Behavioural change during dispersal and its relationship to survival and reproduction in a cooperative breeder

Harrison, Natasha D.; Maag, Nino; Haverkamp, Paul J.; Ganswindt, André; Manser, Marta B.; Clutton‐Brock, Tim; Özgül, Arpat; Cozzi, Gabriele

doi:10.1111/1365-2656.13569

Cited by 8 publications

(4 citation statements)

References 111 publications

(175 reference statements)

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“…However, inclusion of multiple variables, for example habitat quality, measure of anthropogenic disturbances, ethnographic measure of human attitudes towards co-existing wildlife species, reproductive health (in terms of behaviour, endocrine correlates, clutch size and eggshell thickness), diet and social rank of individuals, will facilitate robust correlations with the fGCM levels and provide significant insights in characterizing plausible explanations for such responses ( Martínez-Mota et al. , 2016 ; Harrison et al. , 2021 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring the stress physiology of free-ranging mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) across diverse habitats within Central Gujarat, India

Desai,

Bhowmik,

Srinivasan

et al. 2024

Conservation Physiology

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Animals face several challenges in their natural environment, and to cope with such conditions, they may exhibit contrasting physiological responses that directly affect their overall well-being and survival. In this study, we assessed physiological responses via faecal glucocorticoid metabolite (fGCM) measurements in free-ranging mugger crocodiles inhabiting diverse habitats in Gujarat, India. We sampled muggers within Charotar, a rural area (Zone A) with local people having high tolerance towards the presence of muggers, and Vadodara, a region having both urban (Zone B) and rural (Zone C) areas with high levels of human–mugger conflict (HMC). Further, muggers in Vadodara live in water bodies that are mostly polluted due to sewage disposal from adjoining chemical industries. To measure fGCM (mean ± SEM, ng/g dry faeces) levels in muggers, scats were collected during both breeding (N = 107 scats) and non-breeding (N = 22 scats) seasons from all three zones. We used captive muggers (a focal enclosure) to biologically validate (via capture and restraint) the selected fGCM assay (11-oxoetiocholanolone assay). We showed a significant (P < 0.05) 11-fold increase in fGCM levels between pre-capture (540.9 ± 149.2, N = 11) and post-capture (6259.7 ± 1150.5, N = 11) samples. The validated assay was applied to free-ranging muggers during the breeding season, and Zone A showed significantly (P < 0.05) lower fGCM levels (542.03 ± 71.3) compared to muggers of Zone B (1699.9 ± 180.8) and Zone C (1806.4 ± 243.2), both zones having high levels of HMC with polluted water bodies. A similar contrast in fGCM levels was also observed during the non-breeding season. Overall, the study demonstrated that fGCM levels in muggers varied across habitats, and such variation could be due to a multitude of ecological factors that the species experience in their immediate local environment. Moreover, high fGCM levels in muggers of Vadodara during both breeding and non-breeding seasons may indicate a condition of chronic stress, which could be maladaptive for the species.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Monitoring the stress physiology of free-ranging mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) across diverse habitats within Central Gujarat, India

Desai,

Bhowmik,

Srinivasan

et al. 2024

Conservation Physiology

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“…By showing that dispersing meerkats incurred high survival costs, our findings support the limited control theory as no reproductive concessions may be necessary to retain helpers in the group. The increase in birth rates in subordinate dispersers may indeed have been facilitated by the failure of novice disperser dominants to suppress subordinate reproduction, leading to reduced reproductive skew in the first months after settlement (Harrison et al 2021). This conclusion is in line with Clutton-Brock et al (2001a), who showed that the limited control of newly dominant females leads to increased subordinate birth rates in the first three months after dominance inheritance.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…With both dominant and subordinate individuals reproducing, groups may grow faster immediately after settlement, though when groups grow larger and multiple females are pregnant, reproductive competition and risk of infanticide increase as well , which may offset the benefits of increases in group size. As newly formed groups grow, subordinate reproduction may decrease because established dominant females are better able to suppress subordinate females (Clutton-Brock et al 2010;Harrison et al 2021); and dominant reproduction and offspring survival increase as the number of helpers rises (Clutton-Brock et al 2001b;Hodge et al 2008).…”

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confidence: 99%

Dispersal Decreases Survival but Increases Reproductive Opportunities for Subordinates in a Cooperative Breeder

Maag

Paniw

Cozzi

et al. 2022

The American Naturalist

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In most socially structured populations, the formation of new groups depends on the survival and reproduction of dispersing individuals. Quantifying vital rates in dispersers, however, is difficult because of the logistic challenges of following wide-ranging animals. Here, using data from free-ranging meerkats (Suricata suricatta), we estimate survival and reproduction of dispersing females and compare these estimates to data for established residents. Meerkat groups consist of a dominant pair and several subordinate helpers. Female helpers are evicted from their resident groups by the dominant female, allowing her to monopolize reproduction, and evicted females may form small dispersing coalitions. We show that, as in established resident groups, one female is behaviorally dominant in parties of dispersing females. During dispersal and the first 4 months after new group formation, survival is lower for all females compared with established resident groups. At the same time, subordinates in disperser groups have higher birth rates than those in established groups, which rarely breed successfully. This may partly offset the survival costs of dispersal to subordinate females. Further studies of dispersal based on direct observation of dispersing animals are needed to explore the costs and benefits of dispersal in species with contrasting breeding systems.

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“…Using the feeding station setup described in the quenda study, the RFID loggers could capture additional behavioural metrics at the individual level such as giving-up-densities (GUDs: a density threshold of foods at which animals cease foraging; [ 30 ]), proportion of time allocated to various behaviours (e.g. foraging and vigilance; [ 31 ]), or choice experiments (e.g. predator and control cues at each feeding station [ 32 ]).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Affordable RFID loggers for monitoring animal movement, activity, and behaviour

Harrison

Kelly²

2022

PLoS ONE

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Effective conservation management strategies require accurate information on the movement patterns and behaviour of wild animals. To collect these data, researchers are increasingly turning to remote sensing technology such as radio-frequency identification (RFID). RFID technology is a powerful tool that has been widely implemented in ecological research to identify and monitor unique individuals, but it bears a substantial price tag, restricting this technology to generously-funded disciplines and projects. To overcome this price hurdle, we provide detailed step-by-step instructions to source the components for, and construct portable RFID loggers in house, at a fraction of the cost (~5%) of commercial RFID units. Here, we assess the performance of these RFID loggers in the field and describe their application in two studies of Australian mammal species; monitoring nest-box use in the Northern quolls (Dasyurus hallucatus) and observing the foraging habits of quenda (Isoodon fusciventer) at feeding stations. The RFID loggers performed well, identifying quenda in >80% of visits, and facilitating the collection of individual-level behavioural data including common metrics such as emergence time, latency to approach, and foraging effort. While the technology itself is not novel, by lowering the cost per unit, our loggers enabled greater sample sizes, increasing statistical power from 0.09 to 0.75 in the quoll study. Further, we outline and provide solutions to the limitations of this design. Our RFID loggers proved an innovative method for collecting accurate behavioural and movement data. With their ability to successfully identify individuals, the RFID loggers described here can act as an alternative or complementary tool to camera traps. These RFID loggers can also be applied in a wide variety of projects which range from monitoring animal welfare or demographic traits to studies of anti-predator responses and animal personality, making them a valuable addition to the modern ecologists’ toolkit.

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Behavioural change during dispersal and its relationship to survival and reproduction in a cooperative breeder

Abstract: This article has been accepted for publication and undergone full peer review but has not been through the copyediting, typesetting, pagination and proofreading process, which may lead to differences between this version and the Version of Record. Please cite this article as

Cited by 8 publications

References 111 publications

Monitoring the stress physiology of free-ranging mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) across diverse habitats within Central Gujarat, India

Monitoring the stress physiology of free-ranging mugger crocodiles (Crocodylus palustris) across diverse habitats within Central Gujarat, India

Dispersal Decreases Survival but Increases Reproductive Opportunities for Subordinates in a Cooperative Breeder

Affordable RFID loggers for monitoring animal movement, activity, and behaviour

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