Abstract
In several species, rank predicts access to food, and subordinates may need specific behavioural strategies to get a share of resources. This may be especially important in despotic species, where resources are strongly biased in favour of dominants and subordinates may more strongly rely on specific tactics to maximize food intake. Here, we compared three macaque species with an experimental set-up reproducing feeding competition contest. Following our predictions, more tolerant species mostly retrieved food in the presence of others and were less dependent on specific tactics. Contrarily, subordinates in more despotic species more likely collected food (1) when dominants could not see food or (2) were attacking others, (3) while “dissimulating”, or (4) “storing food”. Our study reveals that dominance styles reliably predict the probability of using specific food retrieval tactics and provides important insights on the social conditions that might have led to the emergence of tactical deception.
Highlights
In several species, rank predicts access to food, and subordinates may need specific behavioural strategies to get a share of resources
Our results showed that subordinates were more likely to temporarily store food (Fig. 1), and so were JM1
Our results showed that subordinates were more likely to retrieve peripheral food, and this was true across all species (Tables 1 and 2; Fig. 1)
Summary
Rank predicts access to food, and subordinates may need specific behavioural strategies to get a share of resources. Subordinates may use other strategies to increase their chances to obtain food They may avoid overlapping with dominants at feeding sites, by for instance using alternative and more peripheral food sources[11,15,16,17]. For instance, subordinates are more likely to store food in their cheek pouches when feeding competition is higher[21] This strategy could allow them to collect food and move away to consume it in a safer place. Inhibitory skills are required, as individuals have to postpone immediate gains to obtain larger delayed ones[22]
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