Triadic awareness predicts partner choice in male–infant–male interactions in Barbary macaques

Kuběnová, Barbora; Konečná, Martina; Majolo, Bonaventura; Šmilauer, Petr; Ostner, Julia; Schülke, Oliver

doi:10.1007/s10071-016-1041-y

Cited by 25 publications

(23 citation statements)

References 92 publications

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“…Under these circumstances, species should evolve mechanisms that allow individuals to adapt their behaviour to the audience (Bshary and Noë 2003). Whether individuals decide to interact at all to signal their ability to cooperate (cleaner fish: Bshary and Grutter 2006;Pinto et al 2011), change the form of interactions to increase the likelihood of being chosen as a partner (Betta splendens: Dzieweczynski et al 2005 or adapt their partner choices to optimize their own fitness benefits (longtailed macaques: Gumert 2007; white-faced capuchins: Kajokaite et al 2019; Barbary macaques: Kubenova et al 2016; sooty mangabeys and chimpanzees: Mielke et al 2018;Atlantic molly: Plath et al 2008, 2009, the presence and composition of audiences can influence animal behaviour in important ways. There are increasingly detailed accounts of animals altering their behaviour in response to specific aspects of the relationships between potential interaction partners and observing bystanders (vervet monkeys: Borgeaud et al 2017;baboons: Wittig et al 2007;chimpanzees: Wittig et al 2014; Kaburu and Newton-Fisher 2016;Mielke et al 2018).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictability and variability of association patterns in sooty mangabeys

Mielke

Crockford

Wittig

2020

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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In many group-living animal species, interactions take place in changing social environments, increasing the information processing necessary to optimize social decision-making. Communities with different levels of spatial and temporal cohesion should differ in the predictability of association patterns. While the focus in this context has been on primate species with high fission-fusion dynamics, little is known about the variability of association patterns in species with large groups and high temporal cohesion, where group size and the environment create unstable subgroups. Here, we use sooty mangabeys as a model species to test predictability on two levels: on the subgroup level and on the dyadic level. Our results show that the entirety of group members surrounding an individual is close to random in sooty mangabeys; making it unlikely that individuals can predict the exact composition of bystanders for any interaction. At the same time, we found predictable dyadic associations based on assortative mixing by age, kinship, reproductive state in females, and dominance rank; potentially providing individuals with the ability to partially predict which dyads can be usually found together. These results indicate that animals living in large cohesive groups face different challenges from those with high fission-fusion dynamics, by having to adapt to fast-changing social contexts, while unable to predict who will be close-by in future interactions. At the same time, entropy measures on their own are unable to capture the predictability of association patterns in these groups. Significance statement While the challenges created by high fission-fusion dynamics in animal social systems and their impact on the evolution of cognitive abilities are relatively well understood, many species live in large groups without clear spatio-temporal subgrouping. Nonetheless, they show remarkable abilities in considering their immediate social environment when making social decisions. Measures of entropy of association patterns have recently been proposed to measure social complexity across species. Here, we evaluate suggested entropy measures in sooty mangabeys. The high entropy of their association patterns would indicate that subgroup composition is largely random, not allowing individuals to prepare for future social environments. However, the existence of strong assortativity on the dyadic level indicates that individuals can still partially predict who will be around whom, even if the overall audience composition might be unclear. Entropy alone, therefore, captures social complexity incompletely, especially in species facing fast-changing social environments.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Predictability and variability of association patterns in sooty mangabeys

Mielke

Crockford

Wittig

2020

Behav Ecol Sociobiol

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“…Specifically, in Barbary macaques this stability may be beneficial in relation to the high frequency of man–infant–man interactions, during which two males manipulate one infant together and which help males to manage relationships with other males (Kalbitz et al, ; Kuběnová et al, ; Paul et al, , Taub ). The stable pattern may reduce competition over infants used in these interactions (Kalbitz et al, ; Paul et al, ) and make those interactions more effective tools for male relationship management (Kubenova et al, ; Ogawa, ; Paul et al, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In accordance with the 'extended mating effort hypothesis', however, (Kalbitz et al, 2017;Kuběnová et al, 2019;Paul et al, 1996, Taub 1980b). The stable pattern may reduce competition over infants used in these interactions (Kalbitz et al, 2017;Paul et al, 1996) and make those interactions more effective tools for male relationship management (Kubenova et al, 2017;Ogawa, 1995;Paul et al, 1996).…”

Section: Model 4: Mating Effort Hypothesis Male Perspectivementioning

confidence: 99%

“…Interactions between males and infants can either take the form of dyadic interactions between a single male and an infant during which a male carries, cradles, and/or grooms an infant, or take the form of triadic man-infant-man interactions, during which two males jointly manipulate an infant (Taub, 1980b). Both interaction types are unevenly distributed among males as well as infants (Deag, 1980;Kubenova et al, 2017;Ménard et al, 2001;Taub, 1984). Triadic man-infant-man interactions in macaques are proposed to primarily serve a social function among males (Deag & Crook, 1971;Kalbitz, Schülke, & Ostner, 2017;Paul et al, 1996), but explanations for dyadic male-infant interactions remain inconclusive (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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The male and female perspective in the link between male infant care and mating behaviour in Barbary macaques

et al. 2019

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Infant care from adult males is unexpected in species with high paternity uncertainty. Still, males of several polygynandrous primates engage in frequent affiliative interactions with infants. Two non‐exclusive hypotheses link male infant care to male mating strategies. The paternal investment hypothesis views infant care as a male strategy to maximize the survival of sired offspring, while the mating effort hypothesis predicts that females reward males who cared for their infant by preferably mating with them. Both hypotheses predict a positive relationship between infant care and matings with a particular female. However, the paternal investment hypothesis predicts that increased matings come before infant care whereas the mating effort hypothesis predicts that infant care precedes an increase in matings. Both hypotheses are usually tested from the perspective of the proportion of matings and care that individual females engage in and receive, rather than from the perspective of the care and mating behaviour of individual males. We tested the relationships between care and mating from both female and male perspectives in Barbary macaques. Mating predicted subsequent care and care predicted subsequent mating when viewed from the male but not the female perspective. Males mainly cared for infants of their main mating partners, but infants were not mainly cared for by their likely father. Males mated more with the mothers of their favourite infants, but females did not mate more with the main caretakers of their infants. We suggest that females do not choose their mating partners based on previous infant care, increasing paternity confusion. Males might try to increase paternal investment by distributing the care according to their own instead of female mating history. Further, males pursue females for mating opportunities based on previous care.

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“…triadic behaviors have been recorded in Barbary (M. sylvanus; Deag and Crook 1971;Taub 1984;Paul et al 1996;Kubenova et al 2017), stump-tailed (M. arctoides; Estrada and Sandoval 1977;Estrada and Estrada 1984), Assamese (M. assamensis; Kubenova et al 2017), and Tibetan macaques (M. thibetana; Ogawa 1995a, b, c;Zhao 1996;Bauer et al 2013). Adult males' bridging tends to occur in non-agonistic contexts and is often followed by other affiliative behaviors such as grooming (Ogawa 1995a, b;Deag and Crook 1971).…”

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confidence: 99%