Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses
In many species, within-group conflict leads to immediate avoidance of potential aggressors or increases in affiliation, but no studies have investigated delayed post-conflict management behaviour. Here, we experimentally test that possibility using a wild but habituated population of dwarf mongoose...
| Main Authors: | , , |
|---|---|
| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
| Published: |
eLife Sciences Publications Ltd
2021-11-01
|
| Series: | eLife |
| Subjects: | |
| Online Access: | https://elifesciences.org/articles/69196 |
| _version_ | 1811180394665476096 |
|---|---|
| author | Amy Morris-Drake Julie M Kern Andrew N Radford |
| author_facet | Amy Morris-Drake Julie M Kern Andrew N Radford |
| author_sort | Amy Morris-Drake |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | In many species, within-group conflict leads to immediate avoidance of potential aggressors or increases in affiliation, but no studies have investigated delayed post-conflict management behaviour. Here, we experimentally test that possibility using a wild but habituated population of dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula). First, we used natural and playback-simulated foraging displacements to demonstrate that bystanders take notice of the vocalisations produced during such within-group conflict events but that they do not engage in any immediate post-conflict affiliative behaviour with the protagonists or other bystanders. We then used another playback experiment to assess delayed effects of within-group conflict on grooming interactions: we examined affiliative behaviour at the evening sleeping burrow, 30–60 min after the most recent simulated foraging displacement. Overall, fewer individuals groomed on evenings following an afternoon of simulated conflict, but those that did groomed more than on control evenings. Subordinate bystanders groomed with the simulated aggressor significantly less, and groomed more with one another, on conflict compared to control evenings. Our study provides experimental evidence that dwarf mongooses acoustically obtain information about within-group contests (including protagonist identity), retain that information, and use it to inform conflict-management decisions with a temporal delay. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T09:01:21Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-16daebcc41484d7096924df1d03e1a94 |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2050-084X |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T09:01:21Z |
| publishDate | 2021-11-01 |
| publisher | eLife Sciences Publications Ltd |
| record_format | Article |
| series | eLife |
| spelling | doaj.art-16daebcc41484d7096924df1d03e1a942022-12-22T04:32:45ZengeLife Sciences Publications LtdeLife2050-084X2021-11-011010.7554/eLife.69196Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongoosesAmy Morris-Drake0https://orcid.org/0000-0003-4243-4651Julie M Kern1Andrew N Radford2https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5470-3463School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United KingdomSchool of Environmental and Rural Science, University of New England, Armidale, AustraliaSchool of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Bristol, United KingdomIn many species, within-group conflict leads to immediate avoidance of potential aggressors or increases in affiliation, but no studies have investigated delayed post-conflict management behaviour. Here, we experimentally test that possibility using a wild but habituated population of dwarf mongooses (Helogale parvula). First, we used natural and playback-simulated foraging displacements to demonstrate that bystanders take notice of the vocalisations produced during such within-group conflict events but that they do not engage in any immediate post-conflict affiliative behaviour with the protagonists or other bystanders. We then used another playback experiment to assess delayed effects of within-group conflict on grooming interactions: we examined affiliative behaviour at the evening sleeping burrow, 30–60 min after the most recent simulated foraging displacement. Overall, fewer individuals groomed on evenings following an afternoon of simulated conflict, but those that did groomed more than on control evenings. Subordinate bystanders groomed with the simulated aggressor significantly less, and groomed more with one another, on conflict compared to control evenings. Our study provides experimental evidence that dwarf mongooses acoustically obtain information about within-group contests (including protagonist identity), retain that information, and use it to inform conflict-management decisions with a temporal delay.https://elifesciences.org/articles/69196dwarf mongoosewithin-group conflictpost-conflict behaviourdelayed conflict management |
| spellingShingle | Amy Morris-Drake Julie M Kern Andrew N Radford Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses eLife dwarf mongoose within-group conflict post-conflict behaviour delayed conflict management |
| title | Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses |
| title_full | Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses |
| title_fullStr | Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses |
| title_full_unstemmed | Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses |
| title_short | Experimental evidence for delayed post-conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses |
| title_sort | experimental evidence for delayed post conflict management behaviour in wild dwarf mongooses |
| topic | dwarf mongoose within-group conflict post-conflict behaviour delayed conflict management |
| url | https://elifesciences.org/articles/69196 |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT amymorrisdrake experimentalevidencefordelayedpostconflictmanagementbehaviourinwilddwarfmongooses AT juliemkern experimentalevidencefordelayedpostconflictmanagementbehaviourinwilddwarfmongooses AT andrewnradford experimentalevidencefordelayedpostconflictmanagementbehaviourinwilddwarfmongooses |