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Author Smith, J.E.; Kolowski, J.M.; Graham, K.E.; Dawes, S.E.; Holekamp, K.E.
Title Social and ecological determinants of fission-fusion dynamics in the spotted hyaena Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 76 Issue 3 Pages 619-636
Keywords competition; conflict resolution; cooperative hunting; Crocuta crocuta; ecological constraints; group living; social rank
Abstract Theory predicts that individuals living in fission-fusion societies, in which group members frequently change subgroups, should modify grouping patterns in response to varying social and environmental conditions. Spotted hyaenas, Crocuta crocuta, are long-lived carnivores that reside in permanent social groups called clans. Clans are complex, fission-fusion societies in which individual members travel, rest and forage in subgroups that frequently change composition. We studied two clans in Kenya to provide the first detailed description of fission-fusion dynamics in this species. Because social and ecological circumstances can influence the cohesiveness of animal societies, we evaluated the extent to which specific circumstances promote the formation of subgroups of various sizes. We found that cooperative defence of shared resources during interclan competition and protection from lions were cohesive forces that promoted formation of large subgroups. We also tested hypotheses suggesting factors limiting subgroup size. Mothers with small cubs avoided conspecifics, thereby reducing infanticide risk. Victims of aggression either reconciled fights or separated from former opponents to reduce the immediate costs of escalated aggression in the absence of food. As predicted by the ecological constraints hypothesis, hyaenas adjusted their grouping patterns over both short and long time scales in response to feeding competition. Crocuta were most gregarious during periods of abundant prey, joined clanmates at ephemeral kills in numbers that correlated with the energetic value of the prey and gained the most energy when foraging alone because cooperative hunting attracted numerous competitors. Overall, our findings indicate that resource limitation constrains grouping in this species.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4676
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Author Mech L.D.
Title Leadership in Wolf, Canis lupus, Packs. Type Journal Article
Year 2000 Publication Canadian Field-Naturalist Abbreviated Journal Can Field Nat
Volume 114 Issue 2 Pages 259-263
Keywords Wolf, Canis lupus, leadership, behavior, foraging, movements, pup care, provisioning, sociality, reproduction, breeding, Northwest Territories.
Abstract I examine leadership in Wolf (Canis lupus) packs based on published observations and data gathered during summers from 1986 to 1998 studying a free-ranging pack of Wolves on Ellesmere Island that were habituated to my presence. The breeding male tended to initiate activities associated with foraging and travel, and the breeding female to initiate, and predominate in, pup care and protection. However, there was considerable overlap and interaction during these activities such that leadership could be considered a joint function. In packs with multiple breeders, quantitative information about leadership is needed.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4688
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Author Wey, T.; Blumstein, D.T.; Shen, W.; Jordán, F.
Title Social network analysis of animal behaviour: a promising tool for the study of sociality Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 75 Issue 2 Pages 333-344
Keywords animal behaviour; quantifying sociality; social network analysis; social structure
Abstract Social animals live and interact together, forming complex relationships and social structure. These relationships can have important fitness consequences, but most studies do not explicitly measure those relationships. An approach that explicitly measures relationships will further our understanding of social complexity and the consequences of both direct and indirect interactions. Social network analysis is the study of social groups as networks of nodes connected by social ties. This approach examines individuals and groups in the context of relationships between group members. Application of social network analysis to animal behaviour can advance the field by identifying and quantifying specific attributes of social relationships, many of which are not captured by more common measures of sociality, such as group size. Sophisticated methods for network construction and analysis exist in other fields, but until recently, have seen relatively little application to animal systems. We present a brief history of social network analysis, a description of basic concepts and previous applications to animal behaviour. We then highlight relevance and constraints of some network measures, including results from an original study of the effect of sampling on network parameter estimates, and we end with promising directions for research. By doing so, we provide a prospective overview of social network analysis' general utility for the study of animal social behaviour.
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes (up) Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4691
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Author Whitehead, H.
Title Precision and power in the analysis of social structure using associations Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 75 Issue 3 Pages 1093-1099
Keywords association; precision; social structure; statistical power
Abstract I develop guidelines for assessing the precision and power of statistical techniques that are frequently used to study nonhuman social systems using observed dyadic associations. Association indexes estimate the proportion of time that two individuals are associated. Binomial approximation and nonparametric bootstrap methods produce similar estimates of the precision of association indexes. For a mid-range (0.4-0.9) association index to have a standard error of less than 0.1 requires about 15 observations of the pair associated, and for it to be less than 0.05, this rises to 50 observations. The coefficient of variation among dyads of the proportion of time that pairs of individuals are actually associated describes social differentiation (S), and this may be estimated from association data using maximum likelihood. With a poorly differentiated population (S~0.2), a data set needs about five observed associations per dyad to achieve a correlation between true and estimated association indexes of r=~0.4. It requires about 10 times as much data to achieve a representation with r=~0.8. Permutation tests usually reject the null hypothesis that individuals have no preferred associates when S2H>5, where H is the mean number of observed associations per individual. Thus most situations require substantial numbers of observations of associations to give useful portrayals of social systems, and sparse association data inform only when social differentiation is high.
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ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4692
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Author Ostner, J.; Heistermann, M.; Schülke, O.
Title Dominance, aggression and physiological stress in wild male Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Hormones and Behavior Abbreviated Journal
Volume 54 Issue 5 Pages 613-619
Keywords Social stress; Dominance; Aggression; Fecal glucocorticoid excretion; Male bonds; Assamese macaques
Abstract In group-living animals relative rank positions are often associated with differences in glucocorticoid output. During phases of social stability, when dominance positions are clear and unchallenged, subordinates often face higher costs in terms of social stress than dominant individuals. In this study we test this prediction and examine additional potential correlates of stress, such as reproductive season, age and amount of aggression received in wild, seasonally breeding Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis). During a mating and a non-mating season we collected 394 h of focal observational data and 440 fecal samples of six adult and six large subadult males living in a multimale-multifemale group in their natural habitat in northeastern Thailand. The mating season was characterized by a general increase in aggressive behavior and glucocorticoid excretion across all males compared to the non-mating season. Among adult males, mating season glucocorticoid levels were significantly negatively related with dominance rank and positively with the amount of aggression received. Both relationships were non-significant among large subadult males. Thus, our results suggest that in adult Assamese macaques a high dominance position is not associated with high costs. Low costs of dominance might be induced by strong social bonds among top-ranking males, which exchange frequent affiliative interactions and serve as allies in coalitionary aggression against potentially rank-challenging subordinate males.
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0018-506x ISBN Medium
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Notes (up) Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4694
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Author Hewitt, S.E.; Macdonald, D.W.; Dugdale, H.L.
Title Context-dependent linear dominance hierarchies in social groups of European badgers, Meles meles Type Journal Article
Year 2009 Publication Animal Behaviour. Abbreviated Journal Anim. Behav.
Volume 77 Issue 1 Pages 161-169
Keywords David's score; directed aggression; dominance rank; European badger; grooming behaviour; linear dominance hierarchy; Meles meles; reproductive success; relatedness; social status
Abstract A social hierarchy is generally assumed to exist in those mammalian societies in which the costs and benefits of group living are distributed unevenly among group members. We analysed infrared closed-circuit television footage, collected over 3 years in Wytham Woods, Oxfordshire, to test whether social groups of European badgers have dominance hierarchies. Analysis of directed aggression between dyads revealed linear dominance hierarchies in three social-group-years, but patterns within social groups were not consistent across years. Dominance hierarchies were significantly steeper than random in five out of six social-group-years. In those social-group-years where a linear hierarchy was determined, there was an effect of sex on dominance rank, with females gaining significantly higher rank than males in two social-group-years. Overall, rank was not related to age, nor did it appear to affect the likelihood of an individual being wounded, or an individual's breeding status. The latter resulted from nonorthogonality between sex and breeding status, as there were only two breeding males. Overall, hierarchies were primarily dominated by breeding females, and may occur when breeding competition arises. Relatedness, unreciprocated allogrooming and sequential allomarking were not consistently related to levels of directed aggression across social-group-years. We suggest that dominance structures within European badger groups may be context dependent, with future study required to complete our understanding of where, and when, they arise.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0003-3472 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes (up) Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4695
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Author Griffin, A.S.
Title Socially acquired predator avoidance: Is it just classical conditioning? Type Journal Article
Year 2008 Publication Brain Research Bulletin Abbreviated Journal Special Issue:Brain Mechanisms, Cognition and Behaviour in Birds
Volume 76 Issue 3 Pages 264-271
Keywords Learning; Classical (Pavlovian) conditioning; Social learning; Ecological specialization; General process theory; Ecology; Predation; Backward conditioning
Abstract Associative learning theories presume the existence of a general purpose learning process, the structure of which does not mirror the demands of any particular learning problem. In contrast, learning scientists working within an Evolutionary Biology tradition believe that learning processes have been shaped by ecological demands. One potential means of exploring how ecology may have modified properties of acquisition is to use associative learning theory as a framework within which to analyse a particular learning phenomenon. Recent work has used this approach to examine whether socially transmitted predator avoidance can be conceptualised as a classical conditioning process in which a novel predator stimulus acts as a conditioned stimulus (CS) and acquires control over an avoidance response after it has become associated with alarm signals of social companions, the unconditioned stimulus (US). I review here a series of studies examining the effect of CS/US presentation timing on the likelihood of acquisition. Results suggest that socially acquired predator avoidance may be less sensitive to forward relationships than traditional classical conditioning paradigms. I make the case that socially acquired predator avoidance is an exciting novel one-trial learning paradigm that could be studied along side fear conditioning. Comparisons between social and non-social learning of danger at both the behavioural and neural level may yield a better understanding of how ecology might shape properties and mechanisms of learning.
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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ISSN 0361-9230 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes (up) Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4697
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Author Anderson, W.D.; Summers, C.H.
Title Neuroendocrine Mechanisms, Stress Coping Strategies, and Social Dominance: Comparative Lessons about Leadership Potential Type Journal Article
Year 2007 Publication The ANNALS of the American Academy of Political and Social Science Abbreviated Journal Ann Am Acad Polit Soc Sci
Volume 614 Issue 1 Pages 102-130
Keywords social dominance – authoritarian – Five Factor Model – neurochemistry – neurotransmitters – leadership
Abstract The authors examine dominance and subordination in the social psychology, political science, and biology literatures. Using Summers and Winberg (2006) as a guide, the authors suggest that extreme dominance or subordination phenotypes--including social dominance orientation and right-wing authoritarianism--are determined by an organism's genetic predispositions, motivations, stress responses, and long-term hormone release and uptake states. The authors offer hypotheses about the likely neurochemical profiles for each of these extreme dominance and subordination phenotypes and suggest two designs that begin to test these hypotheses.
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Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4699
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Author Sawaguchi, T.; Kudo, H.
Title Neocortical development and social structure in primates Type Journal Article
Year 1990 Publication Primates Abbreviated Journal Primates
Volume 31 Issue 2 Pages 283-289
Keywords Neocortex – Relative size – Allometry – Congeneric group – Social structure – Monogyny – Polygyny – Primates
Abstract Abstract  The relationships between the relative size of the neocortex and differences in social structures were examined in prosimians and anthropoids. The relative size of the neocortex (RSN) of a given congeneric group in each superfamily of primates was measured based on the allometric relationships between neocortical volume and brain weight for each superfamily, to control phylogenetic affinity and the effects of brain size. In prosimians, “troop-making†congeneric groups (N=3) revealed a significantly larger RSN than solitary groups (N=6), and there was a significant, positive correlation between RSN and troop size. In the case of anthropoids, polygynous/frugivorous groups (N=5) revealed a significantly larger RSN than monogynous/frugivorous groups (N=8). Furthermore, a significant, positive correlation between RSN and troop size was found for frugivorous congeneric groups of the Ceboidea. These results suggest that neocortical development is associated with differences in social structure among primates.
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Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
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Area Expedition Conference
Notes (up) Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4799
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Author Landaeta-Hernández, A. J.; Chenoweth, P. J.; Randles, R.; Littell, R.; Rae, O.; Chase, C. C.
Title Identifying the social dominance order in a mixed breed herd: a practical methodology Type Journal Article
Year 2005 Publication Revista Científica Abbreviated Journal Revista Científica
Volume 15 Issue 2 Pages 148-154
Keywords Cattle, behavior, social organization
Abstract The major objective of this study was to identify a simple and accurate method of assessing differences in female social status. Three methods of estimating dominance value (DV) were compared in beef cows of three breed-types; Angus (A; n=10), Brahman (B; n=10), and Senepol (S; n=10). Cows were equitably assigned to two groups of fifteen each, allocated into separate pastures and containing equal number of animals by breed. Agonistic interactions were recorded for 45 d of study, in two 1 h periods during concentrate feeding using the method of competitive orders winner/loser. Methods of estimating DV included: I) Ratio between individuals dominated and total encountered, II) Ratio between encounters won to total encounters, III) Proportion of individuals dominated to total herdmates. Due to the different level of interactivity evidenced among animals as well as between and within social orders, method III with subsequent arc-sin transformation was considered as the most practical and accurate method for estimating DV and subsequent allocation of cows into a social dominance order. In addition, a breed effect was found on social dominance. Senepol cows obtained greater DV`s (1.24 ± 0.08) than Angus (0.97 ± 0.08; P<0.03) and Brahman cows (0.76 ± 0.08; P<0.005).
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Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN 0798-2259 ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes (up) Approved yes
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4753
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