| Records |
| Author |
Briard, L.; Dorn, C.; Petit, O. |
| Title |
Personality and Affinities Play a Key Role in the Organisation of Collective Movements in a Group of Domestic Horses |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
2015 |
Publication |
Ethology |
Abbreviated Journal  |
Ethology |
| Volume |
121 |
Issue |
9 |
Pages |
888-902 |
| Keywords |
decision-making; equids; hierarchy; leadership; social network |
| Abstract |
Understanding how groups of individuals with different motives come to daily decisions about the exploitation of their environment is a key question in animal behaviour. While interindividual differences are often seen only as a threat to group cohesion, growing evidence shows that they may to some extent facilitate effective collective action. Recent studies suggest that personality differences influence how individuals are attracted to conspecifics and affect their behaviour as an initiator or a follower. However, most of the existing studies are limited to a few taxa, mainly social fish and arthropods. Horses are social herbivores that live in long-lasting groups and show identifiable personality differences between individuals. We studied a group of 38 individuals living in a 30-ha hilly pasture. Over 200 h, we sought to identify how far individual differences such as personality and affinity distribution affect the dynamic of their collective movements. First, we report that individuals distribute their relationships according to similar personality and hierarchical rank. This is the first study that demonstrates a positive assortment between unrelated individuals according to personality in a mammal species. Second, we measured individual propensity to initiate and found that bold individuals initiated more often than shy individuals. However, their success in terms of number of followers and joining duration did not depend on their individual characteristics. Moreover, joining process is influenced by social network, with preferred partners following each other and bolder individuals being located more often at the front of the movement. Our results illustrate the importance of taking into account interindividual behavioural differences in studies of social behaviours. |
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Edition |
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| ISSN |
1439-0310 |
ISBN |
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| Notes |
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Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6153 |
| Permanent link to this record |
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| Author |
Rutberg, A.T. |
| Title |
Horse Fly Harassment and the Social Behavior of Feral Ponies |
Type |
Journal Article |
| Year |
1987 |
Publication |
Ethology |
Abbreviated Journal |
Ethology |
| Volume |
75 |
Issue |
2 |
Pages |
145-154 |
| Keywords |
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| Abstract |
Abstract Horse flies (Tabanidae) on and around feral ponies in harem groups were counted at Assateague Island National Seashore, Maryland, U.S.A., between June and August 1985. Harem stallions attracted the most flies; adult mares showed intermediate fly numbers, while few flies landed on foals under any circumstances. The use of thermal and chemical cues by flies selecting a host may have helped create this disparity. When flies were abundant, ponies reduced spacing within the group. Ponies in larger groups suffered from fewer flies than ponies in smaller groups. There was, however, no evidence that ponies merged into larger groups in response to fly harassment, suggesting that biting flies play little role in structuring pony social organization. |
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| Publisher |
Wiley/Blackwell (10.1111) |
Place of Publication |
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| ISSN |
0179-1613 |
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| Notes |
doi: 10.1111/j.1439-0310.1987.tb00648.x |
Approved |
no |
| Call Number |
Equine Behaviour @ team @ |
Serial |
6417 |
| Permanent link to this record |
