Social stability in semiferal ponies: networks show interannual stability alongside seasonal flexibility

Stanley, Christina R.; Mettke-Hofmann, Claudia; Hager, Reinmar; Shultz, Susanne

doi:10.1016/j.anbehav.2017.04.013

Cited by 52 publications

(57 citation statements)

References 63 publications

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“…Using this metric of stability, we found that the manakin social networks were more stable than 76 expected by chance ( Fig. 1a), similar to other social animals (7,(28)(29)(30). However, stability was not constant, because each network fluctuated across a range of values (mean stability 0.43 ± SD 78 0.23; repeatability of stability 0, 95% CI 0-0.22).…”

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confidence: 64%

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Reciprocity and behavioral heterogeneity govern the stability of social networks

Dakin

Ryder

2019

Preprint

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16The dynamics of social networks can determine the transmission of information, the spread of diseases, and the evolution of behavior. Despite this broad importance, a general framework for 18 predicting social network stability has not been proposed. Here, we present longitudinal data on the social dynamics of a cooperative bird species, the wire-tailed manakin, to evaluate the 20 potential causes of temporal network stability. We find that when partners interact less frequently, and when the breadth of social connectedness within the network increases, the social 22network is subsequently less stable. Social connectivity was also negatively associated with the temporal persistence of coalition partnerships on an annual timescale. This negative association 24 between connectivity and stability was surprising, especially given that individual manakins who were more connected also had more stable partnerships. This apparent paradox arises from a 26 within-individual behavioral trade-off between partnership quantity and quality. Crucially, this trade-off is easily masked by behavioral variation among individuals. Using a simulation, we 28show that these results are explained by a simple model that combines among-individual behavioral heterogeneity and reciprocity within the network. As social networks become more 30 connected, individuals face a trade-off between partnership quantity and maintenance. This model also demonstrates how among-individual behavioral heterogeneity, a ubiquitous feature of 32 natural societies, can improve social stability. Together, these findings provide unifying principles that are expected to govern diverse social systems. 34 Significance Statement 36In animal societies, social partnerships form a dynamic network that can change over time. Why are some social network structures more stable than others? We addressed this question by 38 studying a cooperative bird species in which social behavior is important for fitness, similar to humans. We found that stable social networks are characterized by more frequent interactions, 40 but sparser connectivity throughout the network. Using a simulation, we show how both results can be explained by a simple model of reciprocity. These findings indicate that social stability is 42 governed by a trade-off whereby individuals can either maintain a few high-quality partners, or increase partner number. This fundamental trade-off may govern the dynamics and stability of 44 many societies, including in humans.Social network structure -or, the way individuals are linked by repeated social interactions -can 46 influence the transmission of information, culture, resources, and diseases (1-6). Recent work has begun to demonstrate how changes to social network topology can have diverse costs (2, 7-48 10) and benefits (11-13), and may even influence the evolution of behavior (14). Although previous research has explored how social relationships form, and why some relationships are 50 maintained for longer time periods than others (15-19), we lack a general ...

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confidence: 64%

“…Why are some social partnerships able to persist through time (7,18,29,30)? To understand how social structure might influence the fidelity of particular bonds over longer 124 timescales, we analyzed the annual persistence of 669 manakin partnerships from one season to the next ( Fig.…”

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confidence: 99%

Reciprocity and behavioral heterogeneity govern the stability of social networks

Dakin

Ryder

2019

Preprint

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“…Roosting associations in Bechstein's bats (Myotis bechsteinii) and Natterer's bats (Myotis nattereri) were found to remain stable across several years despite high fission-fusion dynamics (Kerth et al, 2011;Zeus et al, 2018). Stanley et al (2018) revealed that, despite seasonal fluctuations in gregariousness and overall weak social associations, semi-feral ponies (Equus caballus) maintained stable association preferences over three years. Finally, Firth and Sheldon (2016) showed that great tits' (Parus major) winter social associations carried over into their subsequent breeding season, as individuals bred nearer to those they were most associated with during winter.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 98%

Season-specific carryover of early life associations in a monogamous bird species

et al. 2020

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“…Bands are typically stable, with few changes in group composition over time [18]. Mares will often remain in the same group for most (if not all) of their adult lives [19]-allowing for persistent social bonds between them [20]-and offspring remain with the group until 4-6 years of age [14,21]. Although the communicative repertoire of feral horses has been described as rudimentary [22], it has been shown to provide frequent and clear communication amongst group members [14,15,23,24].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Communication is key: Mother-offspring signaling can affect behavioral responses and offspring survival in feral horses (Equus caballus)

Nuñez

Rubenstein

2020

PLoS ONE

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Acoustic signaling plays an important role in mother-offspring recognition and subsequent bond-formation. It remains unclear, however, if mothers and offspring use acoustic signaling in the same ways and for the same reasons throughout the juvenile stage, particularly after mutual recognition has been adequately established. Moreover, despite its critical role in mother-offspring bond formation, research explicitly linking mother-infant communication strategies to offspring survival are lacking. We examined the communicative patterns of mothers and offspring in the feral horse (Equus caballus) to better understand 1) the nature of mother-offspring communication throughout the first year of development; 2) the function (s) of mother-vs. offspring-initiated communication and; 3) the importance of mare and foal communication to offspring survival. We found that 1) mares and foals differ in when and how they initiate communication; 2) the outcomes of mare-vs. foal-initiated communication events consistently differ; and 3) the communicative patterns between mares and their foals can be important for offspring survival to one year of age. Moreover, given the importance of maternal activity to offspring behavior and subsequent survival, we submit that our data are uniquely positioned to address the long-debated question: do the behaviors exhibited during the juvenile stage (by both mothers and their young) confer delayed or immediate benefits to offspring? In summary, we aimed to better understand 1) the dynamics of mother-offspring communication, 2) whether mother-offspring communicative patterns were important to offspring survival, and 3) the implications of our research regarding the function of the mammalian juvenile stage. Our results demonstrate that we have achieved those aims.

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Social stability in semiferal ponies: networks show interannual stability alongside seasonal flexibility

Abstract: The version presented here may differ from the published version or from the version of the record. Please see the repository URL above for details on accessing the published version and note that access may require a subscription.

Cited by 52 publications

References 63 publications

Reciprocity and behavioral heterogeneity govern the stability of social networks

Reciprocity and behavioral heterogeneity govern the stability of social networks

Season-specific carryover of early life associations in a monogamous bird species

Communication is key: Mother-offspring signaling can affect behavioral responses and offspring survival in feral horses (Equus caballus)

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