Disentangling influence over group speed and direction reveals multiple patterns of influence in moving meerkat groups
Abstract Animals that travel together in groups must constantly come to consensus about both the direction and speed of movement, often simultaneously. Contributions to collective decisions may vary among group members, yet inferring who has influence over group decisions is challenging, largely due...
| Main Authors: | , , , , , |
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| Format: | Article |
| Language: | English |
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Nature Portfolio
2022-08-01
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| Series: | Scientific Reports |
| Online Access: | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17259-z |
| _version_ | 1798038766090190848 |
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| author | Baptiste Averly Vivek H. Sridhar Vlad Demartsev Gabriella Gall Marta Manser Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin |
| author_facet | Baptiste Averly Vivek H. Sridhar Vlad Demartsev Gabriella Gall Marta Manser Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin |
| author_sort | Baptiste Averly |
| collection | DOAJ |
| description | Abstract Animals that travel together in groups must constantly come to consensus about both the direction and speed of movement, often simultaneously. Contributions to collective decisions may vary among group members, yet inferring who has influence over group decisions is challenging, largely due to the multifaceted nature of influence. Here we collected high-resolution GPS data from five habituated meerkat groups in their natural habitat during foraging and developed a method to quantify individual influence over both group direction and speed. We find that individual influence over direction and speed are correlated, but also exhibit substantial variation. Comparing patterns across social statuses reveals that dominant females have higher influence than other individuals over both group direction and speed. Individuals with high influence also tend to spend more time in the front of the group. We discuss our results in light of meerkat life-history and current literature on influence during group movement. Our method provides a general approach which can be applied to disentangle individual influence over group direction and speed in a wide range of species with cohesive movement, emphasizing the importance of integrating multiple lines of inquiry when inferring influence in moving animal groups. |
| first_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:44:45Z |
| format | Article |
| id | doaj.art-539397cb04dc48b98924af76d16f380d |
| institution | Directory Open Access Journal |
| issn | 2045-2322 |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-04-11T21:44:45Z |
| publishDate | 2022-08-01 |
| publisher | Nature Portfolio |
| record_format | Article |
| series | Scientific Reports |
| spelling | doaj.art-539397cb04dc48b98924af76d16f380d2022-12-22T04:01:26ZengNature PortfolioScientific Reports2045-23222022-08-0112111110.1038/s41598-022-17259-zDisentangling influence over group speed and direction reveals multiple patterns of influence in moving meerkat groupsBaptiste Averly0Vivek H. Sridhar1Vlad Demartsev2Gabriella Gall3Marta Manser4Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin5Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorDepartment for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorDepartment for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorDepartment for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorKalahari Meerkat ProjectDepartment for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal BehaviorAbstract Animals that travel together in groups must constantly come to consensus about both the direction and speed of movement, often simultaneously. Contributions to collective decisions may vary among group members, yet inferring who has influence over group decisions is challenging, largely due to the multifaceted nature of influence. Here we collected high-resolution GPS data from five habituated meerkat groups in their natural habitat during foraging and developed a method to quantify individual influence over both group direction and speed. We find that individual influence over direction and speed are correlated, but also exhibit substantial variation. Comparing patterns across social statuses reveals that dominant females have higher influence than other individuals over both group direction and speed. Individuals with high influence also tend to spend more time in the front of the group. We discuss our results in light of meerkat life-history and current literature on influence during group movement. Our method provides a general approach which can be applied to disentangle individual influence over group direction and speed in a wide range of species with cohesive movement, emphasizing the importance of integrating multiple lines of inquiry when inferring influence in moving animal groups.https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17259-z |
| spellingShingle | Baptiste Averly Vivek H. Sridhar Vlad Demartsev Gabriella Gall Marta Manser Ariana Strandburg-Peshkin Disentangling influence over group speed and direction reveals multiple patterns of influence in moving meerkat groups Scientific Reports |
| title | Disentangling influence over group speed and direction reveals multiple patterns of influence in moving meerkat groups |
| title_full | Disentangling influence over group speed and direction reveals multiple patterns of influence in moving meerkat groups |
| title_fullStr | Disentangling influence over group speed and direction reveals multiple patterns of influence in moving meerkat groups |
| title_full_unstemmed | Disentangling influence over group speed and direction reveals multiple patterns of influence in moving meerkat groups |
| title_short | Disentangling influence over group speed and direction reveals multiple patterns of influence in moving meerkat groups |
| title_sort | disentangling influence over group speed and direction reveals multiple patterns of influence in moving meerkat groups |
| url | https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-022-17259-z |
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