1
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Shah SS, Rubenstein DR. Group augmentation underlies the evolution of complex sociality in the face of environmental instability. Proc Natl Acad Sci U S A 2023; 120:e2212211120. [PMID: 37094171 PMCID: PMC10160950 DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2212211120] [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: 07/22/2022] [Accepted: 03/16/2023] [Indexed: 04/26/2023] Open
Abstract
Although kin selection is assumed to underlie the evolution of sociality, many vertebrates-including nearly half of all cooperatively breeding birds-form groups that also include unrelated individuals. Theory predicts that despite reducing kin structure, immigration of unrelated individuals into groups can provide direct, group augmentation benefits, particularly when offspring recruitment is insufficient for group persistence. Using population dynamic modeling and analysis of long-term data, we provide clear empirical evidence of group augmentation benefits favoring the evolution and maintenance of complex societies with low kin structure and multiple reproductives. We show that in the superb starling (Lamprotornis superbus)-a plural cooperative breeder that forms large groups with multiple breeding pairs, and related and unrelated nonbreeders of both sexes-offspring recruitment alone cannot prevent group extinction, especially in smaller groups. Further, smaller groups, which stand to benefit more from immigration, exhibit lower reproductive skew for immigrants, suggesting that reproductive opportunities as joining incentives lead to plural breeding. Yet, despite a greater likelihood of becoming a breeder in smaller groups, immigrants are more likely to join larger groups where they experience increased survivorship and greater reproductive success as breeders. Moreover, immigrants form additional breeding pairs, increasing future offspring recruitment into the group and guarding against complete reproductive failure in the face of environmental instability and high nest predation. Thus, plural breeding likely evolves because the benefits of group augmentation by immigrants generate a positive feedback loop that maintains societies with low and mixed kinship, large group sizes, and multiple reproductives.
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Affiliation(s)
- Shailee S. Shah
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
| | - Dustin R. Rubenstein
- Department of Ecology, Evolution, and Environmental Biology, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
- Center for Integrative Animal Behavior, Columbia University, New York, NY10027
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2
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Conquet E, Ozgul A, Blumstein DT, Armitage KB, Oli MK, Martin JGA, Clutton-Brock TH, Paniw M. Demographic consequences of changes in environmental periodicity. Ecology 2023; 104:e3894. [PMID: 36208282 DOI: 10.1002/ecy.3894] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/20/2021] [Revised: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 08/04/2022] [Indexed: 01/24/2023]
Abstract
The fate of natural populations is mediated by complex interactions among vital rates, which can vary within and among years. Although the effects of random, among-year variation in vital rates have been studied extensively, relatively little is known about how periodic, nonrandom variation in vital rates affects populations. This knowledge gap is potentially alarming as global environmental change is projected to alter common periodic variations, such as seasonality. We investigated the effects of changes in vital-rate periodicity on populations of three species representing different forms of adaptation to periodic environments: the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer), adapted to strong seasonality in snowfall; the meerkat (Suricata suricatta), adapted to inter-annual stochasticity as well as seasonal patterns in rainfall; and the dewy pine (Drosophyllum lusitanicum), adapted to fire regimes and periodic post-fire habitat succession. To assess how changes in periodicity affect population growth, we parameterized periodic matrix population models and projected population dynamics under different scenarios of perturbations in the strength of vital-rate periodicity. We assessed the effects of such perturbations on various metrics describing population dynamics, including the stochastic growth rate, log λS . Overall, perturbing the strength of periodicity had strong effects on population dynamics in all three study species. For the marmots, log λS decreased with increased seasonal differences in adult survival. For the meerkats, density dependence buffered the effects of perturbations of periodicity on log λS . Finally, dewy pines were negatively affected by changes in natural post-fire succession under stochastic or periodic fire regimes with fires occurring every 30 years, but were buffered by density dependence from such changes under presumed more frequent fires or large-scale disturbances. We show that changes in the strength of vital-rate periodicity can have diverse but strong effects on population dynamics across different life histories. Populations buffered from inter-annual vital-rate variation can be affected substantially by changes in environmentally driven vital-rate periodic patterns; however, the effects of such changes can be masked in analyses focusing on inter-annual variation. As most ecosystems are affected by periodic variations in the environment such as seasonality, assessing their contributions to population viability for future global-change research is crucial.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eva Conquet
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Daniel T Blumstein
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California Los Angeles, Los Angeles, California, USA.,The Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Crested Butte, Colorado, USA
| | - Kenneth B Armitage
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, The University of Kansas, Lawrence, Kansas, USA
| | - Madan K Oli
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Conservation, University of Florida, Gainesville, Florida, USA
| | - Julien G A Martin
- Department of Biology, University of Ottawa, Ottawa, Ontario, Canada.,School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
| | - Tim H Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Maria Paniw
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Department of Conservation and Global Change, Doñana Biological Station (EBD-CSIC), Seville, Spain
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3
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Risely A, Schmid DW, Müller-Klein N, Wilhelm K, Clutton-Brock TH, Manser MB, Sommer S. Gut microbiota individuality is contingent on temporal scale and age in wild meerkats. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220609. [PMID: 35975437 PMCID: PMC9382201 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0609] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/30/2022] [Accepted: 08/01/2022] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Inter-individual differences in gut microbiota composition are hypothesized to generate variation in host fitness-a premise for the evolution of host-gut microbe symbioses. However, recent evidence suggests that gut microbial communities are highly dynamic, challenging the notion that individuals harbour unique gut microbial phenotypes. Leveraging a long-term dataset of wild meerkats, we reconcile these concepts by demonstrating that the relative importance of identity for shaping gut microbiota phenotypes depends on the temporal scale. Across meerkat lifespan, year-to-year variation overshadowed the effects of identity and social group in predicting gut microbiota composition, with identity explaining on average less than 2% of variation. However, identity was the strongest predictor of microbial phenotypes over short sampling intervals (less than two months), predicting on average 20% of variation. The effect of identity was also dependent on meerkat age, with the gut microbiota becoming more individualized and stable as meerkats aged. Nevertheless, while the predictive power of identity was negligible after two months, gut microbiota composition remained weakly individualized compared to that of other meerkats for up to 1 year. These findings illuminate the degree to which individualized gut microbial signatures can be expected, with important implications for the time frames over which gut microbial phenotypes may mediate host physiology, behaviour and fitness in natural populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Alice Risely
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Dominik W. Schmid
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Nadine Müller-Klein
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Kerstin Wilhelm
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
| | - Tim H. Clutton-Brock
- Large Animal Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - Marta B. Manser
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
- Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Simone Sommer
- Institute for Evolutionary Ecology and Conservation Genomics, Ulm University, Ulm, Germany
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4
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Ausband DE, Mitchell MS. The effect of group size on reproduction in cooperatively breeding gray wolves depends on density. Anim Conserv 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12701] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- D. E. Ausband
- U.S. Geological Survey Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - M. S. Mitchell
- U.S. Geological Survey Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit University of Montana Missoula MT USA
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5
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Duncan C, Manser MB, Clutton‐Brock T. Decline and fall: The causes of group failure in cooperatively breeding meerkats. Ecol Evol 2021; 11:14459-14474. [PMID: 34765119 PMCID: PMC8571573 DOI: 10.1002/ece3.7655] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2020] [Revised: 02/15/2021] [Accepted: 02/28/2021] [Indexed: 12/30/2022] Open
Abstract
In many social vertebrates, variation in group persistence exerts an important effect on individual fitness and population demography. However, few studies have been able to investigate the failure of groups or the causes of the variation in their longevity. We use data from a long-term study of cooperatively breeding meerkats, Suricata suricatta, to investigate the different causes of group failure and the factors that drive these processes. Many newly formed groups failed within a year of formation, and smaller groups were more likely to fail. Groups that bred successfully and increased their size could persist for several years, even decades. Long-lived groups principally failed in association with the development of clinical tuberculosis, Mycobacterium suricattae, a disease that can spread throughout the group and be fatal for group members. Clinical tuberculosis was more likely to occur in groups that had smaller group sizes and that had experienced immigration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Chris Duncan
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River ReserveVan ZylsrusSouth Africa
| | - Marta B. Manser
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River ReserveVan ZylsrusSouth Africa
- Animal BehaviourDepartment of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
| | - Tim Clutton‐Brock
- Department of ZoologyUniversity of CambridgeCambridgeUK
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River ReserveVan ZylsrusSouth Africa
- Mammal Research InstituteUniversity of PretoriaPretoriaSouth Africa
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6
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Busana M, Childs DZ, Burke TA, Komdeur J, Richardson DS, Dugdale HL. Population level consequences of facultatively cooperative behaviour in a stochastic environment. J Anim Ecol 2021; 91:224-240. [PMID: 34704272 PMCID: PMC9299144 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13618] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/28/2021] [Accepted: 10/14/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The social environment in which individuals live affects their fitness and in turn population dynamics as a whole. Birds with facultative cooperative breeding can live in social groups with dominants, subordinate helpers that assist with the breeding of others, and subordinate non-helpers. Helping behaviour benefits dominants through increased reproductive rates and reduced extrinsic mortality, such that cooperative breeding might have evolved in response to unpredictable, harsh conditions affecting reproduction and/or survival of the dominants. Additionally, there may be different costs and benefits to both helpers and non-helpers, depending on the time-scale. For example, early-life costs might be compensated by later-life benefits. These differential effects are rarely analysed in the same study. We examined whether helping behaviour affects population persistence in a stochastic environment and whether there are direct fitness consequences of different life-history tactics adopted by helpers and non-helpers. We parameterised a matrix population model describing the population dynamics of female Seychelles warblers Acrocephalus sechellensis, birds that display facultative cooperative breeding. The stochastic density-dependent model is defined by a (st)age structure that includes life-history differences between helpers and non-helpers and thus can estimate the demographic mechanisms of direct benefits of helping behaviour. We found that population dynamics are strongly influenced by stochastic variation in the reproductive rates of the dominants, that helping behaviour promotes population persistence and that there are only early-life differences in the direct fitness of helpers and non-helpers. Through a matrix population model, we captured multiple demographic rates simultaneously and analysed their relative importance in determining population dynamics of these cooperative breeders. Disentangling early-life versus lifetime effects of individual tactics sheds new light on the costs and benefits of helping behaviour. For example, the finding that helpers and non-helpers have similar lifetime reproductive outputs and that differences in reproductive values between the two life-history tactics arise only in early life suggests that overall, helpers and non-helpers have a similar balance of costs and benefits when analysing direct benefits. We recommend analysing the consequence of different life-history tactics, during both early life and over the lifetime, as analyses of these different time frames may produce conflicting results.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michela Busana
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - Dylan Z Childs
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Terrence A Burke
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, UK
| | - Jan Komdeur
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands
| | - David S Richardson
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East-Anglia, Norfolk, UK.,Nature Seychelles, Mahè, Republic of Seychelles
| | - Hannah L Dugdale
- Groningen Institute for Evolutionary Life Sciences, University of Groningen, Groningen, The Netherlands.,School of Biology, Faculty of Biological Sciences, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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7
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Maldonado‐Chaparro AA, Chaverri G. Why do animal groups matter for conservation and management? CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.550] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/20/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gloriana Chaverri
- Sede del Sur, Universidad de Costa Rica Golfito Costa Rica
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute Ancón Panama
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8
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Harrison ND, Maag N, Haverkamp PJ, Ganswindt A, Manser MB, Clutton-Brock TH, Ozgul A, Cozzi G. Behavioural change during dispersal and its relationship to survival and reproduction in a cooperative breeder. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2637-2650. [PMID: 34258771 PMCID: PMC8597146 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13569] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/15/2020] [Accepted: 07/07/2021] [Indexed: 12/12/2022]
Abstract
The ability of dispersing individuals to adjust their behaviour to changing conditions is instrumental in overcoming challenges and reducing dispersal costs, consequently increasing overall dispersal success. Understanding how dispersers' behaviour and physiology change during the dispersal process, and how they differ from resident individuals, can shed light on the mechanisms by which dispersers increase survival and maximise reproduction. By analysing individual behaviour and concentrations of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (fGCM), a stress‐associated biomarker, we sought to identify the proximate causes behind differences in survival and reproduction between dispersing and resident meerkats Suricata suricatta. We used data collected on 67 dispersing and 108 resident females to investigate (a) which individual, social and environmental factors are correlated to foraging and vigilance, and whether the role of such factors differs among dispersal phases, and between dispersers and residents; (b) how time allocated to either foraging or vigilance correlated to survival in dispersers and residents and (c) the link between aggression and change in fGCM concentration, and their relationship with reproductive rates in dispersing groups and resident groups with either long‐established or newly established dominant females. Time allocated to foraging increased across dispersal phases, whereas time allocated to vigilance decreased. Time allocated to foraging and vigilance correlated positively and negatively, respectively, with dispersers' group size. We did not find a group size effect for residents. High proportions of time allocated to foraging correlated with high survival, and more so in dispersers, suggesting that maintaining good physical condition may reduce mortality during dispersal. Furthermore, while subordinate individuals rarely reproduced in resident groups, the conception rate of subordinates in newly formed dispersing groups was equal to that of their dominant individuals. Mirroring conception rates, in resident groups, fGCM concentrations were lower in subordinates than in dominants, whereas in disperser groups, fGCM concentrations did not differ between subordinates and dominants. Our results, which highlight the relationship between behavioural and physiological factors and demographic rates, provide insights into some of the mechanisms that individuals of a cooperative species can use to increase overall dispersal success.
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Affiliation(s)
- Natasha D Harrison
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
| | - Nino Maag
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
| | - Paul J Haverkamp
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland
| | - André Ganswindt
- Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa
| | - Marta B Manser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
| | - Tim H Clutton-Brock
- Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Hatfield, South Africa.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
| | - Gabriele Cozzi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus, South Africa
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9
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Socioecological conditions predict degu social instability and provide limited cues to forecast subsequent breeding conditions. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03017-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
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10
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Groenewoud F, Clutton-Brock T. Meerkat helpers buffer the detrimental effects of adverse environmental conditions on fecundity, growth and survival. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:641-652. [PMID: 33241582 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13396] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/03/2020] [Accepted: 11/01/2020] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Recent comparative studies show that cooperative breeding is positively correlated with harsh and unpredictable environments and it is suggested that this association occurs because helpers buffer the negative effects of adverse ecological conditions on fitness. In the Kalahari, rainfall varies widely between- and within years, affecting primary production and the availability of the principal prey of cooperatively breeding Kalahari meerkats, Suricata suricatta. Our study aimed to establish whether the presence and number of helpers buffer the negative effects of variation in rainfall on the fecundity and body mass of breeding females, and the survival and growth of pups. We investigate the relationship between group size and variation in rainfall on dominant female fecundity, body mass, and offspring survival and growth using an additive modelling approach on 21 years of individual-based records of the life histories of individual meerkats. We show that breeding female fecundity is reduced during periods of low rainfall but that the effects of low rainfall are mitigated by increases in group size and body mass because heavier females and those in larger groups have increased fecundity and reduced interbirth intervals. Pup growth and survival are also reduced during periods of low rainfall, but only in smaller groups. Our results support the suggestion that cooperative breeding mitigates the detrimental effects of adverse environmental conditions and may enhance the capacity of species to occupy environments where food availability is low and unpredictable.
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Affiliation(s)
- Frank Groenewoud
- Large Animal Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Tim Clutton-Brock
- Large Animal Research Group, Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Kalahari Research Trust, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
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11
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Cantor M, Maldonado‐Chaparro AA, Beck KB, Brandl HB, Carter GG, He P, Hillemann F, Klarevas‐Irby JA, Ogino M, Papageorgiou D, Prox L, Farine DR. The importance of individual‐to‐society feedbacks in animal ecology and evolution. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:27-44. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 36] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/28/2020] [Accepted: 08/31/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Maurício Cantor
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina Florianópolis Brazil
- Centro de Estudos do Mar Universidade Federal do Paraná Pontal do Paraná Brazil
| | - Adriana A. Maldonado‐Chaparro
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Kristina B. Beck
- Department of Behavioural Ecology and Evolutionary Genetics Max Planck Institute for Ornithology Seewiesen Germany
| | - Hanja B. Brandl
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Gerald G. Carter
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology The Ohio State University Columbus OH USA
| | - Peng He
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Friederike Hillemann
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology Department of Zoology University of Oxford Oxford UK
| | - James A. Klarevas‐Irby
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Department of Migration Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Konstanz Germany
| | - Mina Ogino
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Danai Papageorgiou
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
| | - Lea Prox
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Department of Sociobiology/Anthropology Johann‐Friedrich‐Blumenbach Institute of Zoology & Anthropology University of Göttingen Göttingen Germany
- Behavioral Ecology & Sociobiology Unit German Primate Center Göttingen Germany
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Collective Behaviour Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior Radolfzell Germany
- Department of Biology University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour University of Konstanz Konstanz Germany
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12
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Bassing SB, Ausband DE, Mitchell MS, Schwartz MK, Nowak JJ, Hale GC, Waits LP. Immigration does not offset harvest mortality in groups of a cooperatively breeding carnivore. Anim Conserv 2020. [DOI: 10.1111/acv.12593] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- S. B. Bassing
- Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit Wildlife Biology Program University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - D. E. Ausband
- Idaho Department of Fish and Game Coeur d’Alene ID USA
| | - M. S. Mitchell
- U.S. Geological Survey Montana Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit Wildlife Biology Program University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - M. K. Schwartz
- U.S. Forest Service National Genomics Center for Wildlife and Fish Conservation Missoula MT USA
| | - J. J. Nowak
- Wildlife Biology Program Department of Ecosystem and Conservation Sciences W.A. Franke College of Forestry and Conservation University of Montana Missoula MT USA
| | - G. C. Hale
- Alberta Environment and Parks Blairmore AB Canada
| | - L. P. Waits
- Department of Fish and Wildlife Sciences University of Idaho Moscow ID USA
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13
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Guindre-Parker S, Rubenstein DR. Survival Benefits of Group Living in a Fluctuating Environment. Am Nat 2020; 195:1027-1036. [PMID: 32469654 DOI: 10.1086/708496] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/04/2022]
Abstract
Group living is predicted to arise only when the fitness benefits outweigh the costs of sociality. Group-living species-including cooperatively breeding and family-living birds and mammals-occur most frequently in environments where climatic conditions fluctuate unpredictably from year to year. The fitness consequences of group living are thus expected to vary with changing environmental conditions, though few studies have examined this possibility. We examined whether living in large social groups improves adult survivorship in cooperatively breeding superb starlings (Lamprotornis superbus). We also tested the hypothesis that larger groups buffer against harsh conditions by increasing survivorship most under periods of low rainfall. We found that group size was positively correlated with adult survival but in a sex-specific manner: female survival increased with group size across all environmental conditions, whereas male survival increased with group size only in wet years. Together with previous work in this system, our results suggest that larger groups confer survival benefits by reducing predation, rather than by improving access to food or buffering against physiological stress. Although group living does not appear to buffer against harsh conditions in adult starlings living in a fluctuating environment, living in larger groups does confer a survival advantage.
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14
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Vernasco BJ, Moore IT. Testosterone as a mediator of the tradeoff between cooperation and competition in the context of cooperative reproductive behaviors. Gen Comp Endocrinol 2020; 288:113369. [PMID: 31857075 DOI: 10.1016/j.ygcen.2019.113369] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/12/2019] [Revised: 11/18/2019] [Accepted: 12/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/20/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral tradeoffs occur when the expression of one behavior detracts from the expression of another. Understanding the proximate mediators of behavioral tradeoffs is important as these tradeoffs can act as potential constraints on evolutionary responses to selection. Here, we describe the tradeoff between cooperation and competition faced by species that exhibit cooperative reproductive behaviors and propose that testosterone is a key hormonal mediator of the tradeoff. Cooperative reproductive behaviors occur when multiple individuals coordinate their efforts to gain a reproductive advantage over other individuals and/or those individuals attempting to reproduce in absence of cooperation. We propose that testosterone, a sex steroid known to mediate a number of physiological and behavioral actions associated with reproductive competition, is involved in mediating the tradeoff between cooperation and competition. To support this proposition, we first describe the importance of individual variation in behavior to the evolution of cooperative behaviors. We then describe how proximate mechanisms represent a prominent source of individual variation in social behaviors and highlight evidence suggesting testosterone mediates variation in cooperative behaviors. Two case studies in which the relationship between testosterone and cooperative behaviors have been investigated in detail are then summarized. Throughout we highlight the importance of studying individual variation to understand the mechanistic basis of behaviors, behavioral tradeoffs, and the evolution of cooperative reproductive behaviors more broadly.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben J Vernasco
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA; School of Biological Sciences, Washington State University, Pullman, WA, USA.
| | - Ignacio T Moore
- Department of Biological Sciences, Virginia Tech, Blacksburg, VA, USA
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15
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Oudman T, Laland K, Ruxton G, Tombre I, Shimmings P, Prop J. Young Birds Switch but Old Birds Lead: How Barnacle Geese Adjust Migratory Habits to Environmental Change. Front Ecol Evol 2020. [DOI: 10.3389/fevo.2019.00502] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/26/2023] Open
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16
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Kranstauber B, Gall GEC, Vink T, Clutton-Brock T, Manser MB. Long-term movements and home-range changes: Rapid territory shifts in meerkats. J Anim Ecol 2019; 89:772-783. [PMID: 31691963 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13129] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2018] [Accepted: 08/23/2019] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Territoriality and stable home ranges are a common space-use pattern among animals. These ranges provide its inhabitants with important resources and thus favourable territories are associated with an increased fitness. While the role of territory quality and changes of territory ownership have often been investigated, the changes of territorial boundaries have been less studied. Here, we investigated space-use changes in a social mammal species, applying a novel analytical approach, calculating long-term dissimilarity in space use using distancematrices based on periodic utilization distributions. This approach makes it possible to identify different space-use patterns, which cannot be distinguished by only considering changes between consecutive time periods. We analysed meerkat (Suricata suricatta) movements of a total of 24 different groups over a 16-year period, resulting in 134 group years. We then correlated the identified home-range changes to life-history events and possible environmental drivers. Groups had stable territories for several years before they abandoned their home range mostly to move quickly to new areas where they again remained for several years. Of 26 identified sudden shifts, 22 occurred in the summer months and often involved distances larger than the original home-range size. Home-range movements that were close together in time were often also spatially clustered and moved in a similar direction. These shifts were often preceded by more frequent interactions between groups, but did not seem to be a product of direct displacements by other groups. The normalized difference vegetation index as a measure of food production and social factors such as dominance changes did not correlate to changes. Against our expectation space-use changes were not accumulations of small changes, but more often involved long-distance moves into unknown ranges. This means that the groups enter areas where they cannot profit from local knowledge. The methods used identify episodes of long stability alternated by sudden changes in meerkats and in general provides insight into long-term space use. Our methods can be used to analyse long-term space use, either within or across species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Bart Kranstauber
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - Gabriella E C Gall
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - Tim Vink
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - Tim Clutton-Brock
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Marta B Manser
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich, Switzerland.,Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.,Mammal Research Institute, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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17
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Garabedian JE, Moorman CE, Peterson MN, Kilgo JC. Neighboring group density is more important than forest stand age to a threatened social woodpecker population. WILDLIFE BIOLOGY 2019. [DOI: 10.2981/wlb.00574] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Christopher E. Moorman
- C. E. Moorman and M. N. Peterson, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Program, North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - M. Nils Peterson
- C. E. Moorman and M. N. Peterson, Fisheries, Wildlife and Conservation Biology Program, North Carolina State Univ., Raleigh, NC, USA
| | - John C. Kilgo
- J. C. Kilgo, USDA Forest Service, Savannah River, New Ellenton, SC, USA
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18
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Paniw M, Maag N, Cozzi G, Clutton-Brock T, Ozgul A. Life history responses of meerkats to seasonal changes in extreme environments. Science 2019; 363:631-635. [PMID: 30733418 DOI: 10.1126/science.aau5905] [Citation(s) in RCA: 57] [Impact Index Per Article: 11.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Accepted: 01/10/2019] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
Species in extreme habitats increasingly face changes in seasonal climate, but the demographic mechanisms through which these changes affect population persistence remain unknown. We investigated how changes in seasonal rainfall and temperature influence vital rates and viability of an arid environment specialist, the Kalahari meerkat, through effects on body mass. We show that climate change-induced reduction in adult mass in the prebreeding season would decrease fecundity during the breeding season and increase extinction risk, particularly at low population densities. In contrast, a warmer nonbreeding season resulting in increased mass and survival would buffer negative effects of reduced rainfall during the breeding season, ensuring persistence. Because most ecosystems undergo seasonal climate variations, a full understanding of species vulnerability to global change relies on linking seasonal trait and population dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Maria Paniw
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland.
| | - Nino Maag
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Gabriele Cozzi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
| | - Tim Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge CB2 3EJ, UK.,Kalahari Research Centre, Kuruman River Reserve, Van Zylsrus 8467, South Africa
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich 8057, Switzerland
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19
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Bateman AW, Ozgul A, Krkošek M, Clutton-Brock TH. Matrix Models of Hierarchical Demography: Linking Group- and Population-Level Dynamics in Cooperative Breeders. Am Nat 2018; 192:188-203. [DOI: 10.1086/698217] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/03/2022]
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20
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Lerch BA, Nolting BC, Abbott KC. Why are demographic Allee effects so rarely seen in social animals? J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:1547-1559. [PMID: 30055026 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12889] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/15/2017] [Accepted: 07/18/2018] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Allee effects in group-living species are common, but little is known about the way in which Allee effects at the group-level scale up to influence population dynamics. Most notably, it remains unclear whether component Allee effects within groups (where some component of fitness in small groups decreases with decreasing group size) will translate into a population-level demographic Allee effect (where per capita fitness in small populations decreases with decreasing overall population size). The African wild dog (Lycaon pictus) is an obligate cooperative breeder that lives in packs and has a multitude of group-level component Allee effects. With the African wild dog as a case study, we use models to determine the effect that group structure has on the population dynamics of social animals and, specifically, whether Allee effects operating at the group level lead to a demographic Allee effect at the population level. We developed a suite of models to analyse the population dynamics of group-living species, as well as comparable "packless" models lacking group structure. By comparing these models, we can identify how Allee effects within groups influence population-level dynamics. Our results show that group structure buffers populations against a demographic Allee effect, because mechanisms affecting birth and mortality are more strongly influenced by group size than population size. We find that interactions between groups are vital in determining the relationship between density dependence within groups and density dependence at the population level. As sufficiently large groups provide protection against positive density dependence, even at low overall population sizes, our results have conservation implications for group-living species, as they suggest group size is a necessary population feature to consider in efforts to manage population size. Furthermore, we provide novel insight regarding the role that dispersal and pack size variation play in the buffering nature of social structure in groups subject to Allee effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Brian A Lerch
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
| | - Ben C Nolting
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio.,School of Liberal Arts and Sciences, Nevada State College, Henderson, Nevada
| | - Karen C Abbott
- Department of Biology, Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio
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21
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Cozzi G, Maag N, Börger L, Clutton-Brock TH, Ozgul A. Socially informed dispersal in a territorial cooperative breeder. J Anim Ecol 2018; 87:838-849. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12795] [Citation(s) in RCA: 28] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2017] [Accepted: 12/09/2017] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Gabriele Cozzi
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; Zurich University; Zürich Switzerland
- Kalahari Research Centre; Kuruman River Reserve; Northern Cape South Africa
| | - Nino Maag
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; Zurich University; Zürich Switzerland
- Kalahari Research Centre; Kuruman River Reserve; Northern Cape South Africa
| | - Luca Börger
- Department of Biosciences; College of Science; Swansea University; Swansea UK
| | - Tim H. Clutton-Brock
- Kalahari Research Centre; Kuruman River Reserve; Northern Cape South Africa
- Department of Zoology; Cambridge University; Cambridge UK
| | - Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; Zurich University; Zürich Switzerland
- Kalahari Research Centre; Kuruman River Reserve; Northern Cape South Africa
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22
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Dantzer B, Goncalves IB, Spence-Jones HC, Bennett NC, Heistermann M, Ganswindt A, Dubuc C, Gaynor D, Manser MB, Clutton-Brock TH. The influence of stress hormones and aggression on cooperative behaviour in subordinate meerkats. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1248. [PMID: 28931736 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1248] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/04/2017] [Accepted: 08/22/2017] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In cooperative breeders, aggression from dominant breeders directed at subordinates may raise subordinate stress hormone (glucocorticoid) concentrations. This may benefit dominants by suppressing subordinate reproduction but it is uncertain whether aggression from dominants can elevate subordinate cooperative behaviour, or how resulting changes in subordinate glucocorticoid concentrations affect their cooperative behaviour. We show here that the effects of manipulating glucocorticoid concentrations in wild meerkats (Suricata suricatta) on cooperative behaviour varied between cooperative activities as well as between the sexes. Subordinates of both sexes treated with a glucocorticoid receptor antagonist (mifepristone) exhibited significantly more pup protection behaviour (babysitting) compared to those treated with glucocorticoids (cortisol) or controls. Females treated with mifepristone had a higher probability of exhibiting pup food provisioning (pup-feeding) compared to those treated with cortisol. In males, there were no treatment effects on the probability of pup-feeding, but those treated with cortisol gave a higher proportion of the food they found to pups than those treated with mifepristone. Using 19 years of behavioural data, we also show that dominant females did not increase the frequency with which they directed aggression at subordinates at times when the need for assistance was highest. Our results suggest that it is unlikely that dominant females manipulate the cooperative behaviour of subordinates through the effects of aggression on their glucocorticoid levels and that the function of aggression directed at subordinates is probably to reduce the probability they will breed.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ben Dantzer
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK .,Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - Ines Braga Goncalves
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Animal Behaviour, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | | | - Nigel C Bennett
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Michael Heistermann
- Endocrinology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Kellnerweg 4, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Andre Ganswindt
- Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa.,Endocrine Research Laboratory, Department of Anatomy and Physiology, University of Pretoria, 0110 Onderstepoort, South Africa
| | - Constance Dubuc
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa
| | - David Gaynor
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.,Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
| | - Marta B Manser
- Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.,Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Animal Behaviour, University of Zurich, Switzerland
| | - Tim H Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK.,Kalahari Meerkat Project, Kuruman River Reserve, Northern Cape, South Africa.,Mammal Research Institute, Department of Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa
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23
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Angulo E, Luque GM, Gregory SD, Wenzel JW, Bessa‐Gomes C, Berec L, Courchamp F. Review: Allee effects in social species. J Anim Ecol 2017; 87:47-58. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12759] [Citation(s) in RCA: 50] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/08/2016] [Accepted: 09/07/2017] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
| | - Gloria M. Luque
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionCNRSUniv. Paris‐SudAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐Saclay Orsay France
| | - Stephen D. Gregory
- Salmon and Trout Research CentreGame and Wildlife Conservation Trust East Stoke UK
| | - John W. Wenzel
- Powdermill Nature ReserveCarnegie Museum of Natural History Rector PA USA
| | - Carmen Bessa‐Gomes
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionCNRSUniv. Paris‐SudAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐Saclay Orsay France
| | - Ludek Berec
- Department of EcologyInstitute of EntomologyBiology Centre CAS České Budějovice Czech Republic
| | - Franck Courchamp
- Ecologie Systématique EvolutionCNRSUniv. Paris‐SudAgroParisTechUniversité Paris‐Saclay Orsay France
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24
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Ebensperger LA, Aracena S, Avendaño N, Toro A, León C, Ramírez-Estrada J, Abades S. Social instability decreases alloparental care and quality of weaned offspring in a communally rearing rodent. Anim Behav 2017. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.09.021] [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]
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25
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Rézouki C, Tafani M, Cohas A, Loison A, Gaillard JM, Allainé D, Bonenfant C. Socially mediated effects of climate change decrease survival of hibernating Alpine marmots. J Anim Ecol 2017; 85:761-73. [PMID: 26920650 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12507] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2015] [Accepted: 01/20/2016] [Indexed: 02/04/2023]
Abstract
In the context of global change, an increasing challenge is to understand the interaction between weather variables and life histories. Species-specific life histories should condition the way climate influences population dynamics, particularly those that are associated with environmental constraints, such as lifestyles like hibernation and sociality. However, the influence of lifestyle in the response of organisms to climate change remains poorly understood. Based on a 23-year longitudinal study on Alpine marmots, we investigated how their lifestyle, characterized by a long hibernation and a high degree of sociality, interacts with the ongoing climate change to shape temporal variation in age-specific survival. As generally reported in other hibernating species, we expected survival of Alpine marmots to be affected by the continuous lengthening of the growing season of plants more than by changes in winter conditions. We found, however, that Alpine marmots displayed lower juvenile survival over time. Colder winters associated with a thinner snow layer lowered juvenile survival, which in turn was associated with a decrease in the relative number of helpers in groups the following years, and therefore lowered the chances of over-winter survival of juveniles born in the most recent years. Our results provide evidence that constraints on life-history traits associated with hibernation and sociality caused juvenile survival to decrease over time, which might prevent Alpine marmots coping successfully with climate change.
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Affiliation(s)
- Célia Rézouki
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, France - Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Marion Tafani
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, France - Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Aurélie Cohas
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, France - Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Anne Loison
- Laboratoire d'écologie Alpine, CNRS UMR5553, Université de Savoie, Bâtiment Belledonne, F-73376, Le Bourget-du-Lac, France
| | - Jean-Michel Gaillard
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, France - Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Dominique Allainé
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, France - Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
| | - Christophe Bonenfant
- Université de Lyon, F-69000, Lyon, France - Université Lyon 1, CNRS, UMR5558, Laboratoire de Biométrie et Biologie Evolutive, F-69622, Villeurbanne, France
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26
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Male alliance behaviour and mating access varies with habitat in a dolphin social network. Sci Rep 2017; 7:46354. [PMID: 28406176 PMCID: PMC5390316 DOI: 10.1038/srep46354] [Citation(s) in RCA: 25] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 03/20/2017] [Indexed: 01/14/2023] Open
Abstract
Within-species variation in social structure has attracted interest recently because of the potential to explore phenotypic plasticity and, specifically, how demographic and ecological variation influence social structure. Populations of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops spp.) vary in male alliance formation, from no alliances to simple pairs to, in Shark Bay, Western Australia, the most complex nested alliances known outside of humans. Examination of ecological contributions to this variation is complicated by differences among populations in other potentially explanatory traits, such as phylogenetic distance, as well as female reproductive schedules, sexual size dimorphism, and body size. Here, we report our discovery of systematic spatial variation in alliance structure, seasonal movements and access to mates within a single continuous social network in the Shark Bay population. Participation in male trios (versus pairs), the sizes of seasonal range shifts and consortship rates all decrease from north to south along the 50 km length of the study area. The southern habitat, characterised by shallow banks and channels, may be marginal relative to the open northern habitat. The discovery of variation in alliance behaviour along a spatial axis within a single population is unprecedented and demonstrates that alliance complexity has an ecological component.
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27
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Lukas D, Clutton-Brock T. Climate and the distribution of cooperative breeding in mammals. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2017; 4:160897. [PMID: 28280589 PMCID: PMC5319355 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.160897] [Citation(s) in RCA: 58] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/08/2016] [Accepted: 12/12/2016] [Indexed: 05/15/2023]
Abstract
Cooperative breeding systems, in which non-breeding individuals provide care for the offspring of dominant group members, occur in less than 1% of mammals and are associated with social monogamy and the production of multiple offspring per birth (polytocy). Here, we show that the distribution of alloparental care by non-breeding subordinates is associated with habitats where annual rainfall is low. A possible reason for this association is that the females of species found in arid environments are usually polytocous and this may have facilitated the evolution of alloparental care.
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28
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Ebensperger LA, Correa LA, León C, Ramírez‐Estrada J, Abades S, Villegas Á, Hayes LD. The modulating role of group stability on fitness effects of group size is different in females and males of a communally rearing rodent. J Anim Ecol 2016; 85:1502-1515. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12566] [Citation(s) in RCA: 29] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/10/2016] [Accepted: 06/13/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Luis A. Ebensperger
- Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Loreto A. Correa
- Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Cecilia León
- Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Juan Ramírez‐Estrada
- Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Sebastian Abades
- Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
- Instituto de Ecología y Biodiversidad (IEB) Las Palmeras 3425 Santiago Chile
| | - Álvaro Villegas
- Departamento de Ecología Facultad de Ciencias Biológicas Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile Santiago Chile
| | - Loren D. Hayes
- Department of Biology, Geology and Environmental Sciences University of Tennessee at Chattanooga Chattanooga TN 37403 USA
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29
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Berger-Tal R, Berner-Aharon N, Aharon S, Tuni C, Lubin Y. Good reasons to leave home: proximate dispersal cues in a social spider. J Anim Ecol 2016; 85:1035-42. [PMID: 27084588 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12534] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/30/2015] [Accepted: 03/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Abstract
Natal dispersal is a successful tactic under a range of conditions in spite of significant costs. Habitat quality is a frequent proximate cause of dispersal, and studies have shown that dispersal increases both when natal habitat quality is good or poor. In social species kin competition, favouring dispersal may be balanced by the benefits of group living, favouring philopatry. We investigated the effect of changes in the local environment on natal dispersal of adult females in a social spider species, Stegodyphus dumicola (Araneae, Eresidae), with a flexible breeding system, where females can breed either within the colony or individually following dispersal. We manipulated foraging opportunities in colonies by either removing the capture webs or by adding prey and recorded the number of dispersing females around each focal colony, and their survival and reproductive success. We predicted that increasing kin competition should increase dispersal of less-competitive individuals, while reducing competition could cause either less dispersal (less competition) or more dispersal (a cue indicating better chances to establish a new colony). Dispersal occurred earlier and at a higher rate in both food-augmented and web-removal colonies than in control colonies. Fewer dispersing females survived and reproduced in the web-removal group than in the control or food-augmented groups. The results support our prediction that worsening conditions in web-removal colonies favour dispersal, whereby increased kin competition and increased energy expenditure on web renewal cause females to leave the natal colony. By contrast, prey augmentation may serve as a habitat-quality cue; when the surrounding habitat is expected to be of high quality, females assess the potential benefit of establishing a new colony to be greater than the costs of dispersal.
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Affiliation(s)
- Reut Berger-Tal
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel.,Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, building 1540, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark
| | - Na'ama Berner-Aharon
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Shlomi Aharon
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
| | - Cristina Tuni
- Department of Bioscience, Aarhus University, Ny Munkegade 116, building 1540, 8000, Aarhus C, Denmark.,Department Biology II, Ludwig Maximilians University Munich, Großhaderner Str. 2, 82152, Planegg-Martinsried, Germany
| | - Yael Lubin
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research, Ben-Gurion University, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, 8499000, Israel
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30
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Smyth KN, Drea CM. Patterns of parasitism in the cooperatively breeding meerkat: a cost of dominance for females. Behav Ecol 2015. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arv132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 17] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/07/2023] Open
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31
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Bateman AW, Lewis MA, Gall G, Manser MB, Clutton-Brock TH. Territoriality and home-range dynamics in meerkats,Suricata suricatta: a mechanistic modelling approach. J Anim Ecol 2014; 84:260-71. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12267] [Citation(s) in RCA: 44] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/03/2013] [Accepted: 07/01/2014] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Andrew W. Bateman
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences; Department of Biological Sciences; University of Alberta; Edmonton AB T6G 2G1 Canada
- Kalahari Meerkat Project; Kuruman River Reserve; Northern Cape South Africa
| | - Mark A. Lewis
- Department of Mathematical and Statistical Sciences; Department of Biological Sciences; University of Alberta; Edmonton AB T6G 2G1 Canada
| | - Gabriella Gall
- Kalahari Meerkat Project; Kuruman River Reserve; Northern Cape South Africa
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Marta B. Manser
- Kalahari Meerkat Project; Kuruman River Reserve; Northern Cape South Africa
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 CH-8057 Zurich Switzerland
| | - Tim H. Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
- Kalahari Meerkat Project; Kuruman River Reserve; Northern Cape South Africa
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Huchard E, Charmantier A, English S, Bateman A, Nielsen JF, Clutton-Brock T. Additive genetic variance and developmental plasticity in growth trajectories in a wild cooperative mammal. J Evol Biol 2014; 27:1893-904. [DOI: 10.1111/jeb.12440] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/15/2014] [Revised: 05/23/2014] [Accepted: 05/26/2014] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- E. Huchard
- LARG; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
| | - A. Charmantier
- LARG; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
- CEFE-CNRS; Montpellier Cedex 5 France
| | - S. English
- Department of Zoology; The Edward Grey Institute; University of Oxford, Oxford UK
| | - A. Bateman
- LARG; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
| | - J. F. Nielsen
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology; School of Biological Sciences; University of Edinburgh; Edinburgh UK
- Institute of Zoology; Zoological Society of London; London UK
| | - T. Clutton-Brock
- LARG; Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Cambridge UK
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Ozgul A, Bateman AW, English S, Coulson T, Clutton-Brock TH. Linking body mass and group dynamics in an obligate cooperative breeder. J Anim Ecol 2014; 83:1357-66. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.12239] [Citation(s) in RCA: 35] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/04/2013] [Accepted: 04/11/2014] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Arpat Ozgul
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies; University of Zurich; Winterthurerstrasse 190 Zurich CH-8057 Switzerland
| | - Andrew W. Bateman
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
| | - Sinead English
- Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; Oxford OX1 3PS UK
| | - Tim Coulson
- Department of Zoology; University of Oxford; Oxford OX1 3PS UK
| | - Tim H. Clutton-Brock
- Department of Zoology; University of Cambridge; Downing Street Cambridge CB2 3EJ UK
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Gastrointestinal parasites in relation to host traits and group factors in wild meerkats Suricata suricatta. Parasitology 2014; 141:925-33. [PMID: 24560215 DOI: 10.1017/s0031182013002333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/07/2022]
Abstract
Meerkats are one of the most endearing of South African's wildlife celebrities and one of the most highly studied social mammals. However, although parasites are widely recognized as important regulatory factors in animal population, basic knowledge on meerkats' parasites is lacking. Here 100 fresh fecal samples of wild meerkats were examined for the presence of endoparasitic infection. Endoparasitic taxa identified by the presence of eggs or oocysts included Toxocara suricattae, Oxynema suricattae, Pseudandrya suricattae, Cystoisospora sp. and Eimeria sp. Non-specific diagnoses were made for parasites in the Order Strongylida, Order Spirurida and coccidian based on the morphology and size of the eggs and oocysts. The prevalence of infection with T. suricattae and the strongylate species increased with age, while prevalence of coccidia and intensity of infection by the strongylate species increased with decreasing group size, suggesting that stress associated with living in smaller group may increase susceptibility to parasitism. Moreover, parasite communities were more similar between individuals from the same group than between individuals from different groups, suggesting an important role of the environment in parasite infestation. We did not detect any differences between males and females. This study represents the first detailed report of gastrointestinal parasites in wild meerkats, and is a key starting point for future studies on the effect of endoparasite load in the life history of this species.
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Mares R, Bateman A, English S, Clutton-Brock T, Young A. Timing of predispersal prospecting is influenced by environmental, social and state-dependent factors in meerkats. Anim Behav 2014. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2013.11.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 24] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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