scholarly journals Attractiveness of female sexual signaling predicts differences in female grouping patterns between bonobos and chimpanzees

2021 ◽  
Vol 4 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Martin Surbeck ◽  
Cédric Girard-Buttoz ◽  
Liran Samuni ◽  
Christophe Boesch ◽  
Barbara Fruth ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Species Differences ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Species Difference ◽  
Spatial Association ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Sexual Signaling ◽  
Party Members ◽  
Frequent Presence

AbstractHere we show that sexual signaling affects patterns of female spatial association differently in chimpanzees and bonobos, indicating its relevance in shaping the respective social systems. Generally, spatial association between females often mirrors patterns and strength of social relationships and cooperation within groups. While testing for proposed differences in female-female associations underlying female coalition formation in the species of the genus Pan, we find only limited evidence for a higher female-female gregariousness in bonobos. While bonobo females exhibited a slightly higher average number of females in their parties, there is neither a species difference in the time females spent alone, nor in the number of female party members in the absence of sexually attractive females. We find that the more frequent presence of maximally tumescent females in bonobos is associated with a significantly stronger increase in the number of female party members, independent of variation in a behavioural proxy for food abundance. This indicates the need to look beyond ecology when explaining species differences in female sociality as it refutes the idea that the higher gregariousness among bonobo females is driven by ecological factors alone and highlights that the temporal distribution of female sexual receptivity is an important factor to consider when studying mammalian sociality.

scholarly journals Social Interactions in Zoo-Housed Elephants: Factors Affecting Social Relationships

Animals ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 9 (10) ◽  
pp. 747 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ellen Williams ◽  
Anne Carter ◽  
Carol Hall ◽  
Samantha Bremner-Harrison
Keyword(s):  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Group ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Social Groups ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Positive Interactions ◽  
Asian Elephants ◽  
Minimal Impact ◽  
Proactive Management

Elephants have complex social systems that are predominantly driven by ecological factors in situ. Within zoos, elephants are held in relatively static social groups and the factors observed driving social relationships in the wild are largely absent. Little research has investigated the effect of social group factors in zoos on elephant social interactions. The aim of this research was to establish whether there is a relationship between social group factors and social behaviour, in order to identify factors that make elephant herds more or less likely to be compatible. Results will facilitate recommendations for optimum social groupings for zoo elephants. Behavioural data quantifying social interactions were collected between January 2016 and February 2017 at seven UK and Irish zoos and safari parks from 10 African and 22 Asian elephants. Social interactions were split into four categories: positive physical, positive non-physical, negative physical and negative non-physical. Social interactions were related to age (positive physical higher and negative non-physical lower in calves than adults), personality (elephants with higher sociability scores engaged in more positive interactions and less negative interactions), presence of calves in the herd (herds with calves had more positive non-physical), relatedness to other elephants in the herd (positive non-physical were higher when relatives were in the group and negative non-physical were higher between unrelated elephants) and species (Asian elephants engaged in more positive non-physical than African elephants). A greater understanding of factors that may contribute to the success of zoo-elephant social groups is important for individual and herd welfare as it will enable evidence-based decisions which have minimal impact on social structures to be executed. This knowledge will enable proactive management approaches to be undertaken and will thus be paramount in ensuring optimal welfare for elephant herds moving forwards.

Social data collection and analyses

2021 ◽  
pp. 53-76
Author(s):  
Marie J. E. Charpentier ◽  
Marie Pelé ◽  
Julien P. Renoult ◽  
Cédric Sueur
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Information Diffusion ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Large Data ◽  
Natural Environments ◽  
Data Sets ◽  
Large Array ◽  
Fine Grained ◽  
Network Analyses ◽  
Analytical Tools

Sampling accurate and quantitative behavioural data requires the description of fine-grained patterns of social relationships and/or spatial associations, which is highly challenging, especially in natural environments. Although behavioural ecologists have tackled systematic studies on animals’ societies since the nineteenth century, new biologging technologies have the potential to revolutionise the sampling of animals’ social relationships. However, the tremendous quantity of data sampled and the diversity of biologgers (such as proximity loggers) currently available that allow the sampling of a large array of biological and physiological data bring new analytical challenges. The high spatiotemporal resolution of data needed when studying social processes, such as disease or information diffusion, requires new analytical tools, such as social network analyses, developed to analyse large data sets. The quantity and quality of the data now available on a large array of social systems bring undiscovered outputs, consistently opening new and exciting research avenues.

scholarly journals The Sustainable Development of Choronymic Cultural Landscapes in China Based on Geo-Informatic Tupu

2019 ◽  
Vol 11 (16) ◽  
pp. 4302 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yingying Wang ◽  
Dazhuan Ge ◽  
Tongyan Zhang ◽  
Yingjie Wang
Keyword(s):  
Sustainable Development ◽  
Spatial Distribution ◽  
Ming Dynasty ◽  
Cultural Landscapes ◽  
Yellow River ◽  
Spatial Association ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Temporal Database ◽  
The Sustainable Development ◽  
Chengdu Plain

As a part of cultural landscapes, toponyms with abundant cultural connotations and a long history are valuable cultural heritage assets. Choronyms not only reflect natural and social phenomena but also help with relevant management and naming work. In order to explore the historical development sequence of choronymic cultural landscape evolution, we analyze the spatial–temporal pattern evolution, spatial–temporal variation, spatial association, and semantic evolution of choronymic cultural landscapes since the Qin dynasty. We adopt the sequent snapshot model and an event-based state amendment model to establish a spatio-temporal database. That can provide decision supports and theoretical reference for the sustainable development of toponymic landscapes. Results indicate the following: (1) Spatial distribution of toponym density has been different since the Qin dynasty. The cores of toponym density spread from the middle-lower reaches of the Yellow River to Yangtze Plain, Chengdu Plain, Pearl River Delta Plain. (2) Spatial distribution of choronyms is agglomerative since the Qin dynasty and uneven at national and provincial scales since the Yuan dynasty. Temporal distribution of toponyms at different levels is centralized. (3) Spatial agglomeration phenomena of toponyms are positively clustered in nine periods. The Ming dynasty presents the largest degree of spatial aggregation. (4) Words relevant to blessings, orientation, and hydrological features have high proportions in the top 20 words. (5) Spatial distribution of county-level choronyms named over the last 1000 years and “Millennium Ancient Counties” are unbalanced at national and provincial scales.

scholarly journals A resident-nepotistic-tolerant dominance style in wild white-nosed coatis (Nasua narica)?

Behaviour ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 156 (9) ◽  
pp. 927-968
Author(s):  
Claudio de la O ◽  
Ines Fürtbauer ◽  
Andrew J. King ◽  
David Valenzuela-Galván
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Dominance Rank ◽  
Systematic Investigation ◽  
Primate Species ◽  
Female Resident ◽  
Dominance Style ◽  
Nasua Narica ◽  
Dominance Relationships ◽  
Sources Of Variation

Abstract Dominance relationships imply consistent asymmetries in social relationships. Socioecological models predict that resource distribution determines the mode of competition that animals will face and, ultimately, the nature of their social relationships. Here, we provide the first systematic investigation of dominance style in white-nosed coatis (Nasua narica). Coatis live in cohesive female-resident groups, and have a diet based on clumped (fruits) and dispersed (insects) food items, which are predicted to favour despotic and egalitarian social styles, respectively. Our results revealed moderate linearity and steepness in dominance relationships over time, with variations attributed to stages of reproductive season, rather than presumed variations in food resources. Primary social bonds and coalitions were found to mediate dominance rank. Overall, our results suggest some similarities between coatis and despotic-tolerant primate species, at least under particular ecological circumstances, and we discuss their potential for affording a deeper understanding on the sources of variation in mammal social systems.

The impact of capitalist-led neoliberal agenda’s on parents and their children

2020 ◽  
Vol 45 (2) ◽  
pp. 101-108
Author(s):  
Rachael Sanders
Keyword(s):  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Primary Caregivers ◽  
Parent Child Relationship ◽  
Social Morality ◽  
Social Agents ◽  
Child Relationship ◽  
The Social ◽  
Children's Beliefs ◽  
The Impact

AbstractOne of the most important social relationships in any community is that of parent and child. Parents and primary caregivers are typically tasked with raising their children; however, they are but one of many social agents and structures that contribute to childrens’ overall socialisation. Children’s beliefs, values and behaviours are influenced by the broader social systems in which they are raised, including social and economic ideologies. This commentary aims to build an argument based on a broad collection of literature and research, that Australia’s current variegated form of neoliberalism has the potential to create friction within the parent–child relationship, and questions about the social morality of this position are raised.

scholarly journals Morphometric Characteristics of the Skull in Horses and Donkeys—A Pilot Study

Animals ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (6) ◽  
pp. 1002
Author(s):  
Katrina Merkies ◽  
Georgios Paraschou ◽  
Paul Damien McGreevy
Keyword(s):  
Hard Palate ◽  
Species Differences ◽  
Species Difference ◽  
Multiple Comparisons ◽  
General Linear Model ◽  
Morphometric Characteristics ◽  
Skull Morphology ◽  
Main Effect ◽  
Subsequent Measurement ◽  
Clear Differentiation

Horses and donkeys belong to the genus Equus, but important differences exist between the species, many of which affect their management and welfare. This study compared skull morphology between horses and donkeys. Horse (n = 14) and donkey (n = 16) heads were obtained post-mortem, sectioned sagittally close to the midline, and photographed for subsequent measurement of various skull structures. Skull, cranial, nasal, and profile indices were calculated for topographical comparisons between the species. The olfactory bulb area (OBA), OB pitch (the angle between the hard palate and the OB axis), and whorl location (WL) were also measured. A General Linear Model determined the main effect of species with Sidak’s multiple comparisons of species’ differences among the various measurements. There was no species difference in cranial or nasal indices (p > 0.13), but donkeys had a larger cranial profile than horses (p < 0.04). Donkeys had a smaller OBA (p < 0.05) and a steeper OB pitch (p < 0.02) than horses. The WL corresponded to the level of the OB in horses but was extremely rostral in donkeys (p < 0.0001). These results show clear differentiation in skull morphology between horses and donkeys. This may be useful in validating other physiological and behavioural differences between horses and donkeys.

A Species Difference in Conditioned Emotional Response

1964 ◽  
Vol 15 (2) ◽  
pp. 579-585 ◽  
Author(s):  
Norman D. Henderson
Keyword(s):  
Emotional Response ◽  
Species Differences ◽  
Conditioned Emotional Response ◽  
Species Difference ◽  
Quantitative Measure ◽  
Exploratory Activity ◽  
Activity Level ◽  
Old Rats ◽  
Rats And Mice

A technique to produce a quantitative measure of CER without pretraining is presented. The response, a change in S's exploratory activity during the CS, occurs rapidly in even 3-wk. old rats and mice. Species differences occur in the reaction to CS, US, and CS-US pairings. Although rats tend to suppress activity during CS as a result of CS-US pairings, the shock or buzzer alone increases activity level; while the opposite is true of mice.

scholarly journals Lining up for charity

2017 ◽  
Vol 37 (3/4) ◽  
pp. 218-230 ◽  
Author(s):  
Anna Sofia Salonen
Keyword(s):  
Social Organization ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Qualitative Data ◽  
Social Systems ◽  
Content Type ◽  
Faith Based ◽  
The Social ◽  
The Everyday ◽  
Ethnographic Data ◽  
Food Charity

Purpose Recent decades have witnessed a rise in food charity provided by faith-based and other charitable agencies. Previous research has noted that besides material assistance, these occasions provide a social and communal event for many participants. The purpose of this paper is to examine this notion by exploring how the social organization of breadlines contributes to the social relationships between the food recipients and their experiences of these places as communities, and what qualities these communities eventually develop. Design/methodology/approach The study is based on ethnographic data from four breadlines in one Finnish city. The study approaches the breadlines as queues, that is, social systems that govern waiting, mutual order and access. Findings The social organization of queue practices mirrors the users’ experiences of the breadlines as communities with many concurrent faces: as communities of mutual surveillance and as demanding communities that call for skills and resources from the participants, as well as socially significant communities. The findings show how the practices of organizing charitable assistance influence the complex social relationships between charitable giver and recipient, and how the food recipients accommodate themselves to the situations and social roles available on a given occasion. Originality/value Analysing breadlines as queues and using qualitative data from the everyday assistance events gives voice to the experiences of food charity recipients and allows a more nuanced picture to be painted of the breadline communities than studies based merely on surveys or interviews.

Male Bonds: Afilliative Relationships Among Nonhuman Primate Males

Behaviour ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 130 (3-4) ◽  
pp. 309-337 ◽  
Author(s):  
Carel P. Van Schaik ◽  
Jan A.R.A.M. Van Hooff
Keyword(s):  
Sexual Dimorphism ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Inclusive Fitness ◽  
Temporal Distribution ◽  
Decisive Role ◽  
Female Competition ◽  
Male Bonding ◽  
Group Members ◽  
Male Bonds ◽  
Special Case

AbstractA deductively obtained model concerning the factors that determine male social relationships within the framework of primate social organization is discussed in the light of existing empirical evidence. Tolerance and affiliative bonding are expected to occur less easily between male than between female primates. Whereas females compete for resources such as food, males, in addition compete to obtain fertilizations. Unlike food, fertilizations cannot easily be shared. This undoubtedly hampers the formation of male coalitions and the development of male bonds. Indeed, male tolerance tends to be low especially in species where the spatial and temporal distribution of females is such that individual males may monopolize access to such females, thus facilitating inter-male contest. Nevertheless there are a number of species in which tolerance between adult male group members is remarkable. In some cases forms of coordination and mutual attraction exist that justify the qualification of 'male bonding'. An important factor supposed to conduce to the development of male bonding is the inclusive fitness benefit that support and tolerance between male relatives may bring. This would occur especially where circumstances permit male philopatry. The latter is expected in species where the nature of female competition for basic resources does not lead to strong female-bondedness and female nepotism, allowing females to become allopatric. There is evidence from various species that related males form bonds under the mentioned conditions. A special case of this is the formation of father-son bonds, noted in species with strong intermale contest and corresponding sexual dimorphism. A remarkable alternative, by the way, is the existence of mother-son bonds which last into adulthood and which contribute to a male's position. There are indications for such bonds in two species where males stay with their mother and where sexual dimorphism is low. Still kinship clearly is not a necessary factor for the development of male tolerance and of support between males. The factor does not play a role, for instance, in the short-term coalitions found in baboons. Here opportunism based on mutual or reciprocal benefits seems to play a decisive role. The evidence presented lends support to the idea that there is an order of priorities, in which, first, socioecological factors determine the spatial, hierarchical and affiliative relationships between females. These female relationships then set the scene for the males, in that these determine the options left open for the males to organize their patterns of competition, migration and bonding.

scholarly journals How socio-ecological factors influence the differentiation of social relationships: an integrated conceptual framework

2020 ◽  
Vol 16 (9) ◽  
pp. 20200384
Author(s):  
Liza R. Moscovice ◽  
Cédric Sueur ◽  
Filippo Aureli
Keyword(s):  
Conceptual Framework ◽  
Social Interactions ◽  
Social Relationships ◽  
Social Complexity ◽  
Ecological Factors ◽  
Contest Competition ◽  
Group Level ◽  
Interspecific Differences ◽  
Wide Range ◽  
Group Contest

The extent of differentiation of social relationships within groups is a means to assess social complexity, with greater differentiation indicating greater social complexity. Socio-ecological factors are likely to influence social complexity, but no attempt has been made to explain the differentiation of social relationships using multiple socio-ecological factors. Here, we propose a conceptual framework based on four components underlying multiple socio-ecological factors that influence the differentiation of social relationships: the extent of within-group contest competition to access resources, the extent to which individuals differ in their ability to provide a variety of services, the need for group-level cooperation and the constraints on social interactions. We use the framework to make predictions about the degree of relationship differentiation that can be expected within a group according to the cumulative contribution of multiple socio-ecological factors to each of the four components. The framework has broad applicability, since the four components are likely to be relevant to a wide range of animal taxa and to additional socio-ecological factors not explicitly dealt with here. Hence, the framework can be used as the basis for the development of novel and testable hypotheses about intra- and interspecific differences in relationship differentiation and social complexity.

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