<i>Otospermophilus beecheyi</i>(Rodentia: Sciuridae)

Smith, Jennifer E.; Long, Douglas J.; Russell, Imani D.; Newcomb, Kate Lee; Muñoz, Valeska D.

doi:10.1093/mspecies/sew010

Cited by 22 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 110 publications

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“…We recorded all occurrences [64] of affiliative behaviours (socio-positive interactions) including greetings, proximity maintenance, social foraging and playing (for details, see ethogram [48,50]) using 10 Â 14 binoculars (Eagle Optics Ranger Extra-Low Dispersion Middleton, WI). Briefly, greetings involved two individuals meeting head-on and touching noses, one individual rubbing its cheek on that of another squirrel, or one individual approaching a second head-on and rubbing its nose near the corner of the receiver's mouth [48,50]. Proximity maintenance occurred when one individual approached a second and sat in direct body contact or within less than 1 m of the second individual [50].…”

Section: (D) Behavioural Observations At Field Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Modelling pathways for parasite (disease) transmission in the ground squirrel system should prove particularly useful; these hosts may carry fleas and ticks that transmit zoonotic diseases (e.g. plague, Lyme disease, tularaemia and relapsing fever [50,105]). Flea density varies among burrows [58] and flea abundance on hosts varies with microhabitat use by hosts [106].…”

Section: (D) Implications For Understanding Flow Across Dynamic Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…personality, behavioural syndromes, life stage, sex) predict social structure. Individuals reside at distinct geographical sites, called colonies, at which group members regularly socialize, forage and collectively mob predators aboveground, but also seek refuge belowground in communal burrow systems for protection from predation and harsh weather [48][49][50].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Split between two worlds: automated sensing reveals links between above- and belowground social networks in a free-living mammal

Smith

Gamboa

Spencer

et al. 2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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Many animals socialize in two or more major ecological contexts. In nature, these contexts often involve one situation in which space is more constrained (e.g. shared refuges, sleeping cliffs, nests, dens or burrows) and another situation in which animal movements are relatively free (e.g. in open spaces lacking architectural constraints). Although it is widely recognized that an individual's characteristics may shape its social life, the extent to which architecture constrains social decisions within and between habitats remains poorly understood. Here we developed a novel, automated-monitoring system to study the effects of personality, life-history stage and sex on the social network structure of a facultatively social mammal, the California ground squirrel () in two distinct contexts: aboveground where space is relatively open and belowground where it is relatively constrained by burrow architecture. Aboveground networks reflected affiliative social interactions whereas belowground networks reflected burrow associations. Network structure in one context (belowground), along with preferential juvenile-adult associations, predicted structure in a second context (aboveground). Network positions of individuals were generally consistent across years (within contexts) and between ecological contexts (within years), suggesting that individual personalities and behavioural syndromes, respectively, contribute to the social network structure of these free-living mammals. Direct ties (strength) tended to be stronger in belowground networks whereas more indirect paths (betweenness centrality) flowed through individuals in aboveground networks. Belowground, females fostered significantly more indirect paths than did males. Our findings have important potential implications for disease and information transmission, offering new insights into the multiple factors contributing to social structures across ecological contexts.This article is part of the theme issue 'Interdisciplinary approaches for uncovering the impacts of architecture on collective behaviour'.

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Section: (D) Behavioural Observations At Field Sitementioning

confidence: 99%

Section: (D) Implications For Understanding Flow Across Dynamic Networkmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Split between two worlds: automated sensing reveals links between above- and belowground social networks in a free-living mammal

Smith

Gamboa

Spencer

et al. 2018

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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“…In some species, these differences include the occurrence of both lone and group-living individuals within a population. Such variation-often referred to as facultative socialityhas been reported for numerous taxa, including mammals (Le Eason 2010;Blumstein 2013;Smith et al 2016), birds (Öst et al 2015), reptiles (Riley et al 2018), fish (Soria et al 2007), and insects (May-Itzá et al 2014;Shell and Rehan 2017;Smith et al 2018) widespread use of this term, the definition of facultative sociality remains unclear. For example, facultative sociality has been used to describe adaptive variation in current social organization (Rabosky et al 2012;Öst et al 2015) as well as to imply an evolutionary progression from solitary to group life (Rehan et al 2010;Shell and Rehan 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Multi-year assessment of variability in spatial and social relationships in a subterranean rodent, the highland tuco-tuco (Ctenomys opimus)

O’Brien

Tammone

Cuello

et al. 2021

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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In some species, populations routinely contain a mixture of lone and group-living individuals. Such facultative sociality may reflect individual differences in behavior as well as adaptive responses to variation in local environmental conditions. To explore interactions between individual- and population-level variabilities in behavior in a species provisionally described as facultatively social, we examined spatial and social relationships within a population of highland tuco-tucos (Ctenomys opimus) at Laguna de los Pozuelos, Jujuy Province, Argentina. Using data collected over 5 consecutive years, we sought to (1) confirm the regular occurrence of both lone and group-living individuals and (2) characterize the temporal consistency of individual social relationships. Our analyses revealed that although the study population typically contained lone as well as group-living animals, individual spatial and social relationships varied markedly over time. Specifically, the extent to which individuals remained resident in the same location across years varied, as did the number of conspecifics with which an animal lived, with an overall tendency for individuals to live in larger groups over successive years. Collectively, these analyses indicate that population-level patterns of behavior in C. opimus are consistent with facultative sociality but that this variation does not arise due to persistent differences in individual behavior (i.e., living alone versus with conspecifics). Instead, based on changes in spatial and social relationships across years, we suggest that variation in the tendency to live in groups is shaped primarily by local ecological and demographic conditions. Significance statement Characterizing variation in conspecific relationships is critical to understanding the adaptive bases for social behavior. Using data collected over 5 successive years, we examined temporal variation in spatial and social relationships within a population of highland tuco-tucos (C. opimus) from northern Argentina. In addition to providing the first multi-year assessment of the behavior and demography of this species, our analyses generate important insights into relationships between individual behavior and population-level patterns of social organization. The behavioral variability evident in our study population suggests that C. opimus is an ideal system in which to explore the causes and consequences of individual differences in social behavior.

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“…Here, we investigated the potential for, and nature of, integration of risk-taking behaviors and physiological resistance to snake venom in a population of California ground squirrels ( Otospermophilus beecheyi , henceforth “ground squirrels”) hunted by northern Pacific rattlesnakes ( Crotalus oreganus oreganus , henceforth ”rattlesnakes”). Rattlesnakes are the top ground squirrel predator in many areas [ 51 ] and can consume up to 34% of ground squirrel annual reproductive output [ 52 ]. Extensive research within and between populations of ground squirrels has revealed diverse anti-snake behaviors that vary ontogenetically within individuals [ 3 , 53 , 54 ] as well as among populations [ 53 , 55 ].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Physiological Stress Integrates Resistance to Rattlesnake Venom and the Onset of Risky Foraging in California Ground Squirrels

Holding

Putman

Kong

et al. 2020

Toxins

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Using venom for predation often leads to the evolution of resistance in prey. Understanding individual variation in venom resistance is key to unlocking basic mechanisms by which antagonistic coevolution can sustain variation in traits under selection. For prey, the opposing challenges of predator avoidance and resource acquisition often lead to correlated levels of risk and reward, which in turn can favor suites of integrated morphological, physiological and behavioral traits. We investigate the relationship between risk-sensitive behaviors, physiological resistance to rattlesnake venom, and stress in a population of California ground squirrels. For the same individuals, we quantified foraging decisions in the presence of snake predators, fecal corticosterone metabolites (a measure of “stress”), and blood serum inhibition of venom enzymatic activity (a measure of venom resistance). Individual responses to snakes were repeatable for three measures of risk-sensitive behavior, indicating that some individuals were consistently risk-averse whereas others were risk tolerant. Venom resistance was lower in squirrels with higher glucocorticoid levels and poorer body condition. Whereas resistance failed to predict proximity to and interactions with snake predators, individuals with higher glucocorticoid levels and in lower body condition waited the longest to feed when near a snake. We compared alternative structural equation models to evaluate alternative hypotheses for the relationships among stress, venom resistance, and behavior. We found support for stress as a shared physiological correlate that independently lowers venom resistance and leads to squirrels that wait longer to feed in the presence of a snake, whereas we did not find evidence that resistance directly facilitates latency to forage. Our findings suggest that stress may help less-resistant squirrels avoid a deadly snakebite, but also reduces feeding opportunities. The combined lethal and non-lethal effects of stressors in predator–prey interactions simultaneously impact multiple key traits in this system, making environmental stress a potential contributor to geographic variation in trait expression of toxic predators and resistant prey.

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Otospermophilus beecheyi(Rodentia: Sciuridae)

Cited by 22 publications

References 110 publications

Split between two worlds: automated sensing reveals links between above- and belowground social networks in a free-living mammal

Split between two worlds: automated sensing reveals links between above- and belowground social networks in a free-living mammal

Multi-year assessment of variability in spatial and social relationships in a subterranean rodent, the highland tuco-tuco (Ctenomys opimus)

Physiological Stress Integrates Resistance to Rattlesnake Venom and the Onset of Risky Foraging in California Ground Squirrels

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