Sociality, glucocorticoids and direct fitness in the communally rearing rodent, Octodon degus

Ebensperger, Luis A.; Ramírez‐Estrada, Juan; León, Cecilia; Castro, Rodrigo A.; Tolhuysen, Liliana Ortiz; Sobrero, Raúl; Quirici, Verónica; Burger, Joseph R.; Soto‐Gamboa, Mauricio; Hayes, Loren D.

doi:10.1016/j.yhbeh.2011.07.002

Cited by 51 publications

(28 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…One hypothesis is that kinship plays a role in maintaining cohesion among related females during communal nursing, but there is conflict among nonkin. While female kinship may playa role in degu group formation (Ebensperger et al 2004, 2009), the benefits of kinship in this system are not clear-cut (Hayes et al 2009; Ebensperger et al 2011b; Burger et al 2012). Additional genetic work is needed to determine patterns of kinship and social structure under natural conditions.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive correlates of social network variation in plurally breeding degus (Octodon degus)

et al. 2013

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Studying the causes and reproductive consequences of social variation can provide insight into the evolutionary basis of sociality. Individuals are expected to behave adaptively to maximize reproductive success, but reproductive outcomes can also depend on group structure. Degus (Octodon degus) are plurally breeding rodents, in which females allonurse indiscriminately. However, communal rearing does not appear to enhance female reproductive success, and larger group sizes are correlated with decreasing per capita pup production. To further investigate mechanisms underlying these patterns, we asked how differences in sex, season and average group reproductive success are related to degu association networks. We hypothesized that if reproductive differences mirror social relationships, then females (core group members) should show stronger and more stable associations than males, and female association strength should be strongest during lactation. We also hypothesized that, at the group level, social cohesion would increase reproductive output, while social conflict would decrease it. Females did have higher association strength and more preferred partners than males, but only during lactation, when overall female associations increased. Females also had more stable preferred social partnerships between seasons. A measure of social cohesion (average association strength) was not related to per capita pup production of female group members, but potential social conflict (heterogeneity of association strengths) was negatively related to per capita pup production of female group members. Our results highlight temporal and multilevel patterns of social structure that may reflect reproductive costs and benefits to females.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Reproductive correlates of social network variation in plurally breeding degus (Octodon degus)

et al. 2013

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“…(raven, jackdaw, rook, carrion crow ( Corvus corone ))[83, 100, 258, 260]BPGreylag goose; Bewick’s swan ( Cygnus bewickii ); Eider duck ( Somateria mollissima )[258, 261–264]Communal defenceMACrested black macaque ( Macaca nigra )[103]MPChamois ( Rupicapra rupicapra );[102]BAMontagu’s harrier ( Circus pygargus ); Sabine’s gull ( Xema sabini )[265, 266]BPWhite-fronted goose ( Anser albifrons )[267]Communal/Cooperative breedingMAvarious species - Review[107, 125, 268]MPvarious species – Review; e.g. Degu ( Octogon degus ); African striped mouse ( Rhabdomys pumilio )[105, 107, 110, 125, 268]BAvarious species - Review[104, 109, 269]BPvarious species – Review; White-winged trumpeter ( Psophia leucoptera ); Buff-throated partridge (Tetraophasis szechenyii); Black-breasted wood-quail ( Odontophorus leucolaemus ); Common moorhen ( Gallinula chloropus ); Dusky moorhen ( G. tenebrosa); pukeko ( Porphyrio melanotus )[104, 109, 120–123, 269–271]Conflict resolution ( e.g. reconciliation/consolation; redirected aggression)MAvarious Primates – Review; Wolf ( Canis lupus ); Spotted hyena; Meerkat ( Suricata suricatta )[74, 111, 115, 272–275]MPBottlenose dolphin ( Tursiops truncatus ); Horse;[…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The importance of the altricial – precocial spectrum for social complexity in mammals and birds – a review

et al. 2017

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Various types of long-term stable relationships that individuals uphold, including cooperation and competition between group members, define social complexity in vertebrates. Numerous life history, physiological and cognitive traits have been shown to affect, or to be affected by, such social relationships. As such, differences in developmental modes, i.e. the ‘altricial-precocial’ spectrum, may play an important role in understanding the interspecific variation in occurrence of social interactions, but to what extent this is the case is unclear because the role of the developmental mode has not been studied directly in across-species studies of sociality. In other words, although there are studies on the effects of developmental mode on brain size, on the effects of brain size on cognition, and on the effects of cognition on social complexity, there are no studies directly investigating the link between developmental mode and social complexity. This is surprising because developmental differences play a significant role in the evolution of, for example, brain size, which is in turn considered an essential building block with respect to social complexity. Here, we compiled an overview of studies on various aspects of the complexity of social systems in altricial and precocial mammals and birds. Although systematic studies are scarce and do not allow for a quantitative comparison, we show that several forms of social relationships and cognitive abilities occur in species along the entire developmental spectrum. Based on the existing evidence it seems that differences in developmental modes play a minor role in whether or not individuals or species are able to meet the cognitive capabilities and requirements for maintaining complex social relationships. Given the scarcity of comparative studies and potential subtle differences, however, we suggest that future studies should consider developmental differences to determine whether our finding is general or whether some of the vast variation in social complexity across species can be explained by developmental mode. This would allow a more detailed assessment of the relative importance of developmental mode in the evolution of vertebrate social systems.

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“…FGM is an indicator of the concentrations of circulating corticosterone, the primary stress hormone in birds. Corticosterone levels indicate general stress (Dehnhard et al 2003; Goymann 2005; Touma and Palme 2005), breeding status (Ebensperger et al 2011), or social standing (Saltzman et al 1994; Creel 2001; Goymann and Wingfield 2004). We predicted that FGM levels in budgerigars would reflect the degree to which an individual shared calls with others, or engaged in either aggressive or affiliative interactions with group members.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

A test of multiple hypotheses for the function of call sharing in female budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus

Dahlin

Young

Cordier

et al. 2013

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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In many social species group, members share acoustically similar calls. Functional hypotheses have been proposed for call sharing, but previous studies have been limited by an inability to distinguish among these hypotheses. We examined the function of vocal sharing in female budgerigars with a two-part experimental design that allowed us to distinguish between two functional hypotheses. The social association hypothesis proposes that shared calls help animals mediate affiliative and aggressive interactions, while the password hypothesis proposes that shared calls allow animals to distinguish group identity and exclude nonmembers. We also tested the labeling hypothesis, a mechanistic explanation which proposes that shared calls are used to address specific individuals within the sender–receiver relationship. We tested the social association hypothesis by creating four–member flocks of unfamiliar female budgerigars (Melopsittacus undulatus) and then monitoring the birds’ calls, social behaviors, and stress levels via fecal glucocorticoid metabolites. We tested the password hypothesis by moving immigrants into established social groups. To test the labeling hypothesis, we conducted additional recording sessions in which individuals were paired with different group members. The social association hypothesis was supported by the development of multiple shared call types in each cage and a correlation between the number of shared call types and the number of aggressive interactions between pairs of birds. We also found support for calls serving as a labeling mechanism using discriminant function analysis with a permutation procedure. Our results did not support the password hypothesis, as there was no difference in stress or directed behaviors between immigrant and control birds.

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Sociality, glucocorticoids and direct fitness in the communally rearing rodent, Octodon degus

Cited by 51 publications

References 63 publications

Reproductive correlates of social network variation in plurally breeding degus (Octodon degus)

Reproductive correlates of social network variation in plurally breeding degus (Octodon degus)

The importance of the altricial – precocial spectrum for social complexity in mammals and birds – a review

A test of multiple hypotheses for the function of call sharing in female budgerigars, Melopsittacus undulatus

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