Behavioural synchrony between fallow deer Dama dama is related to spatial proximity

Hoyle, Zoe E.; Miller, Rosie A.; Rands, Sean A.

doi:10.1186/s12862-021-01814-9

Cited by 7 publications

(7 citation statements)

References 61 publications

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“…For example, the proportion of time black‐headed gulls synchronized their vigilance bouts with the nearest neighbor was greater compared with the second nearest neighbor or a randomly chosen individual from a flock (Evans et al, 2018). A similar pattern of behavioral synchronization was also observed in ungulates (Hoyle et al, 2021; Rands et al, 2014). Nevertheless, group members who are not in immediate proximity one from another may also serve as a source of information on the environment.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

“…Such synchronization often occurs through behavioral copying, as behaviors of others may be a shortcut to obtaining valuable information on the surroundings (Rendell et al, 2011; Valone, 2007). In addition, animals more often synchronize behavior with their close neighbors than with distant ones (Evans et al, 2018; Hoyle et al, 2021; Rands et al, 2014), as social information deteriorates with the distance between individuals (Fernández‐Juricic et al, 2004; Fernández‐Juricic & Kowalski, 2011).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Black‐headed gulls synchronize vigilance with their nearest neighbor irrespective of the neighbor's relative position

et al. 2022

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Behavioral synchronization refers to actions conducted simultaneously by two or more individuals at the same place. Through behavioral synchronization, animals may increase social cohesion of their groups or achieve antipredator and foraging benefits. We examined whether black‐headed gulls (Chroicocephalus ridibundus) synchronized vigilance with their nearest neighbors and whether synchronization was affected by the neighbor's relative position. We predicted that (1) the synchronization of vigilance is less likely when neighbors are positioned behind focal individuals, i.e., within the blind sector of their visual field, and that (2) birds may show preference for copying vigilance when neighbors are situated at one side due to known laterality in avian eye use for antipredator vigilance. Data were obtained for 46 pairs of individuals—focal gulls and their nearest neighbors—through the observation of video‐recorded material. Gulls significantly synchronized vigilance with their nearest neighbors irrespective of the neighbor's relative spatial position—the odds that the focal individual would scan its environment were increased almost three times if the nearest neighbor was also vigilant. Contrary to our predictions, however, we did not find evidence that synchronization of vigilance in gulls was dependent on their nearest neighbor's relative position, which could be due to several reasons: (i) gulls may pay attention not only to their nearest neighbors but also to more distant ones and/or (ii) gulls may have reacted to some cues other than visual, such as alarm sounds. Although the mechanism of synchronization in gulls remains unknown, by being vigilant at the same time as other group members, the gulls may achieve additional antipredator benefits.

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Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 76%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Black‐headed gulls synchronize vigilance with their nearest neighbor irrespective of the neighbor's relative position

et al. 2022

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“…The herd, managed by Bristol City Council, consists of c. 110 individuals of varying age and sex, who appear to mix freely. The enclosure is open to the public outside of the rutting season, so the deer are habituated to both dogs, humans, motor vehicles, and occasional horses, and may be able to hear the vocalizations of a nearby (but separately fenced) captive herd of fallow deer Dama dama (Hoyle et al, 2021). Our observations were conducted over five days during the rutting season; observations were restricted between 12:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., so they were outside of the dawn and dusk peaks of regular rutting activity (Clutton-Brock et al, 1982).…”

Section: Study Area Time and Subjectsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Red deerCervus elaphusblink more in larger groups

Rowe

Robins

Rands

2023

Ecology and Evolution

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Most animals need to spend time being vigilant for predators, at the expense of other activities such as foraging. Group-living animals can benefit from the shared vigilance effort of other group members, with individuals reducing personal vigilance effort as group size increases. Behaviors like active scanning or head lifting are usually used to quantify vigilance but may not be accurate measures of this. We suggest that measuring an animal's blinking rate gives a meaningful measure of vigilance: increased blinking implies reduced vigilance, as the animal cannot detect predators when its eyes are closed. We describe an observational study of a captive population of red deer, where we measured the blinking rates of individual deer from groups of differing sizes (where mean group size ranged between 1 and 42.7 individuals). We demonstrate that as group size increases in red deer, individuals increase their blink rate, confirming the prediction that vigilance should decrease. Blinking is a simple non-invasive measure and offers a useful metric for assessing the welfare of animals experiencing an increase in perceived predation risk or other stressors.

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“…These models typically consider individuals making movement decisions based on the presence or absence of local neighbours and their proximity (Aoki, 1982; Bernardi and Scianna, 2020; Calovi et al, 2015; Couzin et al, 2002; Gueron et al, 1996; Huth and Wissel, 1992; Viscido et al, 2002; Wood and Ackland, 2007), where individuals in close proximity may copy, or be strongly influenced by, each other’s behaviour ( e.g . Evans et al, 2018; Hoyle et al, 2021; Lecheval et al, 2018; Rands et al, 2014). The behaviour of individuals in a group can be disproportionately influenced by a few individuals, who act as leaders (Biro et al, 2006; King and Cowlishaw, 2009; Pettit et al, 2015; Watts et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…g . Evans et al, 2018; Hoyle et al, 2021; Lecheval et al, 2018; Rands et al, 2014). The behaviour of individuals in a group can be disproportionately influenced by a few individuals, who act as leaders (Biro et al, 2006; King and Cowlishaw, 2009; Pettit et al, 2015; Watts et al, 2017).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Personality variation is eroded by simple social behaviours in collective foragers

Rands

Ioannou

2022

Preprint

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The movement of groups can be heavily influenced by 'leader' individuals who differ from the others in some way. A major source of differences between individuals is the repeatability and consistency of their behaviour, commonly considered as their 'personality', which can influence both position within a group as well as the tendency to lead. However, links between personality and behaviour may also depend upon the immediate social environment of the individual; individuals who behave consistently in one way when alone may not express the same behaviour socially, when they may be conforming with the behaviour of others. Experimental evidence shows that personality differences can be eroded in social situations, but there is currently a lack of theory to identify the conditions where we would expect personality to be suppressed. Here, we develop a simple individual-based framework considering a small group of individuals with differing tendencies to perform risky behaviours when travelling away from a safe home site towards a foraging site, and compare the group behaviours when the individuals follow differing rules for aggregation behaviour determining how much attention they pay to the actions of their fellow group-members. We find that if individuals pay attention to the other members of the group, the group will tend to remain at the safe site for longer, but then travel faster towards the foraging site. This demonstrates that simple social behaviours can result in the repression of consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour, giving the first theoretical consideration of the social mechanisms behind personality suppression.

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Behavioural synchrony between fallow deer Dama dama is related to spatial proximity

Cited by 7 publications

References 61 publications

Black‐headed gulls synchronize vigilance with their nearest neighbor irrespective of the neighbor's relative position

Black‐headed gulls synchronize vigilance with their nearest neighbor irrespective of the neighbor's relative position

Red deerCervus elaphusblink more in larger groups

Personality variation is eroded by simple social behaviours in collective foragers

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