Modeling social styles in macaque societies applied to a semi-free-ranging group of Macaca tonkeana

Where do we stand with the covariation framework in primate societies?

“…When meeting a neighbor, agents that were estimating to lose a fight to the neighbor were more likely to affiliate rather than attack, and this tendency was higher when the agent was more anxious due to a longer period of lack of affiliation. The outcome was that as a high intensity of aggression increased, post-conflict affiliation was less likely and this was in line with results reported in real macaque groups (Dolado et al, 2021;Puga-Gonzalez et al, 2009;Puga-Gonzalez et al, 2014). In the model, the higher conciliatory tendency in tolerant systems than in intolerant ones emerged as a side effect of the higher ratio of affiliative versus agonistic behavior in the groups that were more tolerant.…”

“…For instance, asserting that intolerant species behave "more aggressively" than tolerant species makes little sense until we know whether we are addressing the frequency or intensity of aggression. Regarding the frequency of aggression, it is not obvious that it is higher in intolerant macaques, as some authors presume (Dolado et al, 2021;Richter et al, 2009;Riley et al, 2014;Tyrrell et al, 2020). The opposite may even be true, because dangerous attacks (i.e., those involving biting) are rare in tolerant populations, which probably favors a frequent occurrence of low-risk quarrels (see Butovskaya, 1993;Chaffin et al, 1995;de Waal & Luttrell, 1989;Zhang & Watanabe, 2014).…”

“…The influence of dominance and kinship is more pronounced in intolerant macaques than in their tolerant counterparts, and a similar effect of these two factors on grooming networks has been documented (Berman et al, 2004; Berman & Thierry, 2010; Duboscq et al, 2013; Sueur et al, 2011; Thierry et al, 1990). However, this does not mean that rates of social grooming should also vary systematically with levels of social tolerance (see Beltrán Francés et al, 2020; de Waal & Luttrell, 1989; Dolado et al, 2021). Grooming plays a major role in maintaining alliances in primate groups, but the time available for this activity is limited, and there is a ceiling effect in the number of time individuals can allocate to this activity (Berman & Kapsalis, 1999; Berman & Thierry, 2010; Lehmann et al, 2007; Silk et al, 1999).…”