Get 20M+ Full-Text Papers For Less Than $1.50/day. Start a 14-Day Trial for You or Your Team.

Learn More →

Fission-fusion group dynamics in reindeer reveal an increase of cohesiveness at the beginning of the peak rut

Fission-fusion group dynamics in reindeer reveal an increase of cohesiveness at the beginning of... Knowledge of the processes of group formation is important to understand the evolution of animal societies. Ungulates typically aggregate during the breeding season. According to the self-organization theory, proximal processes such as mating tactics should explain variation in average group size through their influences on group dynamics. Here, we tested whether variation of the fusion rate or fission rate led to an increase of average group size at the beginning of the peak rut. We followed the movement of marked animals within an enclosed herd of reindeer Rangifer tarandus during two breeding seasons (2009 and 2011). We used synchronized GPS collars that fixed the animals’ position every hour (2009) and every 15 min (2011). Group dynamics occurred in three steps as follows: (1) a continuous aggregation of groups, (2) a continuous departure of single females from these groups, and (3) the aggregation of these solitary females to form new groups. We attributed the increase in average group size mainly to a decrease in the number of groups due to a decrease in the group and individual splitting propensities, rather than to an increase of their merging propensities. A decrease in the splitting propensity at the beginning of the peak rut may be due to males herding females, female mate choice, or female harassment avoidance. Further research on fission-fusion group dynamics should calculate merging and splitting propensities by controlling for variables such as group size, group density, or habitat characteristics. http://www.deepdyve.com/assets/images/DeepDyve-Logo-lg.png acta ethologica Springer Journals

Fission-fusion group dynamics in reindeer reveal an increase of cohesiveness at the beginning of the peak rut

Download PDF
10 pages

Loading next page...
 
/lp/springer-journals/fission-fusion-group-dynamics-in-reindeer-reveal-an-increase-of-ftewiur01O
Publisher
Springer Journals
Copyright
Copyright © 2014 by Springer-Verlag Berlin Heidelberg and ISPA
Subject
Life Sciences; Behavioral Sciences; Zoology
ISSN
0873-9749
eISSN
1437-9546
DOI
10.1007/s10211-014-0190-8
Publisher site
See Article on Publisher Site

Abstract

Knowledge of the processes of group formation is important to understand the evolution of animal societies. Ungulates typically aggregate during the breeding season. According to the self-organization theory, proximal processes such as mating tactics should explain variation in average group size through their influences on group dynamics. Here, we tested whether variation of the fusion rate or fission rate led to an increase of average group size at the beginning of the peak rut. We followed the movement of marked animals within an enclosed herd of reindeer Rangifer tarandus during two breeding seasons (2009 and 2011). We used synchronized GPS collars that fixed the animals’ position every hour (2009) and every 15 min (2011). Group dynamics occurred in three steps as follows: (1) a continuous aggregation of groups, (2) a continuous departure of single females from these groups, and (3) the aggregation of these solitary females to form new groups. We attributed the increase in average group size mainly to a decrease in the number of groups due to a decrease in the group and individual splitting propensities, rather than to an increase of their merging propensities. A decrease in the splitting propensity at the beginning of the peak rut may be due to males herding females, female mate choice, or female harassment avoidance. Further research on fission-fusion group dynamics should calculate merging and splitting propensities by controlling for variables such as group size, group density, or habitat characteristics.

Journal

acta ethologica – Springer Journals

Published: Apr 27, 2014

References

  • Ecology and social organization of a tropical deer (Cervus eldi thamin)
    Aung, M; Mcshea, WJ; Htung, S; Than, A; Soe, TM; Wemmer, C
  • Fission-fusion dynamics: new research frameworks
    Aureli, F; Schaffner, CM; Boesch, C; Bearder, SK; Call, J; Chapman, CA; Connor, R; Fiore, A; Dunbar, RIM; Henzi, SP; Holekamp, KE; Korstjens, AH; Layton, R; Lee, PC; Lehmann, J; Manson, JH; Ramos-Fernández, G; Strier, KB; Schaik, CP
  • What is a subgroup? How socioecological factors influence interindividual distance
    Aureli, F; Schaffner, CM; Asensio, N; Lusseau, D
  • Kaplan-Meier estimators of distance distributions for spatial point processes
    Baddeley, A; Gill, RD
  • The size of axis deer fluid groups in Wilpattu national park, Sri Lanka
    Barrette, C
  • Functional relationship between group size and population density in Northwest Atlantic seabirds
    Beauchamp, G
  • Ecological determinants of herd size in the Thornicroft’s giraffe of Zambia
    Bercovitch, FB; Berry, PSM
  • Herd composition, kinship and fission-fusion social dynamics among wild giraffe
    Bercovitch, FB; Berry, PSM
  • Seasonal and diel variation in group size among Japanese sika deer in different habitats
    Borkowski, JJ; Furubayashi, K
  • Intra- and intersexual conflicts and cooperation in the evolution of mating strategies: lessons learnt from ungulates
    Bro-Jørgensen, J
  • Pronghorn females choose vigorous mates
    Byers, JA; Moodie, JD; Hall, N
  • Individual variation in the relationship between vigilance and group size in eastern grey kangaroos
    Carter, AJ; Pays, O; Goldizen, AW
  • Social organization and daily activity of the red kangaroo and the grey kangaroo
    Caughley, G
  • Female mate choice in mammals
    Clutton-Brock, TH; McAuliffe, K
  • Red deer. Behavior and ecology of two sexes
    Clutton-Brock, TH; Guinness, F; Albon, SD
  • Mate retention, harassment, and the evolution of ungulate leks
    Clutton-Brock, TH; Price, OF; MacColl, ADC
  • Behavioral ecology: social organization in fission-fusion societies
    Couzin, ID
  • Self-organization and collective behavior in vertebrates
    Couzin, ID; Krause, J
  • Fission-fusion populations
    Couzin, ID; Laidre, ME
  • Exploring animal social networks
    Croft, DP; James, R; Krause, J
  • Behavioural ecology
    Danchin, E; Giraldeau, L-A; Cézilly, F
  • Measuring mating competition correctly: available evidence supports operational sex ratio theory
    Jong, K; Forsgren, E; Sandvik, H; Amundsen, T
  • Association patterns and kinship in female reindeer (Rangifer tarandus) during rut
    Djaković, N; Holand, Ø; Hovland, AL; Røed, KH; Weladji, RB; Fjeldstad, E; Nieminen, M
  • Ecology, sexual selection, and the evolution of mating systems
    Emlen, ST; Oring, LW
  • Forest elephants: fission–fusion and social arenas
    Fishlock, V; Lee, PC
  • Social cohesion and foraging decrease with group size in fallow deer (Dama dama)
    Focardi, S; Pecchioli, E
  • Group-size-mediated habitat selection and group fusion-fission dynamics of bison under predation risk
    Fortin, D; Fortin, M-E; Beyer, HL; Duchesne, T; Courant, S; Dancose, K
  • Herd size in large herbivores: encoded in the individual or emergent?
    Gerard, J-F; Bideau, E; Maublanc, M-L; Loisel, P; Marchal, C
  • Socially informed random walks: incorporating group dynamics into models of population spread and growth
    Haydon, DT; Morales, JM; Yott, A; Jenkins, DA; Rosatte, R; Fryxell, JM
  • The social organisation of antelope in relation to their ecology
    Jarman, P
  • Group size dynamics of red deer in BiaÅ‚owieza Primeval Forest, Poland
    Jedrzejewski, W; Spaedtke, H; Kamler, JF; Jedrzejewska, B; Stenkewitz, U
  • Variations in group size and composition in red and western grey kangaroos, Macropus rufus (Desmarest) and M. fuliginosus (Desmarest)
    Johnson, CN
  • Herding tendency as an aggregating factor in a binary mixture of social entities
    Juanico, DEO
  • Selfish-herd behaviour of sheep under threat
    King, AJ; Wilson, AM; Wilshin, SD; Lowe, JC; Haddadi, H; Hailes, S; Morton, AJ
  • Rutting behaviour in an enclosured group of wild forest reindeer
    Kojola, I
  • Reality mining of animal social systems
    Krause, J; Krause, S; Arlinghaus, R; Psorakis, I; Roberts, S; Rutz, C
  • Mating group size and stability in reindeer Rangifer tarandus: the effects of male characteristics, sex ratio and male age structure
    L’Italien, L; Weladji, RB; Holand, Ø; Røed, KH; Nieminen, M; Côté, SD
  • Linking social foraging behaviour with individual time budgets and emergent group-level phenomena
    Marshall, HH; Carter, AJ; Rowcliffe, JM; Cowlishaw, G
  • Age-related gestation length adjustment in a large iteroparous mammal at northern latitude
    Mysterud, A; Røed, KH; Holand, Ø; Yoccoz, NG; Nieminen, M
  • The dynamics of group formation in large mammalian herbivores: an analysis in the European roe deer
    Pays, O; Benhamou, S; Helder, R; Gerard, J-F
  • Group dynamics and landscape features constrain the exploration of herds in fusion-fission societies: the case of European roe deer
    Pays, O; Fortin, D; Gassani, J; Duchesne, J
  • Group dynamics and local population density dependence of group size in the Pyrenean chamois, Rupicapra pyrenaica
    Pépin, D; Gerard, J-F
  • Variations in elk aggregation patterns across a range of elk population sizes at Wall Creek, Montana
    Proffitt, KM; Gude, JA; Shamhart, J; King, F
  • Persistence of vigilance and flight response behaviour in wild reindeer with varying domestic ancestry
    Reimers, E; Røed, KH; Colman, JE
  • Statistical inference for spatial processes
    Ripley, BD
  • Collective decision-making and fission-fusion dynamics: a conceptual framework
    Sueur, C; King, AJ; Conradt, L; Kerth, G; Lusseau, D; Mettke-Hofmann, C; Schaffner, CM; Williams, L; Zinner, D; Aureli, F
  • Mating group composition influences somatic costs and activity in rutting dominant male reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
    Tennenhouse, EM; Weladji, RB; Holand, Ø; Røed, KH; Nieminen, M
  • Timing of reproductive effort differs between young and old dominant male reindeer
    Tennenhouse, EM; Weladji, RB; Holand, Ø; Nieminen, M
  • Sexual selection: harem size and the variance in male reproductive success
    Wade, MJ; Shuster, SM
  • Group dynamics of Yellowstone pronghorn
    White, PJ; Gower, CN; Davis, TL; Sheldon, JW; White, JR
  • Changes in elk distribution and group sizes after wolf restoration
    White, PJ; Proffitt, KM; Lemke, TO
  • Indirect mate choice, competition for mates, and coevolution of the sexes
    Wiley, RH; Poston, J