An evolutionary framework for studying mechanisms of social behavior

Abstract

Social interactions are central to most animals and have a fundamental impact upon the phenotype of an individual. Social behavior (social interactions among conspecifics) represents a central challenge to the integration of the functional and mechanistic bases of complex behavior. Traditionally, studies of proximate and ultimate elements of social behavior have been conducted by distinct groups of researchers, with little communication across perceived disciplinary boundaries. However, recent technological advances, coupled with increased recognition of the substantial variation in mechanisms underlying social interactions, should compel investigators from divergent disciplines to pursue more integrative analyses of social behavior. We propose an integrative conceptual framework intended to guide researchers towards a comprehensive understanding of the evolution and maintenance of mechanisms governing variation in sociality.The study of social behavior in the 21st century All animals interact with conspecifics at some point in their lives. Members of the same species tend to be each other's fiercest competitors and strongest allies, as evidenced by the intense cooperation and conflict that characterize many intraspecific interactions [1]. These interactions are the products of genetic, epigenetic, endocrine, and neural mechanisms that -in conjunction with environmental conditions -affect Darwinian fitness and evolve via natural selection. Building upon Aristotle's four questions, Tinbergen [2] posited that understanding behavior requires the integration of studies of mechanism and function. Only by asking questions both from a proximate perspective (i.e., focusing on causation and development) and an ultimate perspective (i.e., focusing on adaptive value and evolutionary descent) can behavior be fully understood. Social behavior in particular lends itself to such an integrative approach not only because it commands the attention of many disciplines [3] but also because even many behaviors commonly considered nonsocial often occur in a social context (e.g., mating, fighting, parental care). Social behavior is also special because the selective agents are other members of the same species, and this results in intriguing evolutionary dynamics. Nevertheless, in the intervening decades since Tinbergen's

Indirect genetic effects in behavioral ecology: does behavior play a special role in evolution?

“…The role of the social environment in shaping behavior has been a dominant theme in behavioral ecology studies, and there is a growing interest in incorporating mechanisms into such studies (Hoffman et al 2014), including IGEs. The question is whether considering a given behavior as susceptible to genes expressed in social partners lends insight to our understanding of the forces that cause that behavior.…”

The Repeated Evolution of Behavior

“…Furthermore, there is a presumable multitude of other repeated behavioral evolution instances that we have not included here due to a current lack of knowledge regarding phylogenetic relationships and behavioral definitions. Notable in this list is the perceived repeated evolution of complex social behaviors across animals, especially in relation to the structures and strategies of parental care (Hofmann et al, 2014). Future work resolving the phylogenetic, molecular, and phenotypic bases of complex behaviors such as these will be illuminating and will aid in identifying the extent to which behavioral homologies may exist across taxa.…”

Evolution of bower building in Lake Malawi cichlid fish: phylogeny, morphology, and behavior

“…Understanding the evolution of social behavior requires integration across diverse disciplines and methods (Tinbergen, 1963;Robinson et al, 2008;O'Connell and Hofmann, 2011;Hofmann et al, 2014) to identify and understand the proximate and ultimate mechanisms responsible. Given increased availability of data sets that include diverse species, several groups have used multidisciplinary methods to identify traits that regulate social behavior among several taxa (Goodson, 2005;Pollen et al, 2007;Lefebvre and Sol, 2008).…”