Sex differences in familiarity preferences within fission–fusion brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater, flocks

Kohn, Gregory M.; Meredith, Gwendŵr R.; Magdaleno, Francisco R.; King, Andrew P.; West, Meredith J.

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2015.05.023

Cited by 23 publications

(19 citation statements)

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“…Although familiarity has been seen to improve coordination in a variety of taxa, the mechanisms behind this association are difficult to parse and may be due to reduced aggression (Utne-Palm & Hart, 2003) or the benefit of previous experience with group-mates (Lachlan, Crooks, & Laland, 1998). Given the advantages of familiarity, it makes sense that individuals often prefer to associate with familiar individuals over unfamiliar ones in a number of species, including cowbirds (Molothrus ater) (Kohn, Meredith, Magdaleno, King, & West, 2015) and guppies (Griffiths & Magurran, 1997).…”

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confidence: 99%

The role of tactile interactions in flight responses in the Bronze Cory catfish (Corydoras aeneus)

et al. 2019

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One of the primary functions of animal aggregations is defence against predators. Many social animals enjoy reduced predation risk as a result of grouping, and individuals within groups can benefit from information transferred by their group‐mates about a potential predator. We present evidence that a tactile interaction behaviour we term “nudging” substantially modified group responses to a potential threat in a highly social catfish, Corydoras aeneus. These catfish deployed nudges during flight responses, and these nudges were associated with a greater likelihood of group cohesion following a threat event. Increased nudging behaviour also resulted in longer flight responses, a potentially costly outcome in natural contexts. In addition, individuals that perceived the threat first were more likely to initiate nudges, implying that nudges could be used to alert group‐mates to the presence of a threat. Taken together, our results suggest that tactile communication plays an important role in mediating anti‐predator benefits from sociality in these fish.

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confidence: 99%

The role of tactile interactions in flight responses in the Bronze Cory catfish (Corydoras aeneus)

et al. 2019

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“…This is surprising, given that previous studies have found that familiarity influences social decision-making and affects social network structure (e.g., Lachlan et al, 1998;Atton et al, 2014;Kohn et al, 2015). Individual-based models of collective motion have found that stronger social preferences between individuals-mimicking the effects of familiarity-can result in familiar individuals clustering together, forming distinct subgroups within the larger collective (Hemelrijk & Kunz, 2005).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 91%

“…Individual-based models of collective motion have found that stronger social preferences between individuals-mimicking the effects of familiarity-can result in familiar individuals clustering together, forming distinct subgroups within the larger collective (Hemelrijk & Kunz, 2005). Furthermore, several studies across a range of taxa have found that individuals are more likely to approach familiar group mates (Lachlan et al, 1998;Keller et al, 2011;Kohn et al, 2015) and associate more frequently with them (Atton et al, 2014). …”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Even within fissionfusion social systems, in which group size and membership changes frequently, social connections between familiar individuals can persist. Female brown-headed cowbirds (Molothrus ater) maintained stable social bonds with familiar females over time and across shifting group compositions (Kohn et al, 2015). Similarly, persistent social preferences were detected between females in a wild Trinidadian guppy population, and these strong network connections were correlated with greater cooperation during predator inspections (Croft et al, 2006).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 96%

“…Across a wide variety of taxa, familiarity has been shown to influence social preferences, including in fish (Griffiths & Magurran, 1997;Atton et al, 2014), birds (Kohn et al, 2015), and mammals (Keller et al, 2011). Familiarity can arise through learned recognition of specific individuals (Griffiths & Magurran, 1997;Ward et al, 2009), as well as via mechanisms that facilitate a more general recognition of particular classes of individual.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social dynamics, network structure, and information diffusion in fish shoals.

Hasenjager¹

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for always ensuring my library was well-stocked, and for fostering my enduring love of the natural world. Animal populations are often highly structured, with individuals differing in terms of whom they interact with and how frequently they do so. The resulting pattern of relationships constitutes a population's social network. In this dissertation, I examine how environmental variation can shape social networks and influence information flow within them. In Chapter I, I review the history of social network analysis in animal behavior research, and discuss recent insights generated by network approaches in behavioral ecology. I focus on the fields of: social learning, collective behavior, animal personalities, and cooperation. Animal network studies are often criticized for a lack of replication at the network level and an over-reliance on descriptive approaches in lieu of hypothesis testing. Small, shoaling fish may provide a means to address these concerns, as manipulative experiments can be conducted on replicate social groups under captive conditions. Chapters III-V examine the impacts of environmental variation on the social networks of Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) shoals, the social dynamics from which they emerge, and information diffusion within them. In the experiments described in Chapter III, I manipulated shoal composition in terms of within-group familiarity.Mixed shoals of familiar and unfamiliar fish exhibited greater homogeneity in network vi structure relative to other groups, which likely contributed to the rapid diffusion of foraging information observed within them. In the experiments discussed in Chapter IV, Imanipulated the within-shoal mixture of personality types. In addition to impacting frequencies of partner switching and patterns of phenotypic assortment, individual-and group-level personality variation had strong effects on the initial acquisition of novel foraging information and the speed of its transmission through a group. In the experiments in Chapter V, I manipulated the ambient predation risk perceived by groups.High-risk conditions were associated with shifts in network structure consistent with attempts to minimize predation risk. High ambient risk also impeded the acquisition and subsequent transmission of foraging information, likely due to heightened neophobia and/or an increase in the perceived costs of personal sampling. I conclude in Chapter VI by considering the broader implications of my work and highlighting promising avenues for future research.vii

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Social stability in times of change: effects of group fusion and water depth on sociality in a globally invasive fish

Flood

Wong

2017

Animal Behaviour

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Sex differences in familiarity preferences within fission–fusion brown-headed cowbird, Molothrus ater, flocks

Cited by 23 publications

References 36 publications

The role of tactile interactions in flight responses in the Bronze Cory catfish (Corydoras aeneus)

The role of tactile interactions in flight responses in the Bronze Cory catfish (Corydoras aeneus)

Social dynamics, network structure, and information diffusion in fish shoals.

Social stability in times of change: effects of group fusion and water depth on sociality in a globally invasive fish

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