The adaptive shaping of social behavioural phenotypes during adolescence

Sachser, Norbert; Hennessy, Michael B.; Kaiser, Sylvia

doi:10.1098/rsbl.2018.0536

Cited by 40 publications

(44 citation statements)

References 40 publications

Supporting

Mentioning

Contrasting

Order By: Relevance

“…Our results, however, show that this need not be the case. Rather, the view that substantial behavioral plasticity exists well beyond sexual maturity (Fawcett and Frankenhuis, 2015;Sachser et al, 2018) is supported by the present findings. We hypothesize that this represents a general mechanism, not only to be found in guinea pigs but also in other social mammals.…”

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

High Reproductive Success Despite Queuing – Socio-Sexual Development of Males in a Complex Social Environment

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

The start of actual breeding in male social mammals can occur long after individuals attain sexual maturity. Mainly prevented from reproduction by older and dominant males, young males often queue until strong enough to compete for favorable social positions and, in this way, to obtain access to females. However, to what extent maturing males also apply tactics to reproduce before this time is largely unknown. Therefore, the aim of the present study was to elucidate male socio-sexual development from onset of sexual maturity through first mating success until the achievement of a stable social position in a complex social environment. For this purpose, guinea pigs were used as a model system and reproductive success of males living in large mixed-sex colonies was assessed during their first year of life. As a reference, males in a mixed-sex pair situation were examined. Pair-housed males reproduced for the first time around the onset of sexual maturity whereas colony-housed males did so much later in life and with a considerably higher variance. In colonies, reproductive success was significantly affected by dominance status. Dominance itself was age-dependent, with older males having significantly higher dominance ranks than younger males. Surprisingly, both younger and older colony-housed males attained substantial reproductive success of comparable amounts. Thus, younger males reproduced irrespective of queuing and already before reaching a high social status. This mating success of maturing males was most likely achieved via several reproductive tactics which were flexibly applied with the onset of sexual maturity. The period of socio-sexual development before a stable social position is established may, therefore, be a time during which male mammals use flexible behavioral tactics to achieve reproductive success more frequently than commonly is presumed. In addition, the findings strongly indicate that high behavioral plasticity exists well beyond sexual maturity.

show abstract

Section: Discussionsupporting

confidence: 69%

High Reproductive Success Despite Queuing – Socio-Sexual Development of Males in a Complex Social Environment

et al. 2019

Self Cite

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

show abstract

“…Open Sci. 7: 200454 offspring to particular social environments and demonstrate repeatable social decisions [115,116], which may inform the emergence of offspring social phenotypes.…”

Section: Causes and Consequences Of Repeatable Social Behaviourmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term repeatability in social behaviour suggests stable social phenotypes in wild chimpanzees

et al. 2020

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

Consistent individual differences in social phenotypes have been observed in many animal species. Changes in demographics, dominance hierarchies or ecological factors, such as food availability or disease prevalence, are expected to influence decision-making processes regarding social interactions. Therefore, it should be expected that individuals show flexibility rather than stability in social behaviour over time to maximize the fitness benefits of social living. Understanding the processes that create and maintain social phenotypes requires data encompassing a range of socioecological settings and variation in intrinsic state or life-history stage or strategy. Using observational data spanning up to 19 years for some individuals, we demonstrate that multiple types of social behaviour are repeatable over the long term in wild chimpanzees, a long-lived species with complex fission–fusion societies. We controlled for temporal, ecological and demographic changes, limiting pseudo-repeatability. We conclude that chimpanzees living in natural ecological settings have relatively stable long-term social phenotypes over years that may be independent of life-history or reproductive strategies. Our results add to the growing body of the literature suggesting consistent individual differences in social tendencies are more likely the rule rather than the exception in group-living animals.

show abstract

“…That some adult females (which will also typically be mothers) are more aggressive, affiliative and gregarious than others is significant to offspring development. Given repeatability, mothers consistently expose their offspring to particular environments, whether more or less social (109,110). In certain chimpanzee populations, high-ranking females tend to occupy areas within a group’s territory with more food resources, with low-ranking females typically occupying more resource poor areas (50).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Long-term repeatability in social behaviours suggests stable social phenotypes in wild chimpanzees

Tkaczynski

Mielke

Samuni

et al. 2020

Preprint

View full text Add to dashboard Cite

31Animals living in social groups navigate challenges when competing and cooperating with other group 32 members. Changes in demographics, dominance hierarchies or ecological factors, such as food 33 availability or disease prevalence, are expected to influence decision-making processes regarding social 34interactions. Therefore, it could be expected individuals show flexibility in social behaviour over time to 35 maximise the fitness benefits of social living. To date, research across species has shown that stable 36inter-individual differences in social behaviour exist, but mostly over relatively short data collection time 37periods. Using data spanning over 20 years, we demonstrate that multiple social behaviours are 38 repeatable over the long-term in wild chimpanzees, a long-lived species occupying a complex fission-39 fusion society. We controlled for temporal, ecological and demographic changes, limiting pseudo-40repeatability. We conclude that chimpanzees living in natural ecological settings have relatively stable 41 long-term social phenotypes over years that may be independent of life history stage or strategies. Our 42 results add to the growing body of literature suggesting consistent individual differences in social 43 tendencies are more likely the rule rather than the exception in group-living animals. 44 45

show abstract

The adaptive shaping of social behavioural phenotypes during adolescence

Cited by 40 publications

References 40 publications

High Reproductive Success Despite Queuing – Socio-Sexual Development of Males in a Complex Social Environment

High Reproductive Success Despite Queuing – Socio-Sexual Development of Males in a Complex Social Environment

Long-term repeatability in social behaviour suggests stable social phenotypes in wild chimpanzees

Long-term repeatability in social behaviours suggests stable social phenotypes in wild chimpanzees

Contact Info

Product

Resources

About