Prosociality in a Despotic Society

Bhattacharjee, Debottam; Cousin, Eythan; Pflüger, Lena S.; Massen, Jorg J. M.

doi:10.2139/ssrn.4227258

Cited by 3 publications

(26 citation statements)

References 56 publications

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“…actively offering food vs. co‐feeding; Scheid et al., 2008). In contrast, a recent study using the same experimental set‐up and procedures as in the current study and similar sample size, demonstrated a positive effect of kin relations on both the likelihood and the magnitude of prosocial provisioning in Japanese macaques ( Macaca fuscata ; Bhattacharjee et al., 2023). The social organisation of this primate species, however, rests strongly on matrilineal kin relationships, which differs from the more fluid social structure of raven and crow populations (Boucherie et al., 2019; Loretto et al., 2017; Uhl et al., 2019).…”

Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

“…The precise behavioural coordination needed for such targeted provisioning is most likely beyond the scope of a captive group setting in which all subjects are close to the apparatus at the same time and are highly motivated to obtain the food. In a semi‐free‐ranging group of Japanese macaques, where the subjects had to cover larger distances to approach the group service apparatus, specific individuals were better able to coordinate their use of the apparatus and particular kin and affiliated dyads emerged in this setup (Bhattacharjee et al., 2023). Nevertheless, for the systematic assessment of reciprocity in corvids, it seems more promising to advance to dyadic testing.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…It is thus interesting to compare the effects of kinship, reciprocity and dominance in these three species. The group service paradigm was originally developed in primates (Burkart et al., 2014), where it has been previously used to test the effects of kinship and dyadic social tolerance on prosocial food provisioning (Bhattacharjee et al., 2023). It has recently been successfully adapted for birds (Horn et al., 2016).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Testing the effects of kinship, reciprocity and dominance on prosocial food provisioning in azure‐winged magpies (Cyanopica cyana), carrion crows (Corvus corone) and common ravens (C. corax)

Horn,

Bugnyar,

Massen

2023

Ethology

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Prosocial behaviour (i.e. benefitting others without receiving a direct gain) has long been perceived as an evolutionary puzzle but is nevertheless relatively common among non‐human animals. Prosocial food provisioning has recently been documented in several large‐brained bird species, such as corvids and parrots. Yet, to date, little is known about which factors influence food provisioning in these species. Here, we investigated whether kinship, reciprocity and dominance affected food provisioning in the group service paradigm in three corvid species, namely azure‐winged magpies (Cyanopica cyana), carrion crows (Corvus corone) and common ravens (C. corax). In this paradigm, the subjects are tested in their regular social groups and can choose to make food available to their group members by landing on a simple seesaw apparatus. We found no evidence for an effect of kinship or reciprocity on food provisioning. Contrary to our predictions, the subjects' dominance was not positively correlated with their rate of food provisioning in any species. Among ravens, dominance was instead positively correlated with receiving food. We conclude that preferential provisioning for kin and direct reciprocity might have been impeded by the provider's inability to control who receives the food in the group service paradigm, but that our findings provide another piece of evidence that dominance is a highly important factor in the social interactions of common ravens.

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Section: Discussioncontrasting

confidence: 63%

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Testing the effects of kinship, reciprocity and dominance on prosocial food provisioning in azure‐winged magpies (Cyanopica cyana), carrion crows (Corvus corone) and common ravens (C. corax)

Horn,

Bugnyar,

Massen

2023

Ethology

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“…Undecided females seem to be particularly present in mid‐ to low‐ranking matrilines in which some female relatives were assignable to the main group. Although the social system of Japanese macaques is nepotistic, and kin tends to cooperate more with each other (Sigmundson et al, 2021; Bhattacharjee et al, 2022), dominance competition among female kin exists (Chapais et al, 1994). Individual advantages are given if females form non‐kin alliances with higher‐ranked individuals to outrank higher‐ranked female siblings during conflicts.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A novel methodological approach for group classification during fission of a semi‐free‐ranging group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Hammer

Stribos

Boehm

et al. 2023

American J Primatol

Self Cite

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The self‐initiated split of a social group, known as fission, is a challenge faced by many group‐living animals. The study of group fission and the social restructuring process in real time provides insights into the mechanism of this biologically important process. Previous studies on fission in Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) assigned individuals to newly reorganized groups mainly using behavioral observations and group attendance records based on periods before or after fission itself. Here, we present a novel framework for group classification during the process of fission that uses quantifiable behavioral variables and statistical analyses. The framework was tested on a group fission process at Affenberg Landskron (Austria), a park that housed around 160 semi‐free‐ranging Japanese macaques. The behavioral data were collected for 26 days during fission. We analyzed three behavioral developments recurrent in fissions in Japanese macaques, that is, independence of behavior, participation in group movements, and separation of nomadic ranges. These analyses were combined to assign individuals to different groups. Our study resulted in one main group (N = 33), one subgroup (N = 36) and 56 individuals whose group membership was still undefined. The demographic characteristics of these newly formed groups were comparable with those of fissioned groups in wild populations. Furthermore, we found that these newly forming groups showed early social dynamics of fission five months before group level movements, that is: grouping based on spatial proximity and spatial withdrawal of the subgroup to the periphery. These results underline the validity of our novel framework to study social dynamics in Japanese macaques during the process of fission. It represents an important addition to existing methods, and we recommend testing its scope in other primate societies.

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“…They therefore call for more analyses on the dyadic level, as well as for more studies on species that are considered rather despotic (Bhattacharjee et al, 2023).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Despotic long-tailed macaques benefit others in a group service paradigm

de Laat,

Waasdorp,

Roth

et al. 2024

Preprint

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For animals living in social groups, cooperation is a key factor to success. It has been postulated that in social systems with cooperative breeding or a tolerant dominance style, individuals will benefit each other. Cooperation is, therefore, not expected in long-tailed macaques, since they do not breed together and experience a steep unidirectional hierarchy. However, previous studies have shown that they can be prosocial in a dyadic setting. This would comply with the more recently postulated dyadic interdependence hypothesis. To be able to compare their cooperative performances with other species, we set up a group service paradigm similar to that, which has been tested in a number of other species. We presented a swing set apparatus, which an actor could pull in the middle to provide a reward to another individual but without access to the reward for the actor, to three groups of socially housed long-tailed macaques. The macaques showed prosocial behaviour in the test significantly more often than in two control condition. They preferably provided to kin. The prosocial behaviour of the despotic, individual breeding long-tailed macaques counters the cooperative breeding and self-domestication hypotheses, yet supports the dyadic interdependence hypothesis, although future studies on other macaque species with more tolerant dominance styles should elucidate the effect of dominance styles on prosociality.

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Prosociality in a Despotic Society

Cited by 3 publications

References 56 publications

Testing the effects of kinship, reciprocity and dominance on prosocial food provisioning in azure‐winged magpies (Cyanopica cyana), carrion crows (Corvus corone) and common ravens (C. corax)

Testing the effects of kinship, reciprocity and dominance on prosocial food provisioning in azure‐winged magpies (Cyanopica cyana), carrion crows (Corvus corone) and common ravens (C. corax)

A novel methodological approach for group classification during fission of a semi‐free‐ranging group of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata)

Despotic long-tailed macaques benefit others in a group service paradigm

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