Abstract
A fundamental question concerning group-living species is what factors influence the evolution of sociality. Although several studies link adult social bonds to fitness, social patterns and relationships are often formed early in life and are also likely to have fitness consequences, particularly in species with lengthy developmental periods, extensive social learning, and early social bond-formation. In a longitudinal study of bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.), calf social network structure, specifically the metric eigenvector centrality, predicted juvenile survival in males. Additionally, male calves that died post-weaning had stronger ties to juvenile males than surviving male calves, suggesting that juvenile males impose fitness costs on their younger counterparts. Our study indicates that selection is acting on social traits early in life and highlights the need to examine the costs and benefits of social bonds during formative life history stages.
Highlights
Many organisms live in groups, few species have developed complex social relationships defined by features such as alliance formation, long-term individually specific relationships, and flexible group membership [1]
We examine a direct fitness outcome of early social ties by testing whether any of five individual-level social network metrics calculated from the networks of 67 bottlenose dolphin calves can predict juvenile survival from weaning to age 10
To determine the nature of potential links between calf social bonds and future juvenile survival, we investigated the strength of calf associations with members of each age-sex class in relation to survivorship
Summary
Many organisms live in groups, few species have developed complex social relationships defined by features such as alliance formation, long-term individually specific relationships, and flexible group membership [1]. Complex species, including humans, tend to possess large, metabolically expensive brains and exhibit extended life-histories characterized by long, slow periods of growth and delayed sexual maturation [2,3,4,5,6]. If these features reflect costly correlates of complex sociality, the benefits of maintaining social bonds presumably exceed those typically associated with basic aggregation (e.g. predator protection or resource defense) [7,8]. We employ social network analysis (SNA) to investigate the relationship between early network structure and juvenile survival in a long-lived, socially complex mammal, the bottlenose dolphin (Tursiops sp.)
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
