Different Levels Of Sociality Research Articles

Behavioral repertoire of the Brazilian spiny-rats, Trinomys setosus and Clyomys laticeps: different levels of sociality.

Behavior is a useful trait for comparative studies that provide the comprehension of phylogenetic relationships among species. Here, we present a description of two spiny-rats species' behavioral repertoire, Clyomys laticeps and Trinomys setosus (Rodentia: Echimyidae). The affiliative and agonistic behavioral patterns were sampled during a three-year study of captive populations of wild animals. Observational data were collected in two phases under different arrangements of individuals in groups. We also compare the behavioral traits of T. setosus and C. laticeps with the known behavioral patterns of Trinomys yonenagae. We add categories to the previous descriptions of T. setosus and a standard ethogram for C. laticeps. Trinomys setosus showed a visual and vocal display we called foot-trembling, which was not described in this form and function for other species studied until now. We discuss the differences in their sociality levels and similarities and differences among behavior patterns and repertoires.

Social dilemmas of sociality due to beneficial and costly contagion.

Levels of sociality in nature vary widely. Some species are solitary; others live in family groups; some form complex multi-family societies. Increased levels of social interaction can allow for the spread of useful innovations and beneficial information, but can also facilitate the spread of harmful contagions, such as infectious diseases. It is natural to assume that these contagion processes shape the evolution of complex social systems, but an explicit account of the dynamics of sociality under selection pressure imposed by contagion remains elusive. We consider a model for the evolution of sociality strategies in the presence of both a beneficial and costly contagion. We study the dynamics of this model at three timescales: using a susceptible-infectious-susceptible (SIS) model to describe contagion spread for given sociality strategies, a replicator equation to study the changing fractions of two different levels of sociality, and an adaptive dynamics approach to study the long-time evolution of the population level of sociality. For a wide range of assumptions about the benefits and costs of infection, we identify a social dilemma: the evolutionarily-stable sociality strategy (ESS) is distinct from the collective optimum-the level of sociality that would be best for all individuals. In particular, the ESS level of social interaction is greater (respectively less) than the social optimum when the good contagion spreads more (respectively less) readily than the bad contagion. Our results shed light on how contagion shapes the evolution of social interaction, but reveals that evolution may not necessarily lead populations to social structures that are good for any or all.

Ambiguous Musical Practice: Rethinking Social Analysis of Music Educational Practice

Music education holds an ambiguous relationship to social justice and social change; it is both complicit in perpetuating relations of inequality and a potential force for positive change. There is a need to turn the ambiguity of music’s social function—the simultaneous production of transformative and reproductive social processes—into the foundational premise of social analysis of music educational practice. Based on a discussion of ideas derived from social theory, feminist philosophy, and critical musicology concerning the performative constitution of agency and sociality, the notion of ambiguous musical practice is put forward as an analytical lens suited for exploring music’s social significance. The notion points to three interlocking dimensions of musical practice: bidirectionality (how music making may at once lead to destabilization and consolidation of social norms); multiplicity of social meanings (how music making produces multiple social meanings and therefore also may produce [contradictory] social effects on different levels of sociality); and in-betweenness (how music making may place participants in a state ‘in-between,’ understood as a social space where multiple identities, relations, and meanings can be both performed and imposed in ways that render them indeterminate). Inthis way, the notion of ambiguous musical practice may inform critical social analyses of music educational practice.

Cuticular hydrocarbons as caste-linked cues in Neotropical swarm-founding wasps.

Wasps (Vespidae) are important organisms to understand the evolution of social behaviour. Wasps show different levels of sociality, which includes solitary to highly eusocial organisms. In social insect species, queens and workers differ in physiology and morphology. The Neotropical swarm-founding wasps (Epiponini) show a variety of caste syndromes. In this clade, the caste-flexibility is a unique characteristic, in which workers can become queens and swarm to start a new nest. The investigation of the caste system comparing several Epiponini species show a clear-cut morphological distinction between queens and workers, with a morphological continuum between queens and workers. However, whether cuticular hydrocarbons (CHCs) are used as cues for caste recognition in swarm-founding wasps is still unknown. We studied whether CHCs may display caste-linked differences in eleven species of Epiponini wasps and if CHCs differences would follow morphological patterns. Our results suggest that queens and workers of Epiponini wasps are chemically different from each other at two levels, qualitatively and quantitatively, or merely quantitatively. This variation seems to exist regardless of their morphological traits and may be useful to help us understanding how chemical communication evolved differently in these species.

Language preferences of students in general and professional educational institutions: results of longitudinal research

  The theme of the research is the result of five-year research of linguistic adaptation of a group of pupils of general educational and professional educational institutions of RK in the context of implemen- tation of the modern language policy of multilingualism. The aim of the study is to examine the language strategies and tactics of the students and their implementation in their main social practices. The main directions of the research include language preferences of young people in communication at different levels of sociality, assessment of the level of knowledge of three languages – state language, Russian and English, assessment of representation of the state language in the global network, attitude towards Latin script and multilingualism in general. The significance of the work lies in identifying the contemporary language preferences of young people in the implementation of language policy and identifying the ways of language adaptation. The research methodology includes a quantitative research method, in particular a questionnaire survey. The main conclusions of the research work are the following: the development of the state language remains the task of the indigenous ethnic group; this development mainly takes place in the dyad – fam- ily and studies, the other social circles are covered mainly by bilingualism; multilingualism has not yet formed as an extensive language practice among young people; representatives of small ethnic groups of Kazakhstan prefer Russian to the state language as a language of their socialization and adaptation. Key words: state language, multilingualism, bilingualism, language adaptation.

Matriphagy in five species of the genus Anelosimus (Araneae: Theridiidae)

Abstract Parental care has evolved numerous times in many taxonomic groups of animals. Matriphagy, as an extreme example of parental care, is present in many social species, subsocial species, and even in solitary spiders. Here, we describe matriphagy in five species of Anelosimus of different levels of sociality: social (A. dubiosus), intermediate social (A. jabaquara), subsocial (A. vierae, A. baeza), and solitary (A. nigrescens). Each group contained a female and its brood, maintained under standardized laboratory conditions. All species showed matriphagy, regardless of their social level. Further studies are necessary to clarify whether matriphagy is a necessary precondition for the evolution of sociality in spiders, or if it is phylogenetically conserved in some families.

First- and second-order sociality determine survival and reproduction in cooperative cichlids.

Cooperative breeders serve as a model to study the evolution of cooperation, where costs and benefits of helping are typically scrutinized at the level of group membership. However, cooperation is often observed in multi-level social organizations involving interactions among individuals at various levels. Here, we argue that a full understanding of the adaptive value of cooperation and the evolution of complex social organization requires identifying the effect of different levels of social organization on direct and indirect fitness components. Our long-term field data show that in the cooperatively breeding, colonial cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher, both large group size and high colony density significantly raised group persistence. Neither group size nor density affected survival at the individual level, but they had interactive effects on reproductive output; large group size raised productivity when local population density was low, whereas in contrast, small groups were more productive at high densities. Fitness estimates of individually marked fish revealed indirect fitness benefits associated with staying in large groups. Inclusive fitness, however, was not significantly affected by group size, because the direct fitness component was not increased in larger groups. Together, our findings highlight that the reproductive output of groups may be affected in opposite directions by different levels of sociality, and that complex forms of sociality and costly cooperation may evolve in the absence of large indirect fitness benefits and the influence of kin selection.

Benefits of coloniality: communal defence saves anti‐predator effort in cooperative breeders

Summary Many anti‐predator benefits of group living are predicted to scale with prey density. Nevertheless, evidence for a general density‐dependent increase of prey survival is scarce. A possible reason for this discrepancy is the reduction of costly anti‐predator behaviour of prey with increasing density, which may offset density‐dependent survival gains. Benefits of group living might hence accrue by saved investment into anti‐predator behaviours rather than by increased survival rates. Here, we experimentally presented predators in a colony of the cooperatively breeding cichlid fish Neolamprologus pulcher to study density dependence of their anti‐predator defences. Predation is a driver of the formation and stability of breeding groups in this species, but potential benefits of coloniality are yet unclear. We hypothesised that increased density of breeding groups would either increase total anti‐predator behaviour or allow individuals to reduce their anti‐predator effort due to enhanced predator deterrence from neighbours. Confirming predictions from the second hypothesis, our results show that focal groups invested less into anti‐predator behaviour at higher densities, while neighbouring groups' behaviour compensated for this reduced effort. This resulted in stable levels of anti‐predator behaviours over the entire range of natural densities. Thus, aggregating in colonies allows these fish to save investment in anti‐predator behaviour. These results suggest that the formation of both breeding groups and colonies reflects adaptive responses to high predation pressure in this species. Two different levels of sociality seem to be favoured by the same selective force. Our study provides experimental evidence in nature for an important benefit of coloniality that may explain the concomitant existence of different levels of sociality in many highly social taxa.

Differences in olfactory species recognition in the females of two Australian songbird species

Although birds have recently been shown to possess olfactory abilities and to use chemical cues in communication, limited effort has been made to demonstrate the use of odorants in social contexts. Even less is known regarding the use of odorants in species recognition. The ability to recognize conspecifics should be more pronounced in social species. This study investigated the importance of olfactory cues in species recognition in females of two estrildid finch species with different levels of sociality. Combining odor preference tests with chemical analyses, we surveyed whether female zebra finches and diamond firetails are able to distinguish between the species based on volatile traits and whether individuals exhibit species-specific differences in body odorants. Zebra finches are more social than diamond firetails; nevertheless, both species have an overlapping distribution area. Applying an experimental Y-maze paradigm, we showed that zebra finches can use differences in their species odor fingerprints and displayed a significant preference for the odor of conspecifics over that of heterospecifics, whereas diamond firetails did not reveal a preference. Using gas chromatography and mass spectrometry, we demonstrated that body odorants of the two species were significantly different in relative composition. This finding demonstrates the potential importance of olfactory cues in species recognition, at least in social bird species. Even these two closely related species displayed remarkable differences in their responsiveness to similar chemical cues, which might be caused by species-specific differences in ecology, physiology, or evolution.

Biology and ecology of Alchisme grossa in a cloud forest of the Bolivian Yungas.

Treehoppers (Membracidae) exhibit different levels of sociality, from solitary to presocial. Although they are one of the best biological systems to study the evolution of maternal care in insects, information on the biology of species in this group is scarce. This work describes the biology and ecology of Alchisme grossa (Fairmaire) (Hemiptera: Membracidae) in a rain cloud forest of Bolivia. This subsocial membracid utilizes two host-plant species, Brugmansia suaveolens (Humb. & Bonpl. ex Wild) Bercht. & J.Presl and Solanum ursinum (Rusby) (both Solanaceae), the first one being used during the whole year and the second one almost exclusively during the wet season. The development of A. grossa from egg to adult occurred on the plant where eggs were laid. Maternal care was observed during the complete nymphal development, and involved behavioral traits such as food facilitation and antidepredatory defense. Life cycle was longer on B. suaveolens during the dry season and shorter on S. ursinum during the wet season. Mortality was similar on both host plants during the wet season but was lower on B. suaveolens during the dry season. The presence of a secondary female companion to the egg-guarding female individual and occasional iteropary is also reported.

Does sociality imply a complex vocal communication system? A case study for Fukomys micklemi (Bathyergidae, Rodentia)

African mole-rats (Bathyergidae) display different levels of sociality, ranging from solitary to eusocial. To integrate individuals into a social group, communication is necessary. In this study, we examined vocalizations of a social bathyergid, Fukomys micklemi, in order to investigate the relationship between sociality and communication. Because of its social organization and subterranean lifestyle, we expected this species to have an extensive vocal repertoire. Fifteen different adult specific call-types and four juvenile specific call-types could be recognized, similar to those in other social species. A new call-category, linked to submissive behaviour, is described. These submissive calls were exclusively observed in males, indicating their subordinance. The vocal repertoire of F. micklemi was compared with published results on vocalizations in other subterranean rodents, both in social and solitary species. This comparison confirmed the observation that the vocal repertoire of social species is not only more extensive, but also more diverse than that of solitary species.

Translation and semiotic phenomenology: The case for Gilles Deleuze

In this article I draw attention to semiotic phenomenology as a method to advance translation studies. I recover this method first in the works of Ferdinand de Saussure and Edmund Husserl and then present it in two theories of translation: by linguist Roman Jakobson and by philosopher Jacques Derrida. These theories are examined to assert that Jakobson and Derrida share the semiotic phenomenological focus and thus should be considered co-contributors to the semiotic phenomenological method. I also show this method at work in some of the writings by Gilles Deleuze, who makes an explicit contribution to translation theory with his concepts of ‘faciality’, ‘simulacrum’, and ‘transsemiotics’ as well as his insistence on the pragmatic aspect of translation. The latter perspective is considered to be particularly fruitful for those studies of translation that presume its significance at different levels of sociality.

A Biomechanical Perspective on Beeswax

American Entomologist • Volume 51, Number 1 We are interested in how structural materials used by bees relate to the evolution of complex social communication. In particular, we explored how fatty acids affect the mechanical function of beeswax (Fig. 1). This interest led us to compare the mechanical properties of the waxes of a wide variety of social bees. These fatty acids are major components in beeswax (Aichholz and Lorbeer 1999) and are also used by bees in social recognition (Breed 1998, Breed et al. 2004). Although the nature of beeswax has been explored in detail in the Western honey bee, Apis mellifera (Hepburn 1986), little is known of the waxes of other apid bees. Bees in the family Apidae exhibit different levels of sociality, ranging from solitary to primitively eusocial to highly eusocial. In addition to differences in social organization, apids also display differences in nest construction. The three most highly derived subfamilies in the family Apidae are the Bombinae (bumble bees), Meliponinae (stingless bees), and Apinae (honey bees). Aside from parasitic species, the bumblebees are primitively eusocial. The queens and workers are only slightly different morphologically, and reproductive dominance is maintained via aggressive behavior of the queen. The relatively small colonies dwell in annual nests (Michener 1974). These nests are constructed by the foundress, usually in an abandoned rodent’s nest, and consist of several ovular wax cells roughly stacked on one another. All stingless bees and honey bees are highly eusocial. The queens and workers are morphologically very different; and at least in Apis, reproductive dominance is maintained through pheromones. The relatively large perennial nests of these bees are most often found in cavities such as hollow trees. Stingless bees construct their nests with highly organized, horizontal combs where brood are raised; ovular storage pots are roughly stacked separately from the brood comb. In addition to endogenously produced wax, stingless bees incorporate large amounts of plant material in their nests. Conversely, honey bee nests comprise one or many vertically hanging combs. In honey bees, the combs are constructed almost exclusively from endogenously produced wax containing primarily esters, straight-chained hydrocarbons, and fatty acids (Tulloch 1980). These beeswax structures gain their mechanical properties from two distinct sources. For a structure to function properly, it must possess the right combination of material and geometry. The mechanical properties of the building materials have a great influence on the properties such as A Biomechanical Perspective on Beeswax

Sociality and the rate of rDNA sequence evolution in wasps (Vespidae) and honeybees (Apis).

Sequence data of mitochondrial 16S ribosomal DNA (mt-rDNA) and nuclear 28S ribosomal DNA (nuc-rDNA) were compared in two honeybee species (Apis mellifera and Apis dorsata) and a selection of 22 wasp species (Vespidae) with different levels of sociality. The averge substitution rates in mt-rDNA and nuc-rDNA were almost-equal in solitary species. In species with larger nests, however, the difference between the nuclear and the mitochondrial substitution rate significantly increased. The average substitution ratio, psi (nucleotide substitutions in mt-rDNA/nucleotide substitutions in nuc-rDNA) was 1.48 +/- 0.12 (SE) among the solitary Eumeninae, 3.70 +/- 0.15 among five primitive social Stenogastrinae species, 3.24 +/- 0.20 among five Polistinae species, 5.76 +/- 0.33 among nine highly eusocial Vespinae, and 12.7 in the two Apis species. The high egg-laying rate and the effective population size skew between the sexes may contribute to the rise of the substitution ratio in the highly eusocial species. Drift and bottleneck effects in the mitochondrial DNA pool during speciation events as well as polyandry may further enhance this phenomenon.

Ecological constraints drive social evolution in the African mole–rats

The African mole-rats (family Bathyergidae) are subterranean hystricomorph rodents occurring in a variety of habitats and displaying levels of sociality which range from solitary to eusocial, making them a unique mammalian taxonomic group to test ecological influences on sociality. Here, we use an extensive DNA-based phylogeny and comparative analysis to investigate the relationship between ecology, sociality and evolution within the family. Mitochondrial cytochrome-b and 12s rRNA trees reveal that the solitary species are monophyletic when compared to the social species. The naked mole-rat (Heterocephalus glaber) is ancestral and divergent from the Damaraland mole-rat (Cryptomys damarensis), supporting previous findings that have suggested the multiple evolution of eusociality within the family. The Cryptomys genus is species-rich and contains taxa exhibiting different levels of sociality, which can be divided into two distinct clades. A total of seven independent comparisons were generated within the phylogeny, and three ecological variables were significantly correlated with social group size: geophyte density (p < 0.05), mean months per year of rainfall greater than 25 mm (p < 0.001), and the coefficient of rainfall variation (p = 0.001). These results support the food-aridity hypothesis for the evolution of highly social cooperative behaviour in the Bathyergidae, and are consistent with the current theoretical framework for skew theory.

Social behavior and space-use of young of ground-dwelling squirrel species with different levels of sociality

Comparisons among young of ground-dwelling squirrel species with different adult sociality indicate patterns of interaction during development that may influence the evolution of complex sociality. Social behavior and spatial overlap of weaned young with their mothers, littermates, non-littermate young, and adult conspecifics were compared among Gunnison's prairie dogs (Cynomys gunnisoni), yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris), Columbian ground squirrels (Spermophilus columbianus), and thirteen-lined ground squirrels (S. tridecemlineatus). The adult social organization of these species differs markedly: Gunnison's prairie dogs are highly social, yellow-bellied marmots and Columbian ground squirrels are relatively less social, and thirteen-lined ground squirrels are asocial. In young Gunnison's prairie dogs, social cohesion and spatial overlap were high not only with the mother and littermates, but with all members of the harem. In yellow-bellied marmots, social cohesion occurred with all members o...