The multilevel society of a small-brained bird

Papageorgiou, Danai; Christensen, Christa Lykke; Gall, Gabriella E. C.; Klarevas‐Irby, James A.; Nyaguthii, Brendah; Couzin, Iain D.; Farine, Damien R.

doi:10.1016/j.cub.2019.09.072

Cited by 77 publications

(177 citation statements)

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“…Vulturine guineafowl live in a multilevel society, where groups preferentially associate with other groups ( Papageorgiou et al, 2019 ). In such societies, intergroup associations can bring many important benefits, such as information sharing on predators and resources, as well as mating and dispersal opportunities ( Grueter et al, 2020 ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we examine the effect of group size on the movement and space use patterns of wild groups of vulturine guineafowl ( Acryllium vulturinum ), and whether resulting patterns correspond to differences in reproductive output among groups. Our study species lives in a multilevel society consisting of large, stable groups with multiple breeding units and groups form stable associations with specific other groups ( Papageorgiou et al, 2019 ). The stable social structure and the lack of territoriality—the entire population inhabits a small area of approximately 500 ha and all groups can easily access all parts of our study area—makes vulturine guineafowl an ideal species to investigate how group size influences movement characteristics because groups can range without major constraints on ranging imposed by other groups.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Group size and composition influence collective movement in a highly social terrestrial bird

Papageorgiou

Farine

2020

eLife

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A challenge of group-living is to maintain cohesion while navigating through heterogeneous landscapes. Larger groups benefit from information pooling, translating to greater ‘collective intelligence’, but face increased coordination challenges. If these facets interact, we should observe a non-linear relationship between group size and collective movement. We deployed high-resolution GPS tags to vulturine guineafowl from 21 distinct social groups and used continuous-time movement models to characterize group movements across five seasons. Our data revealed a quadratic relationship between group size and movement characteristics, with intermediate-sized groups exhibiting the largest home-range size and greater variation in space use. Intermediate-sized groups also had higher reproductive success, but having more young in the group reduced home-range size. Our study suggests the presence of an optimal group size, and composition, for collective movement.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Group size and composition influence collective movement in a highly social terrestrial bird

Papageorgiou

Farine

2020

eLife

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“…Multilevel or modular societies represent a complex form of group organization comprising multiple discrete social units nested within a larger social matrix of up to several hundred individuals (Grueter, Chapais, & Zinner, 2012; Kummer, 1984; Stammbach, 1987). This organization has been described in humans (Hamilton, Milne, Walker, Burger, & Brown, 2007), non‐human primates (Schreier & Swedell, 2009; Snyder‐Mackler, Beehner, & Bergman, 2012), elephants (Wittemyer, Daballen, Rasmussen, Kahindi, & Douglas‐Hamilton, 2005), equids (Rubenstein & Hack, 2004), cetaceans (Cantor et al, 2015), and a ground‐dwelling bird (Papageorgiou et al, 2019). Multilevel societies range from simple two‐level societies seen in zebras ( Equus burchelli ), composed of the core breeding unit and the larger herd (Rubenstein & Wrangham, 1986), to highly complex elephant ( Loxodonta africana ) societies with up to six organizational tiers (Wittemyer et al, 2005).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Spatiotemporal association patterns in a supergroup of Rwenzori black‐and‐white colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) are consistent with a multilevel society

Miller

Uddin

Judge

et al. 2020

American J Primatol

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Primates display broad diversity in their social organization. The social groups of a few primate species are organized in a multilevel fashion, with large groups composed of multiple, core one-male units (OMUs). A characteristic of multilevel societies is that the higher levels can include hundreds of individuals. The Rwenzori black-and-white colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) in the montane forests of Rwanda form supergroups and have been suspected to exhibit multilevel social organization. Here we present the first data on the "anatomy" of a supergroup numbering 500+ individuals. We identified subgroups within the supergroup based on progression data, extracting the social network structure from the time-stamped spatiotemporal distribution of passing individuals identified to age-sex class, and selecting an optimal time window for each network using the two-step approach developed by Uddin, Choudhury, Farhad, and Rahman (2017). We detail the existence of core units-multi-male units (MMUs) with a mean of 1.7 adult males and 3.1 adult females, as well as OMUs, all-female units and bachelor units composed of adult and sub-adult males. More than two-thirds of units are MMUs. These grouping patterns conform to a multilevel society with predominantly multi-male core units, a social system that has recently also been described for a population of the same taxon in Uganda. Individual identification will be required to corroborate these interpretations. K E Y W O R D SColobus angolensis ruwenzorii, longitudinal social networks, multilevel societies, multi-male units, primates, Rwanda, social network analysis, spatiotemporal data streams

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“…Complex, hierarchical social systems, termed multi-level societies, are present in species from many distantly related taxa, such as birds (Papageorgiou et al, 2019), cetaceans (Whitehead et al, 2012), equids (Rubenstein & Hack, 2004), proboscideans (Wittemyer, Douglas-Hamilton, & Getz, 2005), primates (Grueter, Matsuda, Zhang, & Zinner, 2012), and chiropterans (Kerth, Perony, & Schweitzer, 2011). Determining why these types of societies evolve and how they function are key questions in biology.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In this study, we applied social network analysis (SNA) to core unit associations observed over 21 months at Nabugabo. SNA has proven extremely useful in elucidating the form of multi-level societies (e.g., Papageorgiou et al, 2019;Snyder-Mackler et al, 2012;Zhang, Li, Qi, MacIntosh, & Watanabe, 2012) and determining how within-unit interactions structure them (Matsuda et al, 2012). Further application of SNA to understanding the associations between the higher tiers in multi-level societies offers a view of the dynamics of these complex social systems (Yeager, 1991).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Temporal patterns in the social network of core units in Rwenzori Angolan colobus monkeys: effects of food availability and inter-unit dispersal

Adams¹,

Arseneau‐Robar²,

Bonnell³

et al. 2020

Preprint

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Multi-level societies are complex social systems where basic core units associate in a hierarchical manner, allowing animals to adjust group size in response to local conditions. Each tier of multi-level societies may have evolved under different selective pressures and understanding the effect of temporal variation in these pressures may help determine why these types of social systems form. Our goal was to examine the degree of temporal variability in inter-unit associations in a multi-level society of Rwenzori Angolan colobus monkey (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii), and to determine whether social or ecological factors correlated with association patterns. Using social network analyses, we described the association patterns of 12-13 core units over 21-months and investigated the effect of changes in rainfall, food availability, and inter-unit dispersals. We found that core unit networks were denser and more clustered when fruit was abundant, likely due to reduced food competition. Male dispersals also occurred more at these times, suggesting that greater band cohesion allowed males to prospect for dispersal opportunities. Within the band, we observed the formation of an all-male unit and the transfer of one core unit between clans. Our findings highlight how ecological conditions can influence association patterns, interunit relationships, and ultimately social organization.

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The multilevel society of a small-brained bird

Cited by 77 publications

References 10 publications

Group size and composition influence collective movement in a highly social terrestrial bird

Group size and composition influence collective movement in a highly social terrestrial bird

Spatiotemporal association patterns in a supergroup of Rwenzori black‐and‐white colobus (Colobus angolensis ruwenzorii) are consistent with a multilevel society

Temporal patterns in the social network of core units in Rwenzori Angolan colobus monkeys: effects of food availability and inter-unit dispersal

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