Early Social Networks Predict Survival in Wild Bottlenose Dolphins

Stanton, Margaret A.; Mann, Janet

doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0047508

Cited by 187 publications

(163 citation statements)

References 44 publications

(37 reference statements)

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“…In studies of the adaptive and health significance of social behaviour, affiliative social connectedness has been measured in a variety of ways (e.g. [1,[11][12][13]15,[16][17][18][19]40]). …”

Section: (B) Measuring Female Social Connectednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…However, comparable studies in non-human animals are rare. To date, only three such studies have been conducted [11][12][13]. Of these, only two measured social effects on natural adult lifespans, one in captive rats and one in wild baboons [11,12]: both found that some aspects of social relationships enhanced longevity.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…To date, most research on the fitness benefits of social relationships in non-human animals-both for reproduction and for survival-have focused on the benefits of same-sex relationships [11][12][13][15][16][17][18][19][20][21]. By contrast, the fitness benefits of heterosexual social relationships have been largely ignored.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social affiliation matters: both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships predict survival in wild female baboons

et al. 2014

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Social integration and support can have profound effects on human survival. The extent of this phenomenon in non-human animals is largely unknown, but such knowledge is important to understanding the evolution of both lifespan and sociality. Here, we report evidence that levels of affiliative social behaviour (i.e. 'social connectedness') with both same-sex and opposite-sex conspecifics predict adult survival in wild female baboons. In the Amboseli ecosystem in Kenya, adult female baboons that were socially connected to either adult males or adult females lived longer than females who were socially isolated from both sexes-females with strong connectedness to individuals of both sexes lived the longest. Female social connectedness to males was predicted by high dominance rank, indicating that males are a limited resource for females, and females compete for access to male social partners. To date, only a handful of animal studies have found that social relationships may affect survival. This study extends those findings by examining relationships to both sexes in by far the largest dataset yet examined for any animal. Our results support the idea that social effects on survival are evolutionarily conserved in social mammals.

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Section: (B) Measuring Female Social Connectednessmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social affiliation matters: both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships predict survival in wild female baboons

et al. 2014

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“…As previously stated, further more detailed exploration of the flock composition and its changes through time might help to explain the lack of any influence of female social traits and level of a preference for a male on future mating decisions. Finally, a growing number of studies show that social experiences might have an extended influence on individual fitness [4,[53][54][55]. For example, juvenile male zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata) that matured with a single female showed more intense courtship, aggressiveness, and were more attractive to females later in life than were males reared in mixed-sex groups [56].…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Carry-over effects of the social environment on future divorce probability in a wild bird population

2015

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ResearchCite this article: Culina A, Hinde CA, Sheldon BC. 2015 Carry-over effects of the social environment on future divorce probability in a wild bird population. Proc. R. Soc. Initial mate choice and re-mating strategies (infidelity and divorce) influence individual fitness. Both of these should be influenced by the social environment, which determines the number and availability of potential partners. While most studies looking at this relationship take a population-level approach, individual-level responses to variation in the social environment remain largely unstudied. Here, we explore carry-over effects on future mating decisions of the social environment in which the initial mating decision occurred. Using detailed data on the winter social networks of great tits, we tested whether the probability of subsequent divorce, a year later, could be predicted by measures of the social environment at the time of pairing. We found that males that had a lower proportion of female associates, and whose partner ranked lower among these, as well as inexperienced breeders, were more likely to divorce after breeding. We found no evidence that a female's social environment influenced the probability of divorce. Our findings highlight the importance of the social environment that individuals experience during initial pair formation on later pairing outcomes, and demonstrate that such effects can be delayed. Exploring these extended effects of the social environment can yield valuable insights into processes and selective pressures acting upon the mating strategies that individuals adopt.

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“…The ability to effectively interact with conspecifics is a vital skill, which we have only just begun to explore in terms of its impact on fitness (1,2). In humans, this ability is also highly valued and disorders known to reduce our ability *Author for correspondence (Karen.spencer@st-andrews.ac.uk).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Developmental stress and social phenotypes: integrating neuroendocrine, behavioural and evolutionary perspectives

Spencer¹

2017

Phil. Trans. R. Soc. B

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SummaryThe social world is filled with different types of interactions, and social experience interacts with stress on several different levels. Activation of the neuroendocrine axis that regulates the response to stress can have consequences for innumerable behavioural responses, including social decision making and aspects of sociality such as gregariousness and aggression. This is especially true for stress experienced during early life, when physiological systems are developing and highly sensitive to perturbation. Stress at this time can have persistent effects on social behaviours into adulthood. One important question remaining is to what extent these effects are adaptive. This paper initially reviews the current literature investigating the complex relationships between the hypothalamic-pituitaryadrenal (HPA) axis and other neuroendocrine systems and several aspects of social behaviour in vertebrates. In addition the review explores the evidence surrounding the potential for 'social programming' via differential development and activation of the HPA axis, providing an insight into the potential for positive effects on fitness following early life stress. Finally the paper provides a framework from which novel investigations could work to fully understand the adaptive significance of early life effects on social behaviours. BackgroundThe ability to effectively interact with conspecifics is a vital skill, which we have only just begun to explore in terms of its impact on fitness (1, 2). In humans, this ability is also highly valued and disorders known to reduce our ability *Author for correspondence (Karen.spencer@st-andrews.ac.uk). †Present address: School of Psychology & Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, South Street, St Andrews, KY16 9JP to interact or understand the emotional cues of others place sufferers at significant disadvantages, with long term impacts on health and wellbeing. Understanding the factors that give rise to individual differences in 'social competence' is therefore of fundamental importance to both our knowledge of human pathologies, but also animal welfare and population structure. Stress is a major regulator of social behaviour and in turn social influences can alter behavioural and physiological responses to stress (3-5). Activation of the vertebrate neuroendocrine axis which regulates the response to stress can cause pleiotropic effects on several aspects of social behaviour, including reduced social interaction, increased affiliative behaviours, increased aggression and altered mating behaviours (6-15). The direction and magnitude of these effects is often related to the context within which the experiment was conducted as well as the type of stressor that was experienced and the life history strategy of the species in question, however there is clear evidence to suggest that stress during all life stages can impact on sociality.One major driver of social ability in adulthood is the conditions experienced during development, when neural substrates and physiological systems...

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Early Social Networks Predict Survival in Wild Bottlenose Dolphins

Cited by 187 publications

References 44 publications

Social affiliation matters: both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships predict survival in wild female baboons

Social affiliation matters: both same-sex and opposite-sex relationships predict survival in wild female baboons

Carry-over effects of the social environment on future divorce probability in a wild bird population

Developmental stress and social phenotypes: integrating neuroendocrine, behavioural and evolutionary perspectives

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