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McMahon K, Marples NM, Spurgin LG, Rowland HM, Sheldon BC, Firth JA. Social network centrality predicts dietary decisions in a wild bird population. iScience 2024; 27:109581. [PMID: 38638576 PMCID: PMC11024920 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2024.109581] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2023] [Revised: 12/07/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/20/2024] Open
Abstract
How individuals balance costs and benefits of group living remains central to understanding sociality. In relation to diet, social foraging provides many advantages but also increases competition. Nevertheless, social individuals may offset increased competition by broadening their diet and consuming novel foods. Despite the expected relationships between social behavior and dietary decisions, how sociality shapes individuals' novel food consumption remains largely untested in natural populations. Here, we use wild great tits to experimentally test how sociality predicts dietary decisions. We show that individuals with more social connections have higher propensity to use novel foods compared to socially peripheral individuals, and this is unrelated to neophobia, observations, and demographic factors. These findings indicate sociable individuals may offset potential costs of competition by foraging more broadly. We discuss how social environments may drive behavioral change in natural populations, and the implications for the causes and consequences of social strategies and dietary decisions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Keith McMahon
- Department of Biology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
| | - Nicola M. Marples
- Department of Zoology, School of Natural Sciences, Trinity College Dublin, Dublin 2, Ireland
| | - Lewis G. Spurgin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK
| | - Hannah M. Rowland
- Max Planck Institute for Chemical Ecology, Jena, Germany
- Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | | | - Josh A. Firth
- Department of Biology, Oxford University, Oxford, UK
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
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2
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Raulo A, Bürkner PC, Finerty GE, Dale J, Hanski E, English HM, Lamberth C, Firth JA, Coulson T, Knowles SCL. Social and environmental transmission spread different sets of gut microbes in wild mice. Nat Ecol Evol 2024:10.1038/s41559-024-02381-0. [PMID: 38689017 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-024-02381-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/01/2024] [Indexed: 05/02/2024]
Abstract
Gut microbes shape many aspects of organismal biology, yet how these key bacteria transmit among hosts in natural populations remains poorly understood. Recent work in mammals has emphasized either transmission through social contacts or indirect transmission through environmental contact, but the relative importance of different routes has not been directly assessed. Here we used a novel radio-frequency identification-based tracking system to collect long-term high-resolution data on social relationships, space use and microhabitat in a wild population of mice (Apodemus sylvaticus), while regularly characterizing their gut microbiota with 16S ribosomal RNA profiling. Through probabilistic modelling of the resulting data, we identify positive and statistically distinct signals of social and environmental transmission, captured by social networks and overlap in home ranges, respectively. Strikingly, microorganisms with distinct biological attributes drove these different transmission signals. While the social network effect on microbiota was driven by anaerobic bacteria, the effect of shared space was most influenced by aerotolerant spore-forming bacteria. These findings support the prediction that social contact is important for the transfer of microorganisms with low oxygen tolerance, while those that can tolerate oxygen or form spores may be able to transmit indirectly through the environment. Overall, these results suggest social and environmental transmission routes can spread biologically distinct members of the mammalian gut microbiota.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aura Raulo
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Department of Computing, University of Turku, Turku, Finland.
| | | | - Genevieve E Finerty
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behaviour, Constance, Germany
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Constance, Germany
| | - Jarrah Dale
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - Holly M English
- School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Curt Lamberth
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- School of Biology, University of Leeds, Leeds, UK
| | - Tim Coulson
- Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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3
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Beck KB, Farine DR, Firth JA, Sheldon BC. Variation in local population size predicts social network structure in wild songbirds. J Anim Ecol 2023; 92:2348-2362. [PMID: 37837224 PMCID: PMC10952437 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.14015] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/06/2023] [Accepted: 09/19/2023] [Indexed: 10/15/2023]
Abstract
The structure of animal societies is a key determinant of many ecological and evolutionary processes. Yet, we know relatively little about the factors and mechanisms that underpin detailed social structure. Among other factors, social structure can be influenced by habitat configuration. By shaping animal movement decisions, heterogeneity in habitat features, such as vegetation and the availability of resources, can influence the spatiotemporal distribution of individuals and subsequently key socioecological properties such as the local population size and density. Differences in local population size and density can impact opportunities for social associations and may thus drive substantial variation in local social structure. Here, we investigated spatiotemporal variation in population size at 65 distinct locations in a small songbird, the great tit (Parus major) and its effect on social network structure. We first explored the within-location consistency of population size from weekly samples and whether the observed variation in local population size was predicted by the underlying habitat configuration. Next, we created social networks from the birds' foraging associations at each location for each week and examined if local population size affected social structure. We show that population size is highly repeatable within locations across weeks and years and that some of the observed variation in local population size was predicted by the underlying habitat, with locations closer to the forest edge having on average larger population sizes. Furthermore, we show that local population size affected social structure inferred by four global network metrics. Using simple simulations, we then reveal that much of the observed social structure is shaped by social processes. Across different population sizes, the birds' social structure was largely explained by their preference to forage in flocks. In addition, over and above effects of social foraging, social preferences between birds (i.e. social relationships) shaped certain network features such as the extent of realized social connections. Our findings thus suggest that individual social decisions substantially contribute to shaping certain social network features over and above effects of population size alone.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B. Beck
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental StudiesUniversity of ZurichZurichSwitzerland
- Division of Ecology and Evolution, Research School of BiologyAustralian National UniversityCanberraAustralian Capital TerritoryAustralia
- Department of Collective BehaviourMax Planck Institute of Animal BehaviourKonstanzGermany
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Department of Biology, Edward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
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4
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Beck KB, Sheldon BC, Firth JA. Social learning mechanisms shape transmission pathways through replicate local social networks of wild birds. eLife 2023; 12:85703. [PMID: 37128701 PMCID: PMC10154030 DOI: 10.7554/elife.85703] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/20/2022] [Accepted: 04/05/2023] [Indexed: 05/03/2023] Open
Abstract
The emergence and spread of novel behaviours via social learning can lead to rapid population-level changes whereby the social connections between individuals shape information flow. However, behaviours can spread via different mechanisms and little is known about how information flow depends on the underlying learning rule individuals employ. Here, comparing four different learning mechanisms, we simulated behavioural spread on replicate empirical social networks of wild great tits and explored the relationship between individual sociality and the order of behavioural acquisition. Our results reveal that, for learning rules dependent on the sum and strength of social connections to informed individuals, social connectivity was related to the order of acquisition, with individuals with increased social connectivity and reduced social clustering adopting new behaviours faster. However, when behavioural adoption depends on the ratio of an individuals' social connections to informed versus uninformed individuals, social connectivity was not related to the order of acquisition. Finally, we show how specific learning mechanisms may limit behavioural spread within networks. These findings have important implications for understanding whether and how behaviours are likely to spread across social systems, the relationship between individuals' sociality and behavioural acquisition, and therefore for the costs and benefits of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B Beck
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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5
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Gokcekus S, Firth JA, Regan C, Cole EF, Sheldon BC, Albery GF. Social familiarity and spatially variable environments independently determine reproductive fitness in a wild bird. Am Nat 2023; 201:813-824. [DOI: 10.1086/724382] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/27/2023]
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6
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Woodman JP, Cole EF, Firth JA, Perrins CM, Sheldon BC. Disentangling the causes of age‐assortative mating in bird populations with contrasting life‐history strategies. J Anim Ecol 2022; 92:979-990. [PMID: 36423201 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13851] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2022] [Accepted: 11/15/2022] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
Age shapes fundamental processes related to behaviour, survival and reproduction, where age influences reproductive success, non-random mating with respect to age can magnify or mitigate such effects. Consequently, the correlation in partners' age across a population may influence its productivity. Despite widespread evidence for age-assortative mating, little is known about what drives this assortment and its variation. Specifically, the relative importance of active (same-age mate preference) and passive processes (assortment as a consequence of other spatial or temporal effects) in driving age assortment is not well understood. In this paper, we compare breeding data from a great tit and mute swan population (51- and 31-year datasets, respectively) to tease apart the contributions of pair retention, cohort age structure and active age-related mate selection to age assortment in species with contrasting life histories. Both species show age-assortative mating and variable assortment between years. However, we demonstrate that the drivers of age assortment differ between the species, as expected from their life histories and resultant demographic differences. In great tits, pair fidelity has a weak effect on age-assortative mating through pair retention; variation in age assortment is primarily driven by fluctuations in age structure from variable juvenile recruitment. Age-assortative mating is, therefore, largely passive, with no evidence consistent with active age-related mate selection. In mute swans, age assortment is partly explained by pair retention, but not population age structure, and evidence exists for active age-assortative pairing. This difference is likely to result from shorter life-spans in great tits compared with mute swans, leading to fundamental differences in their population age structure, whereby a larger proportion of great tit populations consist of a single age cohort. In mute swans, age-assortative pairing through mate selection may also be driven by greater age-dependent variation in fitness. The study highlights the importance of considering how different life histories and demographic differences arising from these affect population processes that appear congruent across species. We suggest that future research should focus on uncovering the proximate mechanisms that lead to variation in active age-assortative mate selection (as seen in mute swans); and the consequences of variation in age structure on the ecological and social functioning of wild populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joe P. Woodman
- Edward Grey Institute Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road Oxford
| | - Ella F. Cole
- Edward Grey Institute Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road Oxford
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Edward Grey Institute Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road Oxford
| | - Christopher M. Perrins
- Edward Grey Institute Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road Oxford
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute Department of Biology, University of Oxford, Mansfield Road Oxford
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7
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Regan CE, Beck KB, McMahon K, Crofts S, Firth JA, Sheldon BC. Social phenotype-dependent selection of social environment in wild great and blue tits: an experimental study. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20221602. [DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.1602] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022] Open
Abstract
There is growing evidence that individuals actively assess the match between their phenotype and their environment when making habitat choice decisions (so-called matching habitat choice). However, to our knowledge, no studies have considered how the social environment may interact with social phenotype in determining habitat choice, despite habitat choice being an inherently social process and growing evidence for individual variation in sociability. We conducted an experiment using wild great and blue tits to understand how birds integrate their social phenotype and social environment when choosing where and how to feed. We used programmable feeders to (i) record social interactions and estimate social phenotype, and (ii) experimentally manipulate the local density experienced by birds of differing social phenotype. By tracking feeder usage, we estimated how social environment and social phenotype predicted feeder choice and feeding behaviour. Both social environment and social phenotype predicted feeder usage, but a bird's decision to remain in a particular social environment did not depend on their social phenotype. By contrast, for feeding behaviour, responses to the social environment depended on social phenotype. Our results provide rare evidence of matching habitat choice and shed light on the dependence of habitat choice on between-individual differences in social phenotype.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte E. Regan
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3RT, UK
| | - Kristina B. Beck
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3RT, UK
| | - Keith McMahon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3RT, UK
| | - Sam Crofts
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3RT, UK
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3RT, UK
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Biology, University of Oxford, 11a Mansfield Road, Oxford OX1 3RT, UK
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8
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Albery GF, Clutton-Brock TH, Morris A, Morris S, Pemberton JM, Nussey DH, Firth JA. Ageing red deer alter their spatial behaviour and become less social. Nat Ecol Evol 2022; 6:1231-1238. [PMID: 35864228 PMCID: PMC10859100 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-022-01817-9] [Citation(s) in RCA: 11] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/11/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2022] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
Social relationships are important to many aspects of animals' lives, and an individual's connections may change over the course of their lifespan. Currently, it is unclear whether social connectedness declines within individuals as they age, and what the underlying mechanisms might be, so the role of age in structuring animal social systems remains unresolved, particularly in non-primates. Here we describe senescent declines in social connectedness using 46 years of data in a wild, individually monitored population of a long-lived mammal (European red deer, Cervus elaphus). Applying a series of spatial and social network analyses, we demonstrate that these declines occur because of within-individual changes in social behaviour, with correlated changes in spatial behaviour (smaller home ranges and movements to lower-density, lower-quality areas). These findings demonstrate that within-individual socio-spatial behavioural changes can lead older animals in fission-fusion societies to become less socially connected, shedding light on the ecological and evolutionary processes structuring wild animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory F Albery
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA.
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.
- Wissenschaftskolleg zu Berlin, Berlin, Germany.
| | | | - Alison Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sean Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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9
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Finch D, Schofield H, Firth JA, Mathews F. Social networks of the greater horseshoe bat during the hibernation season: a landscape-scale case study. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.03.019] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
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10
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Jarić I, Roll U, Bonaiuto M, Brook BW, Courchamp F, Firth JA, Gaston KJ, Heger T, Jeschke JM, Ladle RJ, Meinard Y, Roberts DL, Sherren K, Soga M, Soriano-Redondo A, Veríssimo D, Correia RA. Societal extinction of species. Trends Ecol Evol 2022; 37:411-419. [PMID: 35181167 DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2021.12.011] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/16/2021] [Revised: 12/21/2021] [Accepted: 12/24/2021] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
The ongoing global biodiversity crisis not only involves biological extinctions, but also the loss of experience and the gradual fading of cultural knowledge and collective memory of species. We refer to this phenomenon as 'societal extinction of species' and apply it to both extinct and extant taxa. We describe the underlying concepts as well as the mechanisms and factors that affect this process, discuss its main implications, and identify mitigation measures. Societal extinction is cognitively intractable, but it is tied to biological extinction and thus has important consequences for conservation policy and management. It affects societal perceptions of the severity of anthropogenic impacts and of true extinction rates, erodes societal support for conservation efforts, and causes the loss of cultural heritage.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ivan Jarić
- Biology Centre of the Czech Academy of Sciences, Institute of Hydrobiology, České Budějovice, Czech Republic; Department of Ecosystem Biology,(,) Faculty of Science, University of South Bohemia, České Budějovice, Czech Republic.
| | - Uri Roll
- Mitrani Department of Desert Ecology, The Jacob Blaustein Institutes for Desert Research Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, Midreshet Ben-Gurion, Israel
| | - Marino Bonaiuto
- CIRPA Centro Interuniversitario di Ricerca in Psicologia Ambientale, Dipartimento di Psicologia dei Processi di Sviluppo e Socializzazione, Sapienza Università di Roma, Rome, Italy
| | - Barry W Brook
- School of Natural Sciences, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia; ARC Centre of Excellence for Australian Biodiversity and Heritage, University of Tasmania, Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
| | - Franck Courchamp
- Université Paris-Saclay, CNRS, AgroParisTech, Ecologie Systématique Evolution, Orsay, France
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Kevin J Gaston
- Environment and Sustainability Institute, University of Exeter, Penryn, Cornwall, UK
| | - Tina Heger
- Technical University of Munich, Restoration Ecology, Freising, Germany; Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany; Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Jonathan M Jeschke
- Berlin-Brandenburg Institute of Advanced Biodiversity Research (BBIB), Berlin, Germany; Leibniz Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries (IGB), Berlin, Germany; Institute of Biology, Freie Universität Berlin, Berlin, Germany
| | - Richard J Ladle
- CIBIO/InBio, Centro de Investigação em Biodiversidade e Recursos Genéticos, Laboratório Associado, Universidade do Porto, Vairão, Portugal; Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil
| | - Yves Meinard
- Université Paris Dauphine, PSL Research University, CNRS, Paris, France
| | - David L Roberts
- Durrell Institute of Conservation and Ecology, School of Anthropology and Conservation, University of Kent, Canterbury, Kent, UK
| | - Kate Sherren
- School for Resource and Environmental Studies, Dalhousie University, Halifax, Canada
| | - Masashi Soga
- Graduate School of Agricultural and Life Sciences, The University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan
| | - Andrea Soriano-Redondo
- Helsinki Lab of Interdisciplinary Conservation Science (HELICS), Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | | | - Ricardo A Correia
- Institute of Biological and Health Sciences, Federal University of Alagoas, Maceió, Alagoas, Brazil; Helsinki Lab of Interdisciplinary Conservation Science (HELICS), Department of Geosciences and Geography, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; Helsinki Institute of Sustainability Science (HELSUS), University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland; CESAM - Centre for Environmental and Marine Studies, University of Aveiro, Aveiro, Portugal
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11
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Gartland LA, Firth JA, Laskowski KL, Jeanson R, Ioannou CC. Sociability as a personality trait in animals: methods, causes and consequences. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 97:802-816. [PMID: 34894041 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12823] [Citation(s) in RCA: 31] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/05/2021] [Revised: 11/27/2021] [Accepted: 11/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
Within animal populations there is variation among individuals in their tendency to be social, where more sociable individuals associate more with other individuals. Consistent inter-individual variation in 'sociability' is considered one of the major axes of personality variation in animals along with aggressiveness, activity, exploration and boldness. Not only is variation in sociability important in terms of animal personalities, but it holds particular significance for, and can be informed by, two other topics of major interest: social networks and collective behaviour. Further, knowledge of what generates inter-individual variation in social behaviour also holds applied implications, such as understanding disorders of social behaviour in humans. In turn, research using non-human animals in the genetics, neuroscience and physiology of these disorders can inform our understanding of sociability. For the first time, this review brings together insights across these areas of research, across animal taxa from primates to invertebrates, and across studies from both the laboratory and field. We show there are mixed results in whether and how sociability correlates with other major behavioural traits. Whether and in what direction these correlations are observed may differ with individual traits such as sex and body condition, as well as ecological conditions. A large body of evidence provides the proximate mechanisms for why individuals vary in their social tendency. Evidence exists for the importance of genes and their expression, chemical messengers, social interactions and the environment in determining an individual's social tendency, although the specifics vary with species and other variables such as age, and interactions amongst these proximate factors. Less well understood is how evolution can maintain consistent variation in social tendencies within populations. Shifts in the benefits and costs of social tendencies over time, as well as the social niche hypothesis, are currently the best supported theories for how variation in sociability can evolve and be maintained in populations. Increased exposure to infectious diseases is the best documented cost of a greater social tendency, and benefits include greater access to socially transmitted information. We also highlight that direct evidence for more sociable individuals being safer from predators is lacking. Variation in sociability is likely to have broad ecological consequences, but beyond its importance in the spread of infectious diseases, direct evidence is limited to a few examples related to dispersal and invasive species biology. Overall, our knowledge of inter-individual variation in sociability is highly skewed towards the proximate mechanisms. Our review also demonstrates, however, that considering research from social networks and collective behaviour greatly enriches our understanding of sociability, highlighting the need for greater integration of these approaches into future animal personality research to address the imbalance in our understanding of sociability as a personality trait.
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Affiliation(s)
- Lizzy A Gartland
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, U.K
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3SZ, U.K
| | - Kate L Laskowski
- Department of Evolution and Ecology, University of California Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, U.S.A
| | - Raphael Jeanson
- Centre de Recherches sur la Cognition Animale (UMR5169), Centre de Biologie Intégrative, CNRS, UPS, Université de Toulouse, 31062, Toulouse, France
| | - Christos C Ioannou
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, U.K
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12
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Gokcekus S, Firth JA, Regan C, Cole EF, Lamers KP, Sheldon BC. Drivers of passive leadership in wild songbirds: species-level differences and spatio-temporally dependent intraspecific effects. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03103-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/19/2022]
Abstract
Abstract
Collective behaviors are typical for many social species and can have fitness benefits for participating individuals. To maximize the benefits obtained from group living, individuals must coordinate their behaviors to some extent. What are the mechanisms that make certain individuals more likely to initiate collective behaviors, for example, by taking a risk to initially access a resource (i.e., to act as “leaders”)? Here, we examine leading behavior in a natural population of great tits and blue tits. We use automated feeding stations to monitor the feeder visits of tagged individuals within mixed-species flocks, with a small cost (waiting < 2 s) associated with the initial unlocking of the feeder. We find that great tits, males, and individuals with high activity levels were more likely to be leading in each of their feeder visits. Using a null model approach, we demonstrate that the effects of sex and activity on passive leading behavior can be explained by patterns of spatial and temporal occurrence. In other words, these effects can be explained by the times and locations of when individuals visit rather than the actual order of arrival. Hence, an analysis of the causes of leading behavior is needed to separate the effects of different processes. We highlight the importance of understanding the mechanisms behind leading behavior and discuss directions for future experimental work to gain a better understanding of the causes of leadership in natural populations.
Significance statement
Many species are social and engage in collective behaviors. To benefit from group actions, individuals need to fulfill different roles. Here, we examine leading behavior during feeding events; who feeds first when birds arrive at a resource? In mixed-species flocks of passerines, great tits (the larger and more dominant species), males, and individuals with higher levels of activity lead more often than blue tits, females, and individuals with lower levels of activity. While the species effect remains even when we control for the locations and dates of individual feeder visits, the effects of sex and activity are dependent on when and where birds choose to feed.
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13
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Arlidge WNS, Firth JA, Alfaro-Shigueto J, Ibanez-Erquiaga B, Mangel JC, Squires D, Milner-Gulland EJ. Assessing information-sharing networks within small-scale fisheries and the implications for conservation interventions. R Soc Open Sci 2021; 8:211240. [PMID: 34853699 PMCID: PMC8611325 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.211240] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/29/2021] [Accepted: 10/26/2021] [Indexed: 06/13/2023]
Abstract
The effectiveness of behavioural interventions in conservation often depends on local resource users' underlying social interactions. However, it remains unclear to what extent differences in related topics of information shared between resource users can alter network structure-holding implications for information flows and the spread of behaviours. Here, we explore the differences in nine subtopics of fishing information related to the planned expansion of a community co-management scheme aiming to reduce sea turtle bycatch at a small-scale fishery in Peru. We show that the general network structure detailing information sharing about sea turtle bycatch is dissimilar from other fishing information sharing. Specifically, no significant degree assortativity (degree homophily) was identified, and the variance in node eccentricity was lower than expected under our null models. We also demonstrate that patterns of information sharing between fishers related to sea turtle bycatch are more similar to information sharing about fishing regulations, and vessel technology and maintenance, than to information sharing about weather, fishing activity, finances and crew management. Our findings highlight the importance of assessing information-sharing networks in contexts directly relevant to the desired intervention and demonstrate the identification of social contexts that might be more or less appropriate for information sharing related to planned conservation actions.
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Affiliation(s)
- William N. S. Arlidge
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Department of Biology and Ecology of Fishes, Leibniz-Institute of Freshwater Ecology and Inland Fisheries, Müggelseedamm 310, 12587 Berlin, Germany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Humboldt-Universität zu Berlin, Invalidenstrasse 42, 10115 Berlin, Germany
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Joanna Alfaro-Shigueto
- ProDelphinus, Calle José Galvez 780-E, Lima 15074, Perú
- School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
- Carrera de Biologia Marina, Universidad Científica del Sur, Lima, Perú
| | - Bruno Ibanez-Erquiaga
- Section for Coastal Ecology, Technical University of Denmark, National Institute of Aquatic Resources (DTU Aqua), Lyngby 2800, Denmark
- Asociación CONSERVACCION, Lima, Peru
| | - Jeffrey C. Mangel
- ProDelphinus, Calle José Galvez 780-E, Lima 15074, Perú
- School of Biosciences, University of Exeter, Cornwall Campus, Penryn, Cornwall TR10 9FE, UK
| | - Dale Squires
- NOAA Fisheries Southwest Fisheries Science Center, La Jolla, CA, USA
| | - E. J. Milner-Gulland
- Interdisciplinary Centre for Conservation Science, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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14
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Beck KB, Firth JA. Animal behavior: Innovation in the city. Curr Biol 2021; 31:R1122-R1124. [PMID: 34637712 DOI: 10.1016/j.cub.2021.08.025] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
Abstract
Behavioral innovations may help animals cope with new environments, but how such behaviors start is hard to capture. A new study reports the innovation and transmission of a new foraging culture in an urban parrot.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kristina B Beck
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK.
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, Oxford University, Oxford OX1 3SZ, UK
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15
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Firth JA, Sheldon BC. The long reach of family ties. Science 2021; 373:274-275. [PMID: 34437137 DOI: 10.1126/science.abj5234] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
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16
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Gokcekus S, Cole EF, Sheldon BC, Firth JA. Exploring the causes and consequences of cooperative behaviour in wild animal populations using a social network approach. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2355-2372. [DOI: 10.1111/brv.12757] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/18/2020] [Revised: 05/25/2021] [Accepted: 05/27/2021] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Samin Gokcekus
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford 11a Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3SZ U.K
| | - Ella F. Cole
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford 11a Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3SZ U.K
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford 11a Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3SZ U.K
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford 11a Mansfield Road Oxford OX1 3SZ U.K
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17
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Reichert MS, Morand-Ferron J, Kulahci IG, Firth JA, Davidson GL, Crofts SJ, Quinn JL. Cognition and covariance in the producer-scrounger game. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2497-2509. [PMID: 34091901 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13551] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/16/2020] [Accepted: 06/01/2021] [Indexed: 11/27/2022]
Abstract
The producer-scrounger game is a key element of foraging ecology in many systems. Producing and scrounging typically covary negatively, but partitioning this covariance into contributions of individual plasticity and consistent between individual differences is key to understanding population-level consequences of foraging strategies. Furthermore, little is known about the role cognition plays in the producer-scrounger game. We investigated the role of cognition in these alternative foraging tactics in wild mixed-species flocks of great tits and blue tits, using a production learning task in which we measured individuals' speed of learning to visit the single feeder in an array that would provide them with a food reward. We also quantified the proportion of individuals' feeds that were scrounges ('proportion scrounged'); scrounging was possible if individuals visited immediately after a previous rewarded visitor. Three learning experiments-initial and two reversal learning-enabled us to estimate the repeatability and covariance of each foraging behaviour. First, we examined whether individuals learned to improve their scrounging success (i.e. whether they obtained food by scrounging when there was an opportunity to do so). Second, we quantified the repeatability of proportion scrounged, and asked whether proportion scrounged affected production learning speed among individuals. Third, we used multivariate analyses to partition within- and among-individual components of covariance between proportion scrounged and production learning speed. Individuals improved their scrounging success over time. Birds with a greater proportion scrounged took longer to learn their own rewarding feeder. Although multivariate analyses showed that covariance between proportion scrounged and learning speed was driven primarily by within-individual variation, that is, by behavioural plasticity, among-individual differences also played a role for blue tits. This is the first demonstration of a cognitive trait influencing producing and scrounging in the same wild system, highlighting the importance of cognition in the use of alternative resource acquisition tactics. The results of our covariance analyses suggest the potential for genetic differences in allocation to alternative foraging tactics, which are likely species- and system-dependent. They also point to the need to control for different foraging tactics when studying individual cognition in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S Reichert
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
| | | | - Ipek G Kulahci
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Biological Sciences, University of Notre Dame, Notre Dame, IN, USA
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Gabrielle L Davidson
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Sam J Crofts
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - John L Quinn
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland.,Environmental Research Institute, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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18
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Raulo A, Allen BE, Troitsky T, Husby A, Firth JA, Coulson T, Knowles SCL. Social networks strongly predict the gut microbiota of wild mice. ISME J 2021; 15:2601-2613. [PMID: 33731838 PMCID: PMC8397773 DOI: 10.1038/s41396-021-00949-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 14.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/24/2020] [Revised: 02/02/2021] [Accepted: 02/19/2021] [Indexed: 02/06/2023]
Abstract
The mammalian gut teems with microbes, yet how hosts acquire these symbionts remains poorly understood. Research in primates suggests that microbes can be picked up via social contact, but the role of social interactions in non-group-living species remains underexplored. Here, we use a passive tracking system to collect high resolution spatiotemporal activity data from wild mice (Apodemus sylvaticus). Social network analysis revealed social association strength to be the strongest predictor of microbiota similarity among individuals, controlling for factors including spatial proximity and kinship, which had far smaller or nonsignificant effects. This social effect was limited to interactions involving males (male-male and male-female), implicating sex-dependent behaviours as driving processes. Social network position also predicted microbiota richness, with well-connected individuals having the most diverse microbiotas. Overall, these findings suggest social contact provides a key transmission pathway for gut symbionts even in relatively asocial mammals, that strongly shapes the adult gut microbiota. This work underlines the potential for individuals to pick up beneficial symbionts as well as pathogens from social interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Aura Raulo
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Bryony E Allen
- Institute of Infection, Veterinary and Ecological Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK.,Institute of Zoology, Zoological Society of London, Regents Park, London, UK
| | - Tanya Troitsky
- Faculty of Biological and Environmental Sciences, University of Helsinki, Helsinki, Finland
| | - Arild Husby
- Department of Ecology and Genetics, Uppsala University, Uppsala, Sweden
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Tim Coulson
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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19
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Albery GF, Morris A, Morris S, Pemberton JM, Clutton-Brock TH, Nussey DH, Firth JA. Multiple spatial behaviours govern social network positions in a wild ungulate. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:676-686. [PMID: 33583128 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 20] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The structure of wild animal social systems depends on a complex combination of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers. Population structuring and spatial behaviour are key determinants of individuals' observed social behaviour, but quantifying these spatial components alongside multiple other drivers remains difficult due to data scarcity and analytical complexity. We used a 43-year dataset detailing a wild red deer population to investigate how individuals' spatial behaviours drive social network positioning, while simultaneously assessing other potential contributing factors. Using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) multi-matrix animal models, we demonstrate that social network positions are shaped by two-dimensional landscape locations, pairwise space sharing, individual range size, and spatial and temporal variation in population density, alongside smaller but detectable impacts of a selection of individual-level phenotypic traits. These results indicate strong, multifaceted spatiotemporal structuring in this society, emphasising the importance of considering multiple spatial components when investigating the causes and consequences of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory F Albery
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.,Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alison Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sean Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Tim H Clutton-Brock
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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20
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Culina A, Firth JA, Hinde CA. Familiarity breeds success: pairs that meet earlier experience increased breeding performance in a wild bird population. Proc Biol Sci 2020; 287:20201554. [PMID: 33352080 PMCID: PMC7779496 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2020.1554] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
In socially monogamous animals, including humans, pairs can meet and spend time together before they begin reproduction. However, the pre-breeding period has been challenging to study in natural populations, and thus remains largely unexplored. As such, our understanding of the benefits of mate familiarity is almost entirely limited to assessments of repeated breeding with a particular partner. Here, we used fine-scale tracking technology to gather 6 years of data on pre-breeding social associations of individually marked great tits in a wild population. We show that pairs which met earlier in the winter laid their eggs earlier in all years. Clutch size, number of hatched and fledged young, and hatching and fledging success were not influenced by parents' meeting time directly, but indirectly: earlier laying pairs had larger clutches (that also produce higher number of young), and higher hatching and fledging success. We did not detect a direct influence of the length of the initial pairing period on future mating decisions (stay with a partner or divorce). These findings suggest a selective advantage for a new pair to start associating earlier (or for individuals to mate with those they have known for longer). We call for more studies to explore the generality of fitness effects of pair familiarity prior to first breeding, and to elucidate the mechanisms underlying these effects.
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Affiliation(s)
- Antica Culina
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, The Netherlands.,Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Camilla A Hinde
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Department of Biology, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge, UK
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21
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Albery GF, Kirkpatrick L, Firth JA, Bansal S. Unifying spatial and social network analysis in disease ecology. J Anim Ecol 2020; 90:45-61. [DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13356] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 10.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/06/2020] [Accepted: 08/24/2020] [Indexed: 01/18/2023]
Affiliation(s)
| | | | - Josh A. Firth
- Department of Zoology Edward Grey Institute University of Oxford Oxford UK
- Merton College Oxford University Oxford UK
| | - Shweta Bansal
- Department of Biology Georgetown University Washington DC USA
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22
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Firth JA, Hellewell J, Klepac P, Kissler S, Kucharski AJ, Spurgin LG. Using a real-world network to model localized COVID-19 control strategies. Nat Med 2020; 26:1616-1622. [PMID: 32770169 DOI: 10.1038/s41591-020-1036-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 102] [Impact Index Per Article: 25.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2020] [Accepted: 07/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Case isolation and contact tracing can contribute to the control of COVID-19 outbreaks1,2. However, it remains unclear how real-world social networks could influence the effectiveness and efficiency of such approaches. To address this issue, we simulated control strategies for SARS-CoV-2 transmission in a real-world social network generated from high-resolution GPS data that were gathered in the course of a citizen-science experiment3,4. We found that tracing the contacts of contacts reduced the size of simulated outbreaks more than tracing of only contacts, but this strategy also resulted in almost half of the local population being quarantined at a single point in time. Testing and releasing non-infectious individuals from quarantine led to increases in outbreak size, suggesting that contact tracing and quarantine might be most effective as a 'local lockdown' strategy when contact rates are high. Finally, we estimated that combining physical distancing with contact tracing could enable epidemic control while reducing the number of quarantined individuals. Our findings suggest that targeted tracing and quarantine strategies would be most efficient when combined with other control measures such as physical distancing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Joel Hellewell
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Petra Klepac
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK.,Department for Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Stephen Kissler
- Department of Immunology and Infectious Diseases, Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health, Boston, MA, USA
| | | | - Adam J Kucharski
- Centre for the Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Diseases, Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology, London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, London, UK
| | - Lewis G Spurgin
- School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich, UK.
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23
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Reichert MS, Crofts SJ, Davidson GL, Firth JA, Kulahci IG, Quinn JL. Multiple factors affect discrimination learning performance, but not between-individual variation, in wild mixed-species flocks of birds. R Soc Open Sci 2020; 7:192107. [PMID: 32431886 PMCID: PMC7211855 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.192107] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/02/2019] [Accepted: 03/23/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
Cognition arguably drives most behaviours in animals, but whether and why individuals in the wild vary consistently in their cognitive performance is scarcely known, especially under mixed-species scenarios. One reason for this is that quantifying the relative importance of individual, contextual, ecological and social factors remains a major challenge. We examined how many of these factors, and sources of bias, affected participation and performance, in an initial discrimination learning experiment and two reversal learning experiments during self-administered trials in a population of great tits and blue tits. Individuals were randomly allocated to different rewarding feeders within an array. Participation was high and only weakly affected by age and species. In the initial learning experiment, great tits learned faster than blue tits. Great tits also showed greater consistency in performance across two reversal learning experiments. Individuals assigned to the feeders on the edge of the array learned faster. More errors were made on feeders neighbouring the rewarded feeder and on feeders that had been rewarded in the previous experiment. Our estimates of learning consistency were unaffected by multiple factors, suggesting that, even though there was some influence of these factors on performance, we obtained a robust measure of discrimination learning in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael S. Reichert
- Department of Integrative Biology, Oklahoma State University, Stillwater, OK, USA
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Sam J. Crofts
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Gabrielle L. Davidson
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
- Department of Psychology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ipek G. Kulahci
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - John L. Quinn
- School of Biological Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
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24
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Firth JA. Considering Complexity: Animal Social Networks and Behavioural Contagions. Trends Ecol Evol 2020; 35:100-104. [DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2019.10.009] [Citation(s) in RCA: 34] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/18/2019] [Revised: 10/15/2019] [Accepted: 10/16/2019] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
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25
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Roth AM, Firth JA, Patrick SC, Cole EF, Sheldon BC. Partner’s age, not social environment, predicts extrapair paternity in wild great tits (Parus major). Behav Ecol 2019. [DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arz151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022] Open
Abstract
Abstract
An individual’s fitness is not only influenced by its own phenotype, but by the phenotypes of interacting conspecifics. This is likely to be particularly true when considering fitness gains and losses caused by extrapair matings, as they depend directly on the social environment. While previous work has explored effects of dyadic interactions, limited understanding exists regarding how group-level characteristics of the social environment affect extrapair paternity (EPP) and cuckoldry. We use a wild population of great tits (Parus major) to examine how, in addition to the phenotypes of focal parents, two neighborhood-level traits—age and personality composition—predict EPP and cuckoldry. We used the well-studied trait “exploration behavior” as a measure of the reactive-proactive personality axis. Because breeding pairs inhabit a continuous “social landscape,” we first established an ecologically relevant definition of a breeding “neighborhood” through genotyping parents and nestlings in a 51-ha patch of woodland and assessing the spatial predictors of EPP events. Using the observed decline in likelihood of EPP with increasing spatial separation between nests, we determined the relevant neighborhood boundaries, and thus the group phenotypic composition of an individual’s neighborhood, by calculating the point at which the likelihood of EPP became negligible. We found no evidence that “social environment” effects (i.e., neighborhood age or personality composition) influenced EPP or cuckoldry. We did, however, find that a female’s own age influenced the EPP of her social mate, with males paired to older females gaining more EPP, even when controlling for the social environment. These findings suggest that partner characteristics, rather than group phenotypic composition, influence mating activity patterns at the individual level.
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Affiliation(s)
- Allison M Roth
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, Oxford, UK
- St. Catherine’s College, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, Oxford, UK
- Merton College, Oxford, UK
| | - Samantha C Patrick
- School of Environmental Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK
| | - Ella F Cole
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, Oxford, UK
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Zoology Research and Administration Building, Oxford, UK
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26
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Firth J, Torous J, Stubbs B, Firth JA, Steiner GZ, Smith L, Alvarez‐Jimenez M, Gleeson J, Vancampfort D, Armitage CJ, Sarris J. The "online brain": how the Internet may be changing our cognition. World Psychiatry 2019; 18:119-129. [PMID: 31059635 PMCID: PMC6502424 DOI: 10.1002/wps.20617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 113] [Impact Index Per Article: 22.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/16/2022] Open
Abstract
The impact of the Internet across multiple aspects of modern society is clear. However, the influence that it may have on our brain structure and functioning remains a central topic of investigation. Here we draw on recent psychological, psychiatric and neuroimaging findings to examine several key hypotheses on how the Internet may be changing our cognition. Specifically, we explore how unique features of the online world may be influencing: a) attentional capacities, as the constantly evolving stream of online information encourages our divided attention across multiple media sources, at the expense of sustained concentration; b) memory processes, as this vast and ubiquitous source of online information begins to shift the way we retrieve, store, and even value knowledge; and c) social cognition, as the ability for online social settings to resemble and evoke real-world social processes creates a new interplay between the Internet and our social lives, including our self-concepts and self-esteem. Overall, the available evidence indicates that the Internet can produce both acute and sustained alterations in each of these areas of cognition, which may be reflected in changes in the brain. However, an emerging priority for future research is to determine the effects of extensive online media usage on cognitive development in youth, and examine how this may differ from cognitive outcomes and brain impact of uses of Internet in the elderly. We conclude by proposing how Internet research could be integrated into broader research settings to study how this unprecedented new facet of society can affect our cognition and the brain across the life course.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Firth
- NICM Health Research InstituteWestern Sydney UniversityWestmeadAustralia,Division of Psychology and Mental HealthUniversity of ManchesterManchesterUK,Centre for Youth Mental HealthUniversity of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - John Torous
- Division of Digital Psychiatry, Department of PsychiatryBeth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical SchoolBostonMAUSA
| | - Brendon Stubbs
- Department of Psychological MedicineInstitute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College LondonLondonUK,Physiotherapy DepartmentSouth London and Maudsley NHS Foundation TrustLondonUK
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey InstituteUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK,Merton CollegeUniversity of OxfordOxfordUK
| | - Genevieve Z. Steiner
- NICM Health Research InstituteWestern Sydney UniversityWestmeadAustralia,Translational Health Research InstituteWestern Sydney UniversityPenrithNSWAustralia
| | - Lee Smith
- Cambridge Centre for Sport and Exercise SciencesAnglia Ruskin UniversityCambridgeUK
| | - Mario Alvarez‐Jimenez
- Centre for Youth Mental HealthUniversity of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia,Orygen, The National Centre of Excellence in Youth Mental HealthUniversity of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia
| | - John Gleeson
- Centre for Youth Mental HealthUniversity of MelbourneMelbourneAustralia,School of PsychologyAustralian Catholic UniversityMelbourneAustralia
| | - Davy Vancampfort
- Department of Rehabilitation SciencesKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium,University Psychiatric CenterKU LeuvenLeuvenBelgium
| | - Christopher J. Armitage
- Division of Psychology and Mental HealthUniversity of ManchesterManchesterUK,NIHR Manchester Biomedical Research Centre, Manchester University NHS Foundation TrustManchester Academic Health Science CentreManchesterUK,NIHR Greater Manchester Patient Safety Translational Research CentreManchesterUK
| | - Jerome Sarris
- NICM Health Research InstituteWestern Sydney UniversityWestmeadAustralia,Professorial Unit, The Melbourne Clinic, Department of PsychiatryUniversity of MelbourneAustralia
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27
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Bosse M, Spurgin LG, Laine VN, Cole EF, Firth JA, Gienapp P, Gosler AG, McMahon K, Poissant J, Verhagen I, Groenen MAM, van Oers K, Sheldon BC, Visser ME, Slate J. Response to Perrier and Charmantier: On the importance of time scales when studying adaptive evolution. Evol Lett 2019; 3:248-253. [PMID: 31171980 PMCID: PMC6546378 DOI: 10.1002/evl3.112] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2019] [Accepted: 03/13/2019] [Indexed: 11/26/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Mirte Bosse
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
- Wageningen University and Research—Animal Breeding and GenomicsWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Lewis G. Spurgin
- School of Biological SciencesUniversity of East AngliaUnited Kingdom
| | - Veronika N. Laine
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Ella F. Cole
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Phillip Gienapp
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Andrew G. Gosler
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Keith McMahon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Jocelyn Poissant
- Department of Ecosystem and Public Health, Faculty of Veterinary MedicineUniversity of CalgaryCanada
| | - Irene Verhagen
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Martien A. M. Groenen
- Wageningen University and Research—Animal Breeding and GenomicsWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of ZoologyUniversity of OxfordUnited Kingdom
| | - Marcel E. Visser
- Department of Animal EcologyNetherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO‐KNAW)WageningenThe Netherlands
- Wageningen University and Research—Animal Breeding and GenomicsWageningenThe Netherlands
| | - Jon Slate
- Department of Animal and Plant SciencesUniversity of SheffieldUnited Kingdom
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Somveille M, Firth JA, Aplin LM, Farine DR, Sheldon BC, Thompson RN. Movement and conformity interact to establish local behavioural traditions in animal populations. PLoS Comput Biol 2018; 14:e1006647. [PMID: 30571696 PMCID: PMC6319775 DOI: 10.1371/journal.pcbi.1006647] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/26/2018] [Revised: 01/04/2019] [Accepted: 11/16/2018] [Indexed: 12/03/2022] Open
Abstract
The social transmission of information is critical to the emergence of animal culture. Two processes are predicted to play key roles in how socially-transmitted information spreads in animal populations: the movement of individuals across the landscape and conformist social learning. We develop a model that, for the first time, explicitly integrates these processes to investigate their impacts on the spread of behavioural preferences. Our results reveal a strong interplay between movement and conformity in determining whether locally-variable traditions establish across a landscape or whether a single preference dominates the whole population. The model is able to replicate a real-world cultural diffusion experiment in great tits Parus major, but also allows for a range of predictions for the emergence of animal culture under various initial conditions, habitat structure and strength of conformist bias to be made. Integrating social behaviour with ecological variation will be important for understanding the stability and diversity of culture in animals. In many animal species, the social transmission of information is important and can lead to the emergence of behavioural traditions. However, how ecological and social processes together influence information transmission and its consequences for animal culture, particularly across space, remains largely unknown. We developed a spatially-explicit model examining the spread of behavioural preference through a population, which integrates two key processes: the movement of individuals in the landscape, and social learning with conformity (the disproportionate likelihood of adopting the behavioural trait that is most common locally). The model can replicate a real-world cultural diffusion experiment in great tits Parus major. It is also general, and allows us to make predictions about the emergence of animal cultures in a range of different ecological and social scenarios, including habitats with different states of fragmentation, species with varying movement patterns, and different strengths of conformity in the transmission of behaviour. Our results reveal a strong interplay between ecological and social processes (in this case, movement and conformity) for determining whether or not traditions establish within a population. If traditions do emerge, then these can either be local or global, depending on the relative strength of conformity compared to movement.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marius Somveille
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Max Planck–Yale Center for Biodiversity Movement and Global Change, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, Yale University, New Haven, CT, United States of America
- * E-mail:
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Lucy M. Aplin
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Konstanz, Germany
- Chair of Biodiversity and Collective Behaviour, Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Robin N. Thompson
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Mathematical Institute, University of Oxford, Radcliffe Observatory Quarter, Oxford, United Kingdom
- Christ Church, University of Oxford, St. Aldates, Oxford, United Kingdom
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Firth JA, Cole EF, Ioannou CC, Quinn JL, Aplin LM, Culina A, McMahon K, Sheldon BC. Personality shapes pair bonding in a wild bird social system. Nat Ecol Evol 2018; 2:1696-1699. [PMID: 30275466 PMCID: PMC6217997 DOI: 10.1038/s41559-018-0670-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 30] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/15/2018] [Accepted: 08/15/2018] [Indexed: 11/09/2022]
Abstract
Mated pair bonds are integral to many animal societies, yet how individual variation in behaviour influences their formation remains largely unknown. In a population of wild great tits (Parus major), we show that personality shapes pair bonding: proactive males formed stronger pre-breeding pair bonds by meeting their future partners sooner and increasing their relationship strength at a faster rate. As a result, proactive males sampled fewer potential mates. Thus, personality may have important implications for social relationship dynamics and emergent social structure.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
- Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.
| | - Ella F Cole
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | | | - John L Quinn
- School of Biological, Earth and Environmental Sciences, University College Cork, Cork, Ireland
| | - Lucy M Aplin
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Radolfzell, Germany
| | - Antica Culina
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Netherlands Institute of Ecology, Wageningen, the Netherlands
| | - Keith McMahon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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Firth J, Stubbs B, Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Rosenbaum S, Ward PB, Firth JA, Sarris J, Yung AR. The Validity and Value of Self-reported Physical Activity and Accelerometry in People With Schizophrenia: A Population-Scale Study of the UK Biobank. Schizophr Bull 2018; 44:1293-1300. [PMID: 29069474 PMCID: PMC6192495 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbx149] [Citation(s) in RCA: 54] [Impact Index Per Article: 9.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/20/2023]
Abstract
BACKGROUND Previous physical activity (PA) research in schizophrenia has relied largely upon self-report measures. However, the accuracy of this method is questionable. Obtaining accurate measurements, and determining what may influence PA levels in schizophrenia, is essential to understand physical inactivity in this population. This study examined differences in self-reported and objectively measured PA in people with schizophrenia and the general population using a large, population-based dataset from the UK Biobank. METHODS Baseline data from the UK Biobank (2007-2010) were analyzed; including 1078 people with schizophrenia (54.19 ± 8.39 years; 55% male) and 450549 without (56.44 ± 8.11; 46% male). We compared self-reported PA with objectively measured accelerometry data in schizophrenia and comparison samples. We also examined correlations between self-report and objective measures. RESULTS People with schizophrenia reported the same PA levels as those without, with no differences in low, moderate, or vigorous intensity activity. However, accelerometry data showed a large and statistically significant reduction of PA in schizophrenia; as people with schizophrenia, on average, engaged in less PA than 80% of the general population. Nonetheless, within the schizophrenia sample, total self-reported PA still held significant correlations with objective measures. CONCLUSIONS People with schizophrenia are significantly less active than the general population. However, self-report measures in epidemiological studies fail to capture the reduced activity levels in schizophrenia. This also has implications for self-report measures of other lifestyle factors which may contribute toward the poor health outcomes observed in schizophrenia. Nonetheless, self-report measures may still be useful for identifying how active individuals with schizophrenia relative to other patients.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Firth
- NICM, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia,Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK,To whom correspondence should be addressed; NICM, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Campbelltown, Sydney, NSW 2560, Australia; tel: +61-(0)-451-231-815, Fax: +447-724-458-525; e-mail:
| | - Brendon Stubbs
- Physiotherapy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK,Health Service and Population Research Department, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Davy Vancampfort
- Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium,Department of Neurosciences, UPC KU Leuven, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Felipe B Schuch
- Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil,Centro Universitário La Salle, Canoas, Brazil
| | - Simon Rosenbaum
- Black Dog Institute, Randwick, Australia,School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Philip B Ward
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia,Schizophrenia Research Unit, Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Jerome Sarris
- NICM, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia,Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, The Melbourne Clinic, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alison R Yung
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK,Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
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Firth J, Firth JA, Stubbs B, Vancampfort D, Schuch FB, Hallgren M, Veronese N, Yung AR, Sarris J. Association Between Muscular Strength and Cognition in People With Major Depression or Bipolar Disorder and Healthy Controls. JAMA Psychiatry 2018; 75:740-746. [PMID: 29710135 PMCID: PMC6145677 DOI: 10.1001/jamapsychiatry.2018.0503] [Citation(s) in RCA: 49] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/14/2022]
Abstract
IMPORTANCE Objective physical fitness measures, such as handgrip strength, are associated with physical, mental, and cognitive outcomes in the general population. Although people with mental illness experience reduced physical fitness and cognitive impairment, the association between muscular strength and cognition has not been examined to date. OBJECTIVE To determine associations between maximal handgrip strength and cognitive performance in people with major depression or bipolar disorder and in healthy controls. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS In a multicenter, population-based study conducted between February 13, 2005, and October 1, 2010, in the United Kingdom, cross-sectional analysis was conducted of baseline data from 110 067 participants in the UK Biobank. Data analysis was performed between August 3 and August 18, 2017. Invitations were mailed to approximately 9.2 million UK homes, recruiting 502 664 adults, all aged 37 to 73 years. Clinically validated measures were used to identify individuals with major recurrent depression (moderate or severe) or bipolar disorder (type I or type II) and healthy controls (those with no indication of present or previous mood disorders). MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES Handgrip dynamometry was used to measure muscular function. Cognitive functioning was assessed using computerized tasks of reaction time, visual memory, number memory, reasoning, and prospective memory. Generalized linear mixed models assessed the association between handgrip strength and cognitive performance, controlling for age, educational level, sex, body weight, and geographic region. RESULTS Of the 110 067 participants, analyses included 22 699 individuals with major depression (mean [95% range] age, 55.5 [41-68] years; 7936 [35.0%] men), 1475 with bipolar disorder (age, 54.4 [41-68] years; 748 [50.7%] men), and 85 893 healthy controls (age, 53.7 [41-69] years; 43 000 [50.0%] men). In those with major depression, significant positive associations (P < .001) between maximal handgrip strength and improved performance on all 5 cognitive tasks were found, including visual memory (coefficient, -0.146; SE, 0.014), reaction time (coefficient, -0.036; SE, 0.002), reasoning (coefficient, 0.213; SE, 0.02), number memory (coefficient, 0.160; SE, 0.023), and prospective memory (coefficient, 0.341; SE, 0.024). Similar results were found in healthy controls. Among participants with bipolar disorder, handgrip strength was positively associated with improved visual memory (coefficient, -0.129; SE, 0.052; P = .01), reaction time (coefficient, -0.047; SE, 0.007; P < .001), prospective memory (coefficient, 0.262; SE, 0.088; P = .003), and reasoning (coefficient, 0.354; SE, 0.08; P < .001). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE Grip strength may provide a useful indicator of cognitive impairment in people with major depression and bipolar disorder. Future research should investigate causality, assess the functional implications of handgrip strength in psychiatric populations, and examine how interventions to improve muscular fitness affect neurocognitive status and socio-occupational functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Firth
- NICM Health Research Institute, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Sydney. New South Wales, Australia,Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom,Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
| | - Brendon Stubbs
- Physiotherapy Department, South London and Maudsley National Health Services Foundation Trust, United Kingdom,Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King's College London, London, United Kingdom
| | - Davy Vancampfort
- Katholieke Universiteit Leuven Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Leuven, Belgium,Universitair Psychiatrisch Centrum Katholieke Universiteit Leuven, Campus Kortenberg, Leuven, Belgium
| | - Felipe B. Schuch
- Hospital de Clínicas de Porto Alegre, Porto Alegre, Brazil,Post Graduate Program in Health and Human Development, Universidade La Salle, Canoas, Brazil
| | - Mats Hallgren
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinksa Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Nicola Veronese
- Laboratory of Nutritional Biochemistry, Research Hospital, Istituto di Ricovero e cura a Carattere Scientifico “S. de Bellis,” Castellana Grotte, Bari, Italy,National Research Council, Neuroscience Institute, Aging Branch, Padua, Italy
| | - Alison R. Yung
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, United Kingdom,Greater Manchester Mental Health National Health Service Foundation Trust, United Kingdom
| | - Jerome Sarris
- NICM Health Research Institute, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Sydney. New South Wales, Australia,ARCADIA Group, Professorial Unit, The Melbourne Clinic, Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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Firth JA, Sheldon BC, Brent LJN. Indirectly connected: simple social differences can explain the causes and apparent consequences of complex social network positions. Proc Biol Sci 2018; 284:rspb.2017.1939. [PMID: 29142116 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.1939] [Citation(s) in RCA: 21] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/29/2017] [Accepted: 10/18/2017] [Indexed: 01/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal societies are often structurally complex. How individuals are positioned within the wider social network (i.e. their indirect social connections) has been shown to be repeatable, heritable and related to key life-history variables. Yet, there remains a general lack of understanding surrounding how complex network positions arise, whether they indicate active multifaceted social decisions by individuals, and how natural selection could act on this variation. We use simulations to assess how variation in simple social association rules between individuals can determine their positions within emerging social networks. Our results show that metrics of individuals' indirect connections can be more strongly related to underlying simple social differences than metrics of their dyadic connections. External influences causing network noise (typical of animal social networks) generally inflated these differences. The findings demonstrate that relationships between complex network positions and other behaviours or fitness components do not provide sufficient evidence for the presence, or importance, of complex social behaviours, even if direct network metrics provide less explanatory power than indirect ones. Interestingly however, a plausible and straightforward heritable basis for complex network positions can arise from simple social differences, which in turn creates potential for selection to act on indirect connections.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK .,Merton College, Merton Street, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 4JD
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Lauren J N Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, School of Psychology, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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33
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Firth J, Stubbs B, Vancampfort D, Firth JA, Large M, Rosenbaum S, Hallgren M, Ward PB, Sarris J, Yung AR. Grip Strength Is Associated With Cognitive Performance in Schizophrenia and the General Population: A UK Biobank Study of 476559 Participants. Schizophr Bull 2018; 44:728-736. [PMID: 29684174 PMCID: PMC6007683 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sby034] [Citation(s) in RCA: 53] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/19/2022]
Abstract
Background Handgrip strength may provide an easily-administered marker of cognitive functional status. However, further population-scale research examining relationships between grip strength and cognitive performance across multiple domains is needed. Additionally, relationships between grip strength and cognitive functioning in people with schizophrenia, who frequently experience cognitive deficits, has yet to be explored. Methods Baseline data from the UK Biobank (2007-2010) was analyzed; including 475397 individuals from the general population, and 1162 individuals with schizophrenia. Linear mixed models and generalized linear mixed models were used to assess the relationship between grip strength and 5 cognitive domains (visual memory, reaction time, reasoning, prospective memory, and number memory), controlling for age, gender, bodyweight, education, and geographical region. Results In the general population, maximal grip strength was positively and significantly related to visual memory (coefficient [coeff] = -0.1601, standard error [SE] = 0.003), reaction time (coeff = -0.0346, SE = 0.0004), reasoning (coeff = 0.2304, SE = 0.0079), number memory (coeff = 0.1616, SE = 0.0092), and prospective memory (coeff = 0.3486, SE = 0.0092: all P < .001). In the schizophrenia sample, grip strength was strongly related to visual memory (coeff = -0.155, SE = 0.042, P < .001) and reaction time (coeff = -0.049, SE = 0.009, P < .001), while prospective memory approached statistical significance (coeff = 0.233, SE = 0.132, P = .078), and no statistically significant association was found with number memory and reasoning (P > .1). Conclusions Grip strength is significantly associated with cognitive functioning in the general population and individuals with schizophrenia, particularly for working memory and processing speed. Future research should establish directionality, examine if grip strength also predicts functional and physical health outcomes in schizophrenia, and determine whether interventions which improve muscular strength impact on cognitive and real-world functioning.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Firth
- NICM Health Research Institute, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Brendon Stubbs
- Physiotherapy Department, South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trust, London, UK
- Department of Psychological Medicine, Institute of Psychiatry, Psychology and Neuroscience, King’s College London, London, UK
| | - Davy Vancampfort
- KU Leuven Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, Leuven, Belgium
- UPC KU Leuven, Kortenberg, Belgium
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
- Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Matthew Large
- The Prince of Wales Hospitals, Randwick, Australia
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
| | - Simon Rosenbaum
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Black Dog Institute, Randwick, Australia
| | - Mats Hallgren
- Department of Public Health Sciences, Karolinksa Institute, Stockholm, Sweden
| | - Philip B Ward
- School of Psychiatry, University of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia
- Schizophrenia Research Unit, Ingham Institute of Applied Medical Research, Liverpool, Australia
| | - Jerome Sarris
- NICM Health Research Institute, School of Science and Health, University of Western Sydney, Sydney, Australia
- Department of Psychiatry, University of Melbourne, The Melbourne Clinic, Melbourne, Australia
| | - Alison R Yung
- Division of Psychology and Mental Health, Faculty of Biology, Medicine and Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
- Greater Manchester Mental Health Foundation Trust, Manchester, UK
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Bosse M, Spurgin LG, Laine VN, Cole EF, Firth JA, Gienapp P, Gosler AG, McMahon K, Poissant J, Verhagen I, Groenen MAM, van Oers K, Sheldon BC, Visser ME, Slate J. Recent natural selection causes adaptive evolution of an avian polygenic trait. Science 2018; 358:365-368. [PMID: 29051380 DOI: 10.1126/science.aal3298] [Citation(s) in RCA: 109] [Impact Index Per Article: 18.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/02/2016] [Revised: 05/19/2017] [Accepted: 09/12/2017] [Indexed: 12/29/2022]
Abstract
We used extensive data from a long-term study of great tits (Parus major) in the United Kingdom and Netherlands to better understand how genetic signatures of selection translate into variation in fitness and phenotypes. We found that genomic regions under differential selection contained candidate genes for bill morphology and used genetic architecture analyses to confirm that these genes, especially the collagen gene COL4A5, explained variation in bill length. COL4A5 variation was associated with reproductive success, which, combined with spatiotemporal patterns of bill length, suggested ongoing selection for longer bills in the United Kingdom. Last, bill length and COL4A5 variation were associated with usage of feeders, suggesting that longer bills may have evolved in the United Kingdom as a response to supplementary feeding.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mirte Bosse
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands.,Wageningen University and Research-Animal Breeding and Genomics, Netherlands
| | - Lewis G Spurgin
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK.,School of Biological Sciences, University of East Anglia, Norwich Research Park, UK
| | - Veronika N Laine
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Ella F Cole
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Phillip Gienapp
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Andrew G Gosler
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Keith McMahon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Jocelyn Poissant
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK.,Centre for Ecology and Conservation, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Irene Verhagen
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Martien A M Groenen
- Wageningen University and Research-Animal Breeding and Genomics, Netherlands
| | - Kees van Oers
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, UK
| | - Marcel E Visser
- Department of Animal Ecology, Netherlands Institute of Ecology (NIOO-KNAW), Wageningen, Netherlands.,Wageningen University and Research-Animal Breeding and Genomics, Netherlands
| | - Jon Slate
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, UK.
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Firth JA, Sheldon BC, Farine DR. Pathways of information transmission among wild songbirds follow experimentally imposed changes in social foraging structure. Biol Lett 2017; 12:rsbl.2016.0144. [PMID: 27247439 PMCID: PMC4938043 DOI: 10.1098/rsbl.2016.0144] [Citation(s) in RCA: 41] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.9] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/18/2016] [Accepted: 04/29/2016] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Animals regularly use information from others to shape their decisions. Yet, determining how changes in social structure affect information flow and social learning strategies has remained challenging. We manipulated the social structure of a large community of wild songbirds by controlling which individuals could feed together at automated feeding stations (selective feeders). We then provided novel ephemeral food patches freely accessible to all birds and recorded the spread of this new information. We demonstrate that the discovery of new food patches followed the experimentally imposed social structure and that birds disproportionately learnt from those whom they could forage with at the selective feeders. The selective feeders reduced the number of conspecific information sources available and birds subsequently increased their use of information provided by heterospecifics. Our study demonstrates that changes to social systems carry over into pathways of information transfer and that individuals learn from tutors that provide relevant information in other contexts.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Damien R Farine
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, 78457 Konstanz, Germany Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, 78457 Konstanz, Germany
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Abstract
Animal personalities can influence social interactions among individuals, and thus have major implications for population processes and structure. Few studies have investigated the significance of the social context of animal personalities, and such research has largely focused on the social organization of nonterritorial populations. Here we address the question of whether exploratory behaviour, a well-studied personality trait, is related to the social structure of a wild great tit, Parus major, population during the breeding season. We assayed the exploration behaviour of wild-caught great tits and then established the phenotypic spatial structure of the population over six consecutive breeding seasons. Network analyses of breeding proximity revealed that males, but not females, show positive assortment by behavioural phenotype, with males breeding closer to those of similar personalities. This assortment was detected when we used networks based on nearest neighbours, but not when we used the Thiessen polygon method where neighbours were defined from inferred territory boundaries. Further analysis found no relationship between personality assortment and local environmental conditions, suggesting that social processes may be more important than environmental variation in influencing male territory choice. This social organization during the breeding season has implications for the strength and direction of both natural and sexual selection on personality in wild animal populations. We assess whether a great tit breeding population is structured by personality. Network analyses were conducted on a 6-year data set from this wild bird population. Males show positive assortment, nesting nearer to similar personalities (bold/shy). This assortment was not found to be related to local environmental variation. We discuss implications for natural and sexual selection on personality in the wild.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katerina V-A Johnson
- University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford, U.K.,University of Oxford, Department of Experimental Psychology, Oxford, U.K
| | - Lucy M Aplin
- University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford, U.K
| | - Ella F Cole
- University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford, U.K
| | - Damien R Farine
- University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford, U.K.,University of Konstanz, Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute for Ornithology, Konstanz, Germany
| | - Josh A Firth
- University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford, U.K
| | - Samantha C Patrick
- University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford, U.K.,University of Liverpool, Department of Earth, Ocean & Ecological Sciences, Liverpool, U.K
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- University of Oxford, Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, Oxford, U.K
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37
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Firth JA, Voelkl B, Crates RA, Aplin LM, Biro D, Croft DP, Sheldon BC. Wild birds respond to flockmate loss by increasing their social network associations to others. Proc Biol Sci 2017; 284:20170299. [PMID: 28515203 PMCID: PMC5443949 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2017.0299] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/13/2017] [Accepted: 04/24/2017] [Indexed: 12/02/2022] Open
Abstract
Understanding the consequences of losing individuals from wild populations is a current and pressing issue, yet how such loss influences the social behaviour of the remaining animals is largely unexplored. Through combining the automated tracking of winter flocks of over 500 wild great tits (Parus major) with removal experiments, we assessed how individuals' social network positions responded to the loss of their social associates. We found that the extent of flockmate loss that individuals experienced correlated positively with subsequent increases in the number of their social associations, the average strength of their bonds and their overall connectedness within the social network (defined as summed edge weights). Increased social connectivity was not driven by general disturbance or changes in foraging behaviour, but by modifications to fine-scale social network connections in response to losing their associates. Therefore, the reduction in social connectedness expected by individual loss may be mitigated by increases in social associations between remaining individuals. Given that these findings demonstrate rapid adjustment of social network associations in response to the loss of previous social ties, future research should examine the generality of the compensatory adjustment of social relations in ways that maintain the structure of social organization.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Bernhard Voelkl
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Animal Welfare Division, Vetsuisse Faculty, University Bern, Laenggassstrasse 120, 3012 Bern, CH, Switzerland
| | - Ross A Crates
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Fenner School, Australian National University, Canberra 2601, Australia
| | - Lucy M Aplin
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Dora Biro
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Darren P Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, College of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Exeter, Exeter EX4 4QG, UK
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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38
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Firth JA, Sheldon BC. Social carry-over effects underpin trans-seasonally linked structure in a wild bird population. Ecol Lett 2016; 19:1324-1332. [PMID: 27623746 PMCID: PMC5082527 DOI: 10.1111/ele.12669] [Citation(s) in RCA: 62] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/28/2016] [Revised: 07/20/2016] [Accepted: 08/03/2016] [Indexed: 01/17/2023]
Abstract
Spatial structure underpins numerous population processes by determining the environment individuals' experience and which other individuals they encounter. Yet, how the social landscape influences individuals' spatial decisions remains largely unexplored. Wild great tits (Parus major) form freely moving winter flocks, but choose a single location to establish a breeding territory over the spring. We demonstrate that individuals' winter social associations carry‐over into their subsequent spatial decisions, as individuals breed nearer to those they were most associated with during winter. Further, they also form territory boundaries with their closest winter associates, irrespective of breeding distance. These findings were consistent across years, and among all demographic classes, suggesting that such social carry‐over effects may be general. Thus, prior social structure can shape the spatial proximity, and fine‐scale arrangement, of breeding individuals. In this way, social networks can influence a wide range of processes linked to individuals' breeding locations, including other social interactions themselves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK.
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, OX1 3PS, UK
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39
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Firth J, Cotter J, Torous J, Bucci S, Firth JA, Yung AR. Mobile Phone Ownership and Endorsement of "mHealth" Among People With Psychosis: A Meta-analysis of Cross-sectional Studies. Schizophr Bull 2016; 42:448-55. [PMID: 26400871 PMCID: PMC4753601 DOI: 10.1093/schbul/sbv132] [Citation(s) in RCA: 227] [Impact Index Per Article: 28.4] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Submit a Manuscript] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022]
Abstract
There is currently growing interest in using mobile phones to support the treatment of psychotic disorders, such as schizophrenia. However, the widespread implementation of these interventions will ultimately depend upon patients' access to mobile devices and their willingness to engage with mobile health ("mHealth"). Thus, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess mobile phone ownership and interest in mHealth among patients with psychosis. An electronic search of Ovid MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, CENTRAL, AMED, Health Technology Assessment Database, and Health Management Information Consortium Database was conducted, using search terms synonymous with mobile phones and psychotic disorders. The initial literature search yielded 2572 results. Fifteen studies matched eligibility criteria, reporting data from 12 independent samples of psychiatric patients (n = 3227). Data pertaining to mobile phone ownership, usage, and opinions on mHealth among patients with psychotic disorders were extracted from these studies, and meta-analytic techniques were applied. The overall mobile phone ownership rate was 66.4% (95% CI = 54.1%-77.6%). However, we found strong statistical evidence that mobile phone ownership has been significantly increasing since 2007, and the rate among patients surveyed in the last 2 years was 81.4% (n = 454). Furthermore, in surveys of mHealth acceptability, the majority of patients responded in favor of using mobile phones to enhance contact with services and support self-management. Considering the increasing availability of mobile phones and the broad acceptability of mHealth among patients, there is now a need to develop and evaluate mHealth interventions to enhance healthcare services for people with psychosis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Joseph Firth
- Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK;
| | - Jack Cotter
- Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - John Torous
- Harvard Longwood Psychiatry Residency Training Program, Boston, MA;,Department of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center, Harvard Medical School, Boston, MA
| | - Sandra Bucci
- Centre for New Treatment and Understanding in Mental Health, School of Psychological Sciences, The University of Manchester, Manchester, UK
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Alison R. Yung
- Institute of Brain, Behaviour and Mental Health, University of Manchester, Manchester, UK;,Psychosis Research Unit, Greater Manchester West NHS Mental Health Trust, Manchester, UK;,Orygen Youth Health Research Centre, University of Melbourne, Melbourne, Australia
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40
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Firth JA, Hadfield JD, Santure AW, Slate J, Sheldon BC. The influence of nonrandom extra-pair paternity on heritability estimates derived from wild pedigrees. Evolution 2015; 69:1336-44. [PMID: 25800997 PMCID: PMC4950017 DOI: 10.1111/evo.12649] [Citation(s) in RCA: 37] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2014] [Accepted: 03/16/2015] [Indexed: 01/06/2023]
Abstract
Quantitative genetic analysis is often fundamental for understanding evolutionary processes in wild populations. Avian populations provide a model system due to the relative ease of inferring relatedness among individuals through observation. However, extra-pair paternity (EPP) creates erroneous links within the social pedigree. Previous work has suggested this causes minor underestimation of heritability if paternal misassignment is random and hence not influenced by the trait being studied. Nevertheless, much literature suggests numerous traits are associated with EPP and the accuracy of heritability estimates for such traits remains unexplored. We show analytically how nonrandom pedigree errors can influence heritability estimates. Then, combining empirical data from a large great tit (Parus major) pedigree with simulations, we assess how heritability estimates derived from social pedigrees change depending on the mode of the relationship between EPP and the focal trait. We show that the magnitude of the underestimation is typically small (<15%). Hence, our analyses suggest that quantitative genetic inference from pedigrees derived from observations of social relationships is relatively robust; our approach also provides a widely applicable method for assessing the consequences of nonrandom EPP.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom.
| | - Jarrod D Hadfield
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, United Kingdom
| | - Anna W Santure
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Auckland, Auckland, New Zealand
| | - Jon Slate
- Department of Animal and Plant Sciences, University of Sheffield, Sheffield, United Kingdom
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford, United Kingdom
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41
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Farine DR, Firth JA, Aplin LM, Crates RA, Culina A, Garroway CJ, Hinde CA, Kidd LR, Milligan ND, Psorakis I, Radersma R, Verhelst B, Voelkl B, Sheldon BC. The role of social and ecological processes in structuring animal populations: a case study from automated tracking of wild birds. R Soc Open Sci 2015; 2:150057. [PMID: 26064644 PMCID: PMC4448873 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.150057] [Citation(s) in RCA: 64] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.1] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/02/2015] [Accepted: 03/23/2015] [Indexed: 06/01/2023]
Abstract
Both social and ecological factors influence population process and structure, with resultant consequences for phenotypic selection on individuals. Understanding the scale and relative contribution of these two factors is thus a central aim in evolutionary ecology. In this study, we develop a framework using null models to identify the social and spatial patterns that contribute to phenotypic structure in a wild population of songbirds. We used automated technologies to track 1053 individuals that formed 73 737 groups from which we inferred a social network. Our framework identified that both social and spatial drivers contributed to assortment in the network. In particular, groups had a more even sex ratio than expected and exhibited a consistent age structure that suggested local association preferences, such as preferential attachment or avoidance. By contrast, recent immigrants were spatially partitioned from locally born individuals, suggesting differential dispersal strategies by phenotype. Our results highlight how different scales of social decision-making, ranging from post-natal dispersal settlement to fission-fusion dynamics, can interact to drive phenotypic structure in animal populations.
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Affiliation(s)
- Damien R. Farine
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Department of Anthropology (Evolution Wing), University of California, Davis, CA 95616, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Ancon, Panama
| | - Josh A. Firth
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Lucy M. Aplin
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Research School of Biology, Australian National University, Acton 0200, Australia
| | - Ross A. Crates
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Antica Culina
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Colin J. Garroway
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Camilla A. Hinde
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Behavioural Ecology Group, Department of Animal Sciences, Wageningen University, Wageningen, The Netherlands
| | - Lindall R. Kidd
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Nicole D. Milligan
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Ioannis Psorakis
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
- Pattern Analysis and Machine Learning Research Group, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
| | - Reinder Radersma
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Brecht Verhelst
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Bernhard Voelkl
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Ben C. Sheldon
- Edward Grey Institute of Field Ornithology, Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, South Parks Road, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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42
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Psorakis I, Voelkl B, Garroway CJ, Radersma R, Aplin LM, Crates RA, Culina A, Farine DR, Firth JA, Hinde CA, Kidd LR, Milligan ND, Roberts SJ, Verhelst B, Sheldon BC. Inferring social structure from temporal data. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2015. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-015-1906-0] [Citation(s) in RCA: 70] [Impact Index Per Article: 7.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
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43
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Firth JA, Sheldon BC. Experimental manipulation of avian social structure reveals segregation is carried over across contexts. Proc Biol Sci 2015; 282:20142350. [PMID: 25652839 PMCID: PMC4344146 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2014.2350] [Citation(s) in RCA: 47] [Impact Index Per Article: 5.2] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2014] [Accepted: 01/09/2015] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Our current understanding of animal social networks is largely based on observations or experiments that do not directly manipulate associations between individuals. Consequently, evidence relating to the causal processes underlying such networks is limited. By imposing specified rules controlling individual access to feeding stations, we directly manipulated the foraging social network of a wild bird community, thus demonstrating how external factors can shape social structure. We show that experimentally imposed constraints were carried over into patterns of association at unrestricted, ephemeral food patches, as well as at nesting sites during breeding territory prospecting. Hence, different social contexts can be causally linked, and constraints at one level may have consequences that extend into other aspects of sociality. Finally, the imposed assortment was lost following the cessation of the experimental manipulation, indicating the potential for previously perturbed social networks of wild animals to recover from segregation driven by external constraints.
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Affiliation(s)
- Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
| | - Ben C Sheldon
- Department of Zoology, Edward Grey Institute, University of Oxford, Oxford OX1 3PS, UK
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44
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Dye JF, Vause S, Johnston T, Clark P, Firth JA, D'Souza SW, Sibley CP, Glazier JD. Characterization of cationic amino acid transporters and expression of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in human placental microvascular endothelial cells. FASEB J 2003; 18:125-7. [PMID: 14597568 DOI: 10.1096/fj.02-0916fje] [Citation(s) in RCA: 43] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/11/2022]
Abstract
We investigated the expression and activity of arginine transporters and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in human placental microvascular endothelial cells (HPMEC). Using RT-PCR amplification products for eNOS, CAT1, CAT2A, CAT2B, CAT4, 4F2hc (CD98), rBAT and the light chains y+LAT1, y+LAT2, and b0+T1 were detected in HPMEC, but not B0+. Immunohistochemistry and Western blotting confirmed the presence of 4F2hc and CAT1 protein in HPMEC. 4F2hc-light chain dimers were indicated by a shift in molecular mass detected under nonreducing conditions. L-Arginine transport into HPMEC was independent of Na+ or Cl- and was inhibited by the neutral amino acid glutamine, but not by cystine. The Ki for glutamine inhibition was greater in the absence of Na+. Kinetic analysis supported a two-transporter model attributed to system y+L and system y+. Expression of eNOS in HPMEC was detectable by immunohistochemistry and ELISA but not by Western blotting. Activity of eNOS in HPMEC, measured over 48 h, either as the basal production of nitric oxide (NO) or as the accumulation of intracellular cGMP was not detectable. We conclude that HPMEC transport cationic amino acids by systems y+ and y+L and that basal eNOS expression and activity in these cells is low.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F Dye
- Leukocyte Biology, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Imperial College School of Medicine, London SW7 2AZ
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45
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Abstract
The anatomical counterpart of the physiologically defined small pore system of capillary endothelia has proved difficult to establish. In non-brain continuous capillaries, the contributions of caveolar and transmembrane pathways are likely to be small and paracellular clefts are probably the dominant routes. Analogy with epithelial paracellular pathways suggests that tight junctions may be the most restrictive elements. However, structural features of tight junction-based models are incompatible with physiological data; it is more likely that the tight junction acts as a shutter limiting the available cleft area. Proposed molecular sieves elsewhere in the paracellular pathway include the glycocalyx and the cadherin-based complexes of the adherens junctions. The molecular architecture of tight junctions and adherens junctions is moderately well defined in terms of molecular species, and there are differences at both sites between the endothelial and epithelial spectra of protein expression. However, definition of the size-restricting pore remains elusive and may require structural biology approaches to the spatial arrangements and interactions of the membrane molecular complexes surrounding the endothelial paracellular clefts.
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Affiliation(s)
- J A Firth
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Faculty of Medicine, Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine, London, UK.
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46
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Dye JF, Leach L, Clark P, Firth JA. Cyclic AMP and acidic fibroblast growth factor have opposing effects on tight and adherens junctions in microvascular endothelial cells in vitro. Microvasc Res 2001; 62:94-113. [PMID: 11516239 DOI: 10.1006/mvre.2001.2333] [Citation(s) in RCA: 40] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/13/2022]
Abstract
Endothelial adherens junctions (AJ) and tight junctions (TJ) are important determinants of vascular permeability and cell morphology. Here, we investigate their regulation, in primary human placental microvascular endothelial cell (HPMEC) cultures, by either aFGF plus heparin (ECGS) or elevated cAMP. The proliferation of HPMEC was weakly stimulated by ECGS, while cAMP was inhibitory. ECGS had little effect on transendothelial resistance (TER), but increased macromolecular permeability, whereas cAMP induced a twofold increase in TER and reduced macromolecular permeability. Ultrastructurally, ECGS-treated HPMEC exhibited an "activated" phenotype typified by proliferating cells, with poorly organized cell-cell junctions, whereas cAMP-treated cells appeared quiescent and markedly flattened with extended paracellular junctions, resembling endothelium in situ. The expression and localization of junctional molecules, F-actin, and junctional phosphotyrosine were examined by confocal microscopy and immunoblotting. Junctional molecules in ECGS-treated cells were less organized at lateral membranes than in control cells, whereas in cAMP-treated cells, they were highly localized at continuous contacts. These differences correlated with the intensity of junctional phosphotyrosine, being lowest with cAMP treatment. In the AJ of ECGS-treated and control cells, beta-catenin predominated but in cAMP-treated cells, gamma-catenin/plakoglobin was enriched. In addition, cAMP upregulated junctional expression of VE-cadherin and PECAM-1 and increased the levels of the TJ molecules occludin and ZO-1. The expression levels of junctional components, and their tyrosine phosphorylation, play an important role in dynamic regulation of endothelial cell-cell junctions.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F Dye
- Division of Biomedical Sciences, Imperial College School of Medicine, South Kensington, SW7 2AZ, UK
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47
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Abstract
The placental endothelium contributes to regulating transplacental exchange and maintaining the immunological maternofetal barrier. We characterized the endothelial phenotype in human normal term placentae with a panel of antibodies to endothelial antigens using a standardized immunofluorescence method. Placental endothelium strongly expressed vWF, PAL-E, H-antigen, thrombomodulin, PECAM-1, CD34, CD36, ICAM-1, CD44, thy-1, A10/33-1, VE-cadherin, caveolin-1 and HLA-G, whereas occludin, claudin-1, eNOS, angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), ICAM-2, endoglin and integrin-alphathetabeta(3)were weakly expressed. PGI(2)synthase, tissue factor, E-selectin and VCAM-1 were not detected. Some antigens were heterogenously expressed along the vascular tree or within individual villi. Expression of ACE, eNOS, vWF, P-selectin, E-selectin, integrin alpha(v)beta(3)and endoglin was stronger in the maternal decidual vessels, while PECAM-1, CD44, thy-1 and caveolin-1 expression was stronger in fetal vessels. Some endothelial markers were present in trophoblasts and stroma. Endothelial proliferation was apparent in mature intermediate and terminal villi. There was limited inflammatory response to TNFalpha in explants, characterized by upregulation of vWF, P-selectin, PECAM-1 and CD44, downregulation of thrombomodulin, but no increase in ICAM-1 expression, nor induction of E-selectin, VCAM-1 or tissue factor. These patterns of heterogeneity, proliferative activity and inflammatory activation may underlie the specific physiological roles of the placental endothelium.
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Affiliation(s)
- J F Dye
- Leukocyte Biology, Division of Biomedical Sciences, Sir Alexander Fleming Building, Imperial College School of Medicine, South Kensington, London SW7 2AZ, UK.
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48
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Abstract
There is evidence that the endothelial cell (EC) glycocalyx is a significant determinant of vascular permeability, acting as a charge-size filter to permeant molecules. We have therefore examined its oligosaccharide composition in 3 classes of microvessel with differing permeabilities. EC in rat brain, retina and myocardium were labelled with a panel of lectins and subjected to a semiquantitative analysis. Surprisingly, no substantial differences were evident for any lectin labelling between the 3 microvessel types despite their marked morphophysiological diversity. In particular, all showed substantial sialic acid expression, with Maackia amurensis (MAA) labelling sialic acid in an alpha2-3 linkage to beta-galactose and Sambucus nigra (SNA) recognising sialic acid in an alpha2-6 linkage to beta-galactose. Arachis hypogaea (PNA) binding after neuraminidase digestion indicated the presence of Gal beta1-3GalNAc attached to terminal sialic acid. The results therefore show that the sequences NeuNAc alpha2-3Gal beta1-3GalNAc and NeuNAc alpha2-6Gal beta1-3GalNAc are strongly expressed in the 3 microvessel types irrespective of their permeability properties. This homogeneity suggests that these lectin ligands may be involved in a common set of EC functions, e.g. cell:cell and cell:matrix interactions. However, we cannot rule out the possibility that glycocalyx differences may exist between vessels in the paracellular cleft which may alter its filtration properties.
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Affiliation(s)
- J G Lawrenson
- Reta Lila Weston Institiute of Neurological Studies, University College London, UK.
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49
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Cassella JP, Lawrenson JG, Firth JA. Development of endothelial paracellular clefts and their tight junctions in the pial microvessels of the rat. J Neurocytol 1997; 26:567-75. [PMID: 9350808 DOI: 10.1023/a:1015438624949] [Citation(s) in RCA: 22] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.8] [Reference Citation Analysis] [What about the content of this article? (0)] [Affiliation(s)] [Abstract] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/05/2023]
Abstract
The microvessels of the pia mater lack an investment with astrocyte processes but nonetheless have a high transendothelial electrical resistance which has caused them to be regarded as part of the blood-brain barrier. This high resistance is known to be acquired in the perinatal period. The aim of our study was to relate the known physiological changes with differentiation of the endothelial paracellular clefts and especially of their tight junctions which provide the basis for the high transendothelial resistance of blood-brain barrier vessels. Tight junctions of endothelial cell paracellular clefts in pial microvessels were examined by transmission electron microscopy using goniometric tilting to reveal and measure membrane separations at tight junctions in fetal, postnatal and adult rats. These tight junctional membrane separations narrowed over the period (E16: 6.3 nm, D1: 6.4 nm, D7: 5.4 nm) and differentiated into two groups by the adult stage: one with a membrane separation of 2.8 nm and the staining characteristics of non-brain endothelial junctions, and the other with no detectable membrane separation and the staining characteristics of blood-brain barrier endothelial junctions. This patchy and incomplete differentiation of pial tight junctions into a blood-brain barrier-like form could result either from non-uniform exposure to inductive signals or to local variation in responsiveness to such agents. Although these changes in junction organization may be related to the known increase in pial transendothelial resistance in the perinatal period, we have not yet identified any sharply defined structural change which coincides with this physiological event.
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Affiliation(s)
- J P Cassella
- Department of Anatomy and Cell Biology, Imperial College School of Medicine, St. Mary's Hospital, London, UK
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50
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Abstract
Endothelial paracellular junctions are important structures for the regulation of vascular permeability, junctional organisation being systematically related to the functional properties of the endothelium. Electron microscopic studies, immunocytochemistry, and single-passage permeability measurements have established that the placental microvessels resemble the fairly tight continuous microvessels of skeletal muscle both in structure and permeability. The endothelial paracellular clefts of these microvessels contain two distinct junctional entities which may influence permeability: the tight junction and the adherens junction. These clefts impose a substantial restriction to molecules above RMM 1000 Da and large haemproteins cannot cross the clefts. The 18 nm-wide zones of the clefts possess the transmembrane adhesion molecules PECAM-1 and VE-cadherin, which have been implicated in junctional assembly and permeability. Inflammatory mediators such as histamine and tumour necrosis factor cause a redistribution of these adhesion molecules to non-junctional regions, and histamine (100 microM) causes a rapid and sustained rise in extraction of radio-labeled tracers. Electron microscopy has also revealed possible first indications of tight junctional disassembly. Both the endothelia of larger placental vessels and isolated placental microvascular endothelial cells express cadherins and PECAM-1 and contain an extensive F-actin cytoskeleton, which is implicated in changes of cell shape and junctional assembly/disassembly. Thus, the human placental endothelium, using perfusion techniques and in vitro experiments, offers a valuable model for vascular permeability studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- L Leach
- Department of Human Anatomy & Cell Biology, Medical School, University of Nottingham, Queens Medical Centre, United Kingdom
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