have significant implications for understanding the evolution and maintenance of different social roles in groups.
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Influence of predation risk on individual spatial positioning and willingness to leave a safe refuge in a social benthic fish. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-018-2499-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Ramos A, Manizan L, Rodriguez E, Kemp YJM, Sueur C. How can leadership processes in European bison be used to improve the management of free-roaming herds. EUR J WILDLIFE RES 2018. [DOI: 10.1007/s10344-018-1175-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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Schmidt NM, Beest FMV, Mosbacher JB, Stelvig M, Hansen LH, Nabe-Nielsen J, Grøndahl C. Ungulate movement in an extreme seasonal environment: year-round movement patterns of high-arctic muskoxen. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2016. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
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Wang X, Sun L, Sheeran LK, Sun BH, Zhang QX, Zhang D, Xia DP, Li JH. Social rank versus affiliation: Which is more closely related to leadership of group movements in Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana)? Am J Primatol 2016; 78:816-24. [PMID: 26990010 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.22546] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/15/2015] [Revised: 03/04/2016] [Accepted: 03/06/2016] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
Research on leadership is a critical step for understanding collective decision making. However, only 4 of the 22 extant macaque species have been examined for the impact of social rank and affiliation on the initiation of collective movement. It is far from clear whether such impact exists and, if so, how it works among other macaques. To answer these questions, we investigated free-ranging, Tibetan macaques' (Macaca thibetana) group departures from a provisioning area and tested two alternative hypotheses: personal versus distributed leadership. Personal leadership predicts that a single, highest ranking individual initiates the most group movements, whereas distributed leadership predicts that different members lead the group on different occasions and affiliative individuals have more initiations. We recorded how often and how successfully adults initiated group movements from a provisioning area into the forest, and related these variables to the duration of interindividual proximity and grooming time in the forest. All adults initiated group movements, but did so variably. Social rank was related neither to the number of successful initiations nor to the success ratio of initiations. By contrast, eigenvector centrality based on proximity relations was positively correlated with the number and ratio of successful initiations. Moreover, successful initiations were positively correlated with social grooming. Overall, Tibetan macaques showed a pattern of distributed leadership. Our study demonstrated the relationship between social affiliation and individual leadership in a macaque society. Am. J. Primatol. 78:816-824, 2016. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xi Wang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Lixing Sun
- Department of Biological Sciences, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington
| | - Lori K Sheeran
- Department of Anthropology, Central Washington University, Ellensburg, Washington
| | - Bing-Hua Sun
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Qi-Xin Zhang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Dao Zhang
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Dong-Po Xia
- School of Life Sciences, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
| | - Jin-Hua Li
- School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, Anhui, China
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Smith JE, Estrada JR, Richards HR, Dawes SE, Mitsos K, Holekamp KE. Collective movements, leadership and consensus costs at reunions in spotted hyaenas. Anim Behav 2015. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.04.023] [Citation(s) in RCA: 39] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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16
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Berry PSM, Bercovitch FB. Leadership of herd progressions in the Thornicroft's giraffe of Zambia. Afr J Ecol 2014. [DOI: 10.1111/aje.12173] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Fred B. Bercovitch
- Primate Research Institute & Wildlife Research Center; Kyoto University; 41-2 Kanrin Inuyama Aichi 484-8506 Japan
- Giraffe Conservation Foundation; 26 Grassmere Road Purley Surrey CR8 1DU U.K
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17
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Schmidt JH, Gorn TS. Possible secondary population-level effects of selective harvest of adult male muskoxen. PLoS One 2013; 8:e67493. [PMID: 23818982 PMCID: PMC3688598 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0067493] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/26/2012] [Accepted: 05/20/2013] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Selective harvest regimes are often focused on males resulting in skewed sex-ratios, and for many ungulate species this strategy is sustainable. However, muskoxen (Ovibos moschatus) are very social and mature bulls (≥4 years old), particularly prime-age bulls (6–10 years old), play important roles in predator defense and recruitment. A year-round social structure incorporating large males into mixed-sex groups could make this species more susceptible to the effects of selective harvest if population composition and sex-ratios influence overall survival and reproductive success. Using detailed data collected on the muskox population occupying the Seward Peninsula, Alaska during 2002–2012, we formulated the hypothesis that the selective harvest of mature bulls may be related to documented changes in population composition and growth rates in this species. In addition, we reviewed existing published information from two other populations in Alaska, the Cape Thompson and Northeastern populations, to compare population growth rates among the three areas under differential harvest rates relative to our hypothesis. We found that on the Seward Peninsula, mature bull:adult cow ratios declined 4–12%/year and short-yearling:adult cow ratios (i.e., recruitment) declined 8–9%/year in the most heavily harvested areas. Growth rates in all 3 populations decreased disproportionately after increases in the number of bulls harvested, and calf:cow ratios declined in the Northeastern population as harvest increased. While lack of appropriate data prevented us from excluding other potential causes such as density dependent effects and changes in predator densities, our results did align with our hypothesis, suggesting that in the interest of conservation, harvest of mature males should be restricted until causal factors can be more definitively identified. If confirmed by additional research, our findings would have important implications for harvest management and conservation of muskoxen and other ungulate species with similar life-histories.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joshua H Schmidt
- US National Park Service, Central Alaska Network, Fairbanks, Alaska, USA.
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Collective group movement and leadership in wild black howler monkeys (Alouatta pigra). Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2012. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-012-1421-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 23] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
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Burns ALJ, Herbert-Read JE, Morrell LJ, Ward AJW. Consistency of leadership in shoals of mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki) in novel and in familiar environments. PLoS One 2012; 7:e36567. [PMID: 22590568 PMCID: PMC3348123 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0036567] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2011] [Accepted: 04/10/2012] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
In social animal groups, an individual's spatial position is a major determinant of both predation risk and foraging rewards. Additionally, the occupation of positions in the front of moving groups is generally assumed to correlate with the initiation of group movements. However, whether some individuals are predisposed to consistently occupy certain positions and, in some instances, to consistently lead groups over time is as yet unresolved in many species. Using the mosquitofish (Gambusia holbrooki), we examined the consistency of individuals' spatial positions within a moving group over successive trials. We found that certain individuals consistently occupied front positions in moving groups and also that it was typically these individuals that initiated group decisions. The number of individuals involved in leading the group varied according to the amount of information held by group members, with a greater number of changes in leadership in a novel compared to a relatively familiar environment. Finally, our results show that the occupation of lead positions in moving groups was not explained by characteristics such as dominance, size or sex, suggesting that certain individuals are predisposed to leadership roles. This suggests that being a leader or a follower may to some extent be an intrinsic property of the individual.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alicia L. J. Burns
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - James E. Herbert-Read
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
| | - Lesley J. Morrell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Hull, Hull, East Yorkshire, United Kingdom
| | - Ashley J. W. Ward
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Sydney, Sydney, New South Wales, Australia
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