Multi-level societies: different tasks at different social levels

Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 380(1922)

Опубликована: Март 20, 2025

Multi-level vertebrate societies, characterized by nested social units, allow individuals to perform a wide range of tasks in cooperation with others beyond their core unit. In these can selectively interact specific partners from higher levels cooperatively distinct tasks. Alternatively, units the same level merge form higher-level associations, enabling benefit large without always maintaining The reasons why multi-level sociality evolves some systems but not are well understood. We propose that this is partly due lack data, especially regarding fitness consequences at different levels. First, we argue societies individual benefits should increase when performing associates Second, as more documented across taxa, will continue find similar cooperative performed each By providing compelling species examples, dolphins fairy-wrens, underscore despite diversity organization, convergence task performance become clearer data accumulates. Finally, highlight role buffering fluctuating environmental conditions flexible associations emerge according need. This article part theme issue ‘Division labour key driver evolution’.

Язык: Английский

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Estimating Cognitive Ability in the Wild: Validation of a Detour Test Paradigm Using a Cichlid Fish (Neolamprologus pulcher)

Fishes, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 9(2), С. 50 - 50

Опубликована: Янв. 27, 2024

Cognitive abilities vary within and among species, several hypotheses have been proposed to explain this variation. Two of the most prominent regarding evolution cognition link increased social habitat complexity with advanced cognitive abilities. Several studies tested predictions derived from these two hypotheses, but were rarely conducted under natural conditions wild animals. However, is particular importance if we aim fitness-relevant factors better understand cognition. The biggest hurdle assessing in find a suitable setup that easy use field conditions. Here, set out evaluate an extremely simple test ability for broad range aquatic animals their habitat. We did so by developing detour paradigm which fish had clear obstacle reach food reward. By altering difficulty task, confirmed valid groups Lake Tanganyika cichlid, Neolamprologus pulcher. Subsequently, probed specific major using difficult configuration. Specifically, variation different sizes occupying habitats varying complexity. mixed support both hope our work inspires future investigations on cichlids.

Язык: Английский

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Nepotism mediates enforced cooperation in asymmetric negotiations

iScience, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 27(7), С. 110334 - 110334

Опубликована: Июнь 20, 2024

In cooperative societies, group members typically exchange different commodities among each other, which involves an incessant negotiation process. How is the conflict of fitness interests resolved in this continual bargaining process between unequal partners, so that maintaining interaction best option for all parties involved? Theory predicts relatedness may alleviate interests, thereby promoting evolution cooperation. To evaluate relative importance and direct effects process, we experimentally manipulated both mutual behavioral responses dominant breeders subordinate helpers cooperatively breeding cichlid fish

Язык: Английский

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Early social complexity influences social behaviour but not social trajectories in a cooperatively breeding cichlid fish

Royal Society Open Science, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 11(3)

Опубликована: Март 1, 2024

Social competence-defined as the ability to optimize social behaviour according available information-can be influenced by environment experienced in early life. In cooperatively breeding vertebrates, current group size influences behavioural phenotypes, but it is not known whether life phenotypes generally or competence specifically. We tested being reared large versus small groups for first two months of affects behaviours, and associated life-history traits, cichlid

Язык: Английский

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Submissive behavior is affected by territory structure in a social fish

Current Zoology, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 70(6), С. 803 - 809

Опубликована: Март 30, 2024

Abstract Group living may engender conflict over food, reproduction, or other resources and individuals must be able to manage for social groups persist. Submission signals are an adaptation establishing maintaining hierarchy position, allowing a subordinate individual avoid protracted costly aggressive interactions with dominant individuals. In the daffodil cichlid fish (Neolamprologus pulcher), subordinates use submission resolve conflicts maintain their status within group. The complexity of physical environment affect value compared fleeing avoidance, which require certain features such as shelters effective. We investigated how ecological context affected expression in cichlids by examining behavior under different arrangements territories. altered number provided between each shelter condition scoring cooperative behaviors group members. found that members were modulated environment: displayed fewer more structurally complex environments dominants when present. Our results help elucidate role modulation group-living animals have implications welfare captively housed groups.

Язык: Английский

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Dominance and aggressiveness are associated with vasotocin neuron numbers in a cooperatively breeding cichlid fish

Hormones and Behavior, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 168, С. 105677 - 105677

Опубликована: Янв. 20, 2025

Within dominance hierarchies, individuals must interact in a rank-appropriate manner, thus behavior and its underlying neural mechanisms change with social status. One such potential mechanism is arginine vasotocin (AVT), nonapeptide which has been implicated the regulation of aggression across vertebrate taxa. We investigated relationship between status, dominance-related behaviors, neuron counts daffodil cichlids (Neolamprologus pulcher). Daffodil live stable, mixed-sex, cooperatively breeding groups that are organised into linear hierarchies. Group members both sexes exhibit complex behavioral repertoires differ depending on their current recorded agonistic behaviors within correlated these number AVT cells three distinct neuronal populations preoptic area brain, comparing status sex. found parvocellular neurons were more abundant dominant than subordinates. also numbers magnocellular positively associated individuals. unrelated to submissive subordinate fish. Our data emphasise role modulating vertebrates.

Язык: Английский

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Female‐biased spontaneous dispersal in Drosophila melanogaster and sex‐specific effect of nutrition and density therein

Oikos, Год журнала: 2025, Номер unknown

Опубликована: Фев. 27, 2025

Dispersal is often essential for attaining Darwinian fitness, especially species living in spatially structured, heterogeneous habitats. Theoretically, sex‐specific resource requirement can drive the two sexes to disperse differently, resulting sex‐biased dispersal (SBD). Understanding ecological factors affecting SBD important. Using an experimental two‐patch setup, we measured spontaneous laboratory‐adapted populations of Drosophila melanogaster under a set common, interlinked scenarios relating – (a) dietary ecology and (b) adult density. We found that deteriorating overall nutritional quality food affects strength SBD, female particularly sensitive availability protein. Adult density had effect on dispersal. Female was be density‐independent, but males showed increased at higher densities. Females tend more from male‐biased patches, likely avoid male harassment, whereas absence females drives dispersal, solidifying mate‐finding hypothesis. This evidence suggests variation intraspecific competition affect degree existing thereby influencing male–female interactions patch, potentially fitness components population dynamics.

Язык: Английский

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Female philopatry may influence antipredatory behavior in a solitary mammal

PeerJ, Год журнала: 2025, Номер 13, С. e18933 - e18933

Опубликована: Март 20, 2025

Whether neighboring individuals are related or not has a number of important ecological & evolutionary ramifications. Kin selection resulting from philopatry can play an role in social and antipredatory behavior. Ground squirrels exhibit alarm vocalizations the presence predators; however, degree to which kin shapes calling behavior varies with species ecology relatedness between neighbors. We studied solitary ground squirrel that exhibits sex-biased propensity determine if female may be responsible for sex differences observed our population. used double digest restriction-site associated DNA sequencing (ddRADseq) sample genomes Harris’s antelope ( Ammospermophilus harrisii ) test whether genetic geographic distance were correlated. found had positive relationship distance, this was sex-dependent, suggesting male-biased dispersal. Our results provide supporting evidence higher squirrels, potentially influencing via selection. findings add growing body is driver sociospatial organization species.

Язык: Английский

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Stress axis programming generates long-term effects on cognitive abilities in a cooperative breeder

Proceedings of the Royal Society B Biological Sciences, Год журнала: 2022, Номер 289(1975)

Опубликована: Май 18, 2022

The ability to flexibly adjust behaviour social and non-social challenges is important for successfully navigating variable environments. Social competence, i.e. adaptive behavioural flexibility in the domain, allows individuals optimize their expression of behaviour. Behavioural outside domain aids coping with ecological challenges. However, it unknown if share common underlying cognitive mechanisms. Support such shared mechanism would be provided same neural mechanisms brain affected similarly. We used cooperatively breeding fish

Язык: Английский

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Executive functions and brain morphology of male and female dominant and subordinate cichlid fish

Brain and Behavior, Год журнала: 2024, Номер 14(5)

Опубликована: Апрель 29, 2024

Abstract Background Living in a social dominance hierarchy presents different benefits and challenges for dominant subordinate males females, which might turn affect their cognitive needs. Despite the extensive research on group‐living species, there is still knowledge gap regarding how status impacts brain morphology abilities. Methods Here, we tested male female dominants subordinates of Neolamprologus pulcher , cichlid fish species with size‐based hierarchy. We ran three executive function tests flexibility (reversal learning test), self‐control (detour working memory (object permanence followed by region size measurements. Results Performance was not influenced or sex. However, exhibited brain–body slope that relatively steeper than subordinates. Furthermore, individual performance reversal detour correlated morphology, some trade‐offs among major regions like telencephalon, cerebellum, optic tectum. Conclusion As individuals’ growth strategies varied depending without affecting functions, associated yield potential effect cognition instead. Overall, findings highlight importance studying just to understand better individual's ecology shape its cognition.

Язык: Английский

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