Signal Of Social Status Research Articles

Delayed plumage signals social status in a mutually ornamented bird

Delayed plumage signals social status in a mutually ornamented bird

Highly Contiguous Genome Assemblies of the Guinea Paper Wasp (Polistes exclamans) and Mischocyttarus mexicanus.

Paper wasps are a model system for the study of social evolution due to a high degree of inter- and intraspecific variation in cooperation, aggression, and visual signals of social status. Increasing the taxonomic coverage of genomic resources for this diverse clade will aid comparative genomic approaches for testing predictions about the molecular basis of social evolution. Here, we provide draft genome assemblies for two well-studied species of paper wasps, Polistes exclamans and Mischocyttarus mexicanus. The P. exclamans genome assembly is 221.5 Mb in length with a scaffold N50 of 4.11 Mb. The M. mexicanus genome assembly is 227 Mb in length with a scaffold N50 of 1.1 Mb. Genomes have low repeat content (9.54–10.75%) and low GC content (32.06–32.4%), typical of other social hymenopteran genomes. The DNA methyltransferase gene, Dnmt3 , was lost early in the evolution of Polistinae. We identified a second independent loss of Dnmt3 within hornets (genus: Vespa).

Bared-teeth displays in bonobos (Pan paniscus): An assessment of the power asymmetry hypothesis.

Facial expressions are key to navigating social group life. The Power Asymmetry Hypothesis of Motivational Emancipation predicts that the type of social organization shapes the meaning of communicative displays in relation to an individual's dominance rank. The bared-teeth (BT) display represents one of the most widely observed communicative signals across primate species. Studies in macaques indicate that the BT display in despotic species is often performed unidirectionally, from low- to high-ranking individuals (signaling submission), whereas the BT display in egalitarian species is usually produced irrespective of dominance (mainly signaling affiliation and appeasement). Despite its widespread presence, research connecting BT displays to the power asymmetry hypothesis outside the Macaca genus remains scarce. To extend this knowledge, we investigated the production of BT in relation to social dominance in dyadic interactions (N = 11,377 events) of 11 captive bonobos (Pan paniscus). Although adult bonobos were more despotic than previously suggested in the literature, BT displays were produced irrespective of dominance rank. Moreover, while adults produced the BT exclusively during socio-sexual interactions, especially during periods of social tension, immature bonobos produced the BT in a wider number of contexts. As such, the results indicate that the communicative meaning of the BT display is consistent with signaling appeasement, especially in periods of social tension. Moreover, the BT display does not seem to signal social status, supporting the prediction for species with a high degree of social tolerance. These results advance our understanding of the origins of communicative signals and their relation to species' social systems.

The Birka Chamber-Graves- Economic and Social Aspects A quantitative analysis

Social and economic aspects of the Birka chamber-graves are presented, based on a statistical analysis. An economic differentiation between the chamber-graves is discerned by virtue of estimates of e. g. grave values. The "upper-class people" in chamber-graves apparently can be divided into various levels. There are, however, chambers with low values but which signal social status by their construction. Of interest is the high ranking of some female graves as to wealth and to complexity of grave goods. It is not possible to prove that the graves were intended for foreigners. The chamber-graves at Birka were constructed during a brief period in the 9th and 10th centuries, and should be seen as an ancient international tradition to enhance the status of the leading class - an archaic element connected with periods of incipient urbanization and state formation.

Does credentialism affect the gender wage gap? Evidence from Chile

AbstractThe expansion of higher education across the globe changed the dynamics of social inclusion and exclusion during the last century. As a result of the increase in higher‐education enrollment, societies have reduced social gaps in education and labor. Moreover, higher‐education expansion policies have led to a diversification in the quality of higher‐education institutions and workforce configurations, which has allowed for the increased participation of women in the education and labor market. Evidence on higher‐education expansion has shown only a minor decrease in gender gaps in the labor market. One explanation is the presence of credential market configuration, where degrees signal social status. This research focuses on how educational credentialism affects the gender wage gap, using the CASEN Household Survey of Chile. It aims to assess the effects of a credential on earnings, using a regression framework and data set between 2013 and 2017. The results point to a differential effect of credentials across genders, interpreted as a systematic bias toward human capital pricings, with particular effects on the gender wage gap.

Intruder traits modulate aggressive behavior of territory owners

The prior residence effect consists of a higher probability of territory owners to win a fight against intruders, as observed in several territorial species across animal kingdom. However, in investigations on territorial behavior, intruder traits have been assumed as fixed. Thus, we used a territorial species as experimental model to evaluate the effect of intruder traits on aggressive behavior of territory owners. During fights staged between territory owners and intruders, intruder traits, linked with visual signals of social status (dominant-subordinate position), modulate fighting behavior of territory owners, but prior residence effect still occurred. Intruder traits must be addressed more effectively for improving the theoretical understanding of territoriality.

The meaning of fashion: A qualitative study with students in Romania

This article discusses the results of a focus-group-based qualitative study that was conducted with the students of two universities in Romania, with the aim to reveal their discourses regarding the meaning of fashion. The findings suggest that students define fashion through a complex semantic triangle of three inter-related concepts: fashion – style – being well-dressed. In this tripartite model, fashion receives mostly negative connotations compared with style, which is defined as a micro-level, personal take on fashion, i.e. it has agency, whereas fashion is defined as being at the macro-level and is accused of enforcing normativity and homogeneity. The meaning of being well-dressed refers mostly to dress codes and to the wearing of clothes that symbolize and signal social status, rather than to fashionable clothes. With such findings, it is possible to claim that the interviewees are ‘soft challengers’ of fashion: they are revolting against the normativity of fashion and seek to emphasize their agency when they put together an outfit. However, as much as possible, they try to respect the normative expectations of situational dress codes. When the three concepts were considered separately by the interviewees, each revealed several sub-dimensions/themes.

Becoming Interesting: Narrative Capital Development at Elite Colleges

Research on cultural capital in higher education has primarily focused on institutional knowledge and taste as stratified cultural resources. Through analysis of an interview study of 70 undergraduates and a year-long ethnographic study of 20 undergraduate extracurricular activities at an elite college, I explore a further form of cultural capital that I call narrative capital. Narrative capital consists of the library of a person’s experiences capable of being turned into interesting stories, and their skill at constructing and deploying these stories to signal social status. Narrative capital developed in college can be used to signal status in a variety of contexts both in and beyond college, such as within extracurricular status hierarchies and in evaluative settings such as job interviews. Access to the kinds of experiences that make for valuable stories, such as stories of leadership, international travel, and campus adventures, is not equally available to all students. Those from more privileged backgrounds have greater access to cultural experiences that can be narrativized usefully, compared to their less privileged peers. Such narrative inequalities suggest a further role elite colleges play in the reproduction of social class.

Relationships between male giraffes’ colour, age and sociability

In species in which males signal competitive ability through secondary sexual traits, males with different levels of trait expression may adopt different reproductive tactics to maximize their reproductive success. In fission–fusion social systems, the most dominant males often roam widely in search of females in oestrus, and thus exhibit different patterns of sociability from subordinate males that utilize alternative reproductive tactics. Giraffes, Giraffa camelopardalis, are rare among mammals in that they are sexually dimorphic in colour, and colour is hypothesized to function as a signal of males’ social status by displaying their competitive ability. Here we analysed the coat colour and sociability of 66 wild male giraffes over 12 years at Etosha National Park in Namibia to test two premises underlying this hypothesis. First, we found that males did not all darken at the same rate or to the same degree, and colour variation increased with age. This suggests that colour is not solely an age-based trait but could be a secondary sexual trait. We then showed a distinct difference in the sociability of both young and pale males compared to darker males. Both younger and paler old males tended to be more gregarious while darker males were more solitary. This is consistent with a system where darker, more dominant males roam looking for females in oestrus. Younger or subordinate males may delay roaming or use an alternative tactic, such as remaining in groups with females to gain copulations when a more dominant male is not present. Our results are consistent with the hypothesis that male giraffe coat colour functions as a signal of social status through competitive ability, but deeper study into movement patterns and the costs and benefits associated with darker colours is required.

Colour plasticity in response to social context and parasitic infection in a self-fertilizing fish.

Many animal species rely on changes in body coloration to signal social dominance, mating readiness and health status to conspecifics, which can in turn influence reproductive success, social dynamics and pathogen avoidance in natural populations. Such colour changes are thought to be controlled by genetic and environmental conditions, but their relative importance is difficult to measure in natural populations, where individual genetic variability complicates data interpretation. Here, we studied shifts in melanin-related body coloration in response to social context and parasitic infection in two naturally inbred lines of a self-fertilizing fish to disentangle the relative roles of genetic background and individual variation. We found that social context and parasitic infection had a significant effect on body coloration that varied between genetic lines, suggesting the existence of genotype by environment interactions. In addition, individual variation was also important for some of the colour attributes. We suggest that the genetic background drives colour plasticity and that this can maintain phenotypic variation in inbred lines, an adaptive mechanism that may be particularly important when genetic diversity is low.

Are Luxury Brand Labels and "Green" Labels Costly Signals of Social Status? An Extended Replication.

Costly signaling theory provides an explanation for why humans are willing to a pay a premium for conspicuous products such as luxury brand-labeled clothing or conspicuous environmentally friendly cars. According to the theory, the extra cost of such products is a signal of social status and wealth and leads to advantages in social interactions for the signaler. A previous study found positive evidence for the case of luxury brand labels. However, an issue of this study was that some of the experiments were not conducted in a perfectly double-blind manner. I resolved this by replicating variations of the original design in a double-blind procedure. Additionally, besides the luxury label condition, I introduced a “green” label condition. Thus, the hypothesis that signaling theory is able to explain pro-environmental behavior was tested for the first time in a natural field setting. Further, I conducted experiments in both average and below-average socioeconomic neighborhoods, where, according to signaling theory, the effects of luxury signals should be even stronger. In contrast to the original study, I did not find positive effects of the luxury brand label in any of the five experiments. Nor did I find evidence for a green-signaling effect. Moreover, in poor neighborhoods a negative tendency of the luxury label actually became evident. This suggests that a signaling theory explanation of costly labels must take into account the characteristics of the observers, e.g. their social status.

Tail Movements in Birds—Current Evidence and New Concepts

Abstract Birds of a wide range of species show characteristic movements of their tail, often called tail flicking, tail wagging or tail flashing. Tail flicking refers to vertical up-and-down movements of the tail, while tail flashing is defined as a horizontal movement, often including tail spreading. Here, I review proposed functions of such behaviour. Most relate to communication with conspecifics, predators or prey. Tail flashing may induce movement of the bird's prey that makes the prey more vulnerable to capture (‘prey-flushing’). Tail movements may signal to a predator that the signaller has detected it (‘perception advertisement’), or that the signaller is particularly alert or otherwise difficult to catch (‘quality advertisement’). Further, it may warn conspecifics of predators (‘alarm signal’), or it may advertise quality as a mate, signal social status, or aid in flock cohesion. This behaviour may, possibly, though it seems unlikely, represent a cue rather than a signal in that it benefits the r...

Experimental evidence for a phenotypic trait as an age-dependent intrasexual social signal between familiar individuals

Signals of social status can function to alert conspecifics of an individual's dominance, social rank and fighting ability. Such signals are beneficial in resource-limited systems because they can act to reduce conflict between competitors, especially when individuals are unfamiliar with each other. Here, we investigate the social communication function of a conspicuous plumage characteristic of a Neotropical migrant songbird, the black-throated blue warbler, Setophaga caerulescens, after breeding territory establishment when individuals are familiar with neighbours. To do this, we experimentally manipulated males' white wingspots, a putative signalling trait, and subsequently observed their behaviour. We found that males with experimentally eliminated wingspots had more frequent close-range interactions within and at their territory boundaries with conspecific males and had more agonistic interactions involving aggressive vocalizations compared to control males, although the effects differed according to age class. However, frequency of close-range interactions with female conspecifics was not influenced by wingspot manipulation. Finally, wingspot manipulation did not influence males' territorial song rates or responses to a simulated intruder, indicating no change in individual self-perception. Our study provides evidence that, even when individuals are familiar with each other and on established territories, social status signals continue to convey important information.

An experimental test of the role of structural blue and melanin-based chestnut coloration in aggressive contests in male eastern bluebirds

Male eastern bluebirds (Sialia sialis) have feathers with either structurally based blue coloration or melanin-based chestnut coloration, and they hold territories during the breeding season that they defend vigorously. We tested whether the melanin pigmentation or structural coloration of feathers serve as signals during intrasexual aggressive encounters by placing color-modified stuffed bluebirds in male territories. We recorded the time to attack and the intensity of attacks on each model, and we then compared the response to color-enhanced versus color-reduced models. Male bluebirds attacked models with brighter and more chromatic blue coloration significantly more often than they attacked models with darker and less chromatic blue coloration. In contrast, the darkness of the chestnut breast coloration did not have a significant effect on the rate at which models were attacked. We conclude that territorial male bluebirds perceive intruding males with brighter blue coloration as a greater threat than males with drabber blue coloration, presumably because blue coloration is a signal of fighting ability. In contrast, the chestnut coloration of breast feathers appears to be a signal of gender and sexual maturity and not a graded signal of social status.

Social and ecological correlates of long-distance pant hoot calls in male chimpanzees

Long-distance calls have a variety of functions in different animal species. However, where multiple functions are proposed for a single long-distance call type, little is known about their relative importance. Chimpanzees are one species where several functions have been proposed for their long-distance call, the pant hoot. In this study, we investigated the effect of social factors, including the rank of the caller, party size, fission–fusion rates, and the presence of estrus females as well as ecological factors including the type of food consumed and travel time, on male chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii) pant hooting, in order to identify the key correlates of this behavior. The wild male chimpanzees of the Kanyawara community, Uganda, produced more pant hoots on days when there were frequent changes in the male, but not female, composition of the focal’s party. This factor accounted for the largest amount of variation in pant hoot production, and we found that males were more likely to repeat a call prior to rather than after fusion with other males, suggesting that the calls facilitate fusion. Pant hoots therefore seem to play a pivotal role in regulating grouping dynamics in chimpanzees. Our study also shows that pant hooting was positively correlated with the rank of the caller, the presence of parous females in estrus, and the consumption of high-quality food, suggesting that pant hoots signal social status or social bonds when between-male competition is high. This study supports the view that pant hoots fulfill a complex social function.

Plumage Coloration of the Blue Grosbeak Has No Dual Function

Abstract. Although plumage coloration has been widely used as a model in studies of the evolution of signaling, the role of plumage in intrasexual communication has been less studied, especially in cases of the structural plumage color. The aim of our study was to use choice trials and plumage manipulation to test whether or not the structural blue color of the male Blue Grosbeak (Passerina caerulea) works as a signal of social status. Additionally, we tested whether or not females exploit signals used in aggression between males. If they do, it suggests that plumage coloration is also used in mate choice. In 2007, we captured males and females from two different populations. We performed two choice experiments by manipulating plumage color: (1) a status-signaling experiment, in which a male had to choose one of two other males, and (2) a mate-choice experiment, in which a female had to choose one of two males. Males clearly foraged near less blue birds during their first encounter and on the first day. H...

Whatʼs in a name?: Comment on “Surname distribution in population genetics and in statistical physics”

The practice of naming human individuals is probably as old as spoken language. In ancient, small human groups, the given name may have been enough to distinguish one individual from another and facilitate social gossip—thus social cohesion [1]. As groups grew larger and social organization became more complex, the addition of family names to given names was a convenient way to signal social status or to protect a legacy. The use of family names became prominent in different cultures at different times. However, despite significant differences in the historical acquisition of this habit and in the fidelity of inheritance of family names, the current distribution of surnames presents remarkable similarities all over the world, to the point of having systematically attracted the attention of scientists from quantitative disciplines in the last century and a half. In a comprehensive revision [2], Paolo Rossi goes over the many models, mostly similar in spirit, that have attempted to capture the universal features of surname distributions. Common patterns in surname abundance arise from a few simple dominating mechanisms (demography, vertical inheritance, and occasional introduction of new surnames) which form the core of most modelling attempts. Nowadays, however, the field is ripe enough to shift attention from the commonalities to the dissimilarities. The abundance of surnames in cultures with a small genealogical depth, for instance, still keeps memory of the historical situation when the inheritance of surnames was adopted. An example is Japan, with a genealogical depth of 4–5 generations (patrilineal inheritance of surnames began in year 1870) that yields a relatively narrow distribution of surname abundances [3], the large number of different surnames notwithstanding (over 290 000). The opposite situation is that of China and other neighbouring countries, which have the largest genealogical depth and a very high fidelity of transmission due to its writing system [4]. As a consequence, there are as few as 7000 different surnames at present, with a distribution of abundances depleted in rare surnames and clearly departing from a power-law. To compensate for this lack of diversity, individuals in the Chinese culture are distinguished thanks to a remarkable variety of given names [5]. The introduction of the spatial structure of surnames abundance speaks for inbreeding habits and reveals migratory phenomena thanks to its relation with the Y chromosome. However, few studies have related patterns of surname abundance and genetic markers. There seems to be a tacit agreement that genetic signals should be more reliable than cultural traits. Still, in groups where their cultural identity has been preserved in the face of foreign contributions,

From ‘evil eye’ anxiety to the desirability of envy: Status, consumption and the politics of visibility in urban south India

Competing motivations characterise consumption practices in contemporary south India. While status-conscious Tamils are desirous of displaying wealth so as to signal kauravam (‘prestige’), such public displays risk eliciting tiruṣṭi (‘evil eye’). Based on field research in urban Tamil Nadu, the article argues that this tension—between the desire to display wealth and signal social status, and the fear that such displays will invite supernatural attack—is being resolved through newfound practices of tiruṣṭi prophylaxis. Prophylactic amulets are used to manage and divert the tiruṣṭi-bearing gazes of onlookers from things of value. The newest amulets of the Tamil Nadu public sphere capitalise upon the eye-catching ability of the normative tiruṣṭi prophylactic to directly index, rather than mask, the social status that protective amulets are deployed to protect. Today, a range of expensive consumer goods are utilised as prophylactics. Because the need to protect oneself from tiruṣṭi can itself be a sign of status, such expensive amulets serve to simultaneously protect and project the prestige of their deployers. Lower-status individuals, however, are policed in their acts of tiruṣṭi prophylaxis. Here, a politics of visibility—with respect to caste, class, gender and skin colour—conditions the ‘appropriateness’ of acts of tiruṣṭi prophylaxis.

Fishy Aroma of Social Status: Urinary Chemo-Signalling of Territoriality in Male Fathead Minnows (Pimephales promelas)

Chemical structures of several urinary reproductive pheromones in fish have been identified, and their role in the chemical communication of reproductive condition is well characterized. On the contrary, the role of chemical communication in signalling of social/territorial status in fish is poorly understood. Fathead minnows are an example of a fish species whose life history traits appear conducive to evolution of chemical communication systems that confer information about social/territorial status. Male reproduction in this species is dependent upon their ability to acquire and defend a high quality nesting territory, and to attract a female to the nest. We hypothesized that fathead minnow males use visual and urine-derived chemical cues to signal territorial status. To test this hypothesis, effects of territorial acquisition on male-specific secondary sex characteristics (SSCs) and urine volumes were first assessed. Second, frequencies of male urination in varying social contexts were examined. Finally, nuclear magnetic resonance-based metabolomics was used to identify urinary metabolites that were differentially excreted in the urine of territorial versus non-territorial males. The expression of SSCs, sperm, and urine volumes increased with territory acquisition, and either remained unchanged or decreased in non-territorial males. Frequency of male urination increased significantly in the presence of females (but not males), suggesting that females are the main target of the urinary signals. Territorial and non-territorial males had distinct urinary metabolomic profiles. An unforeseen finding was that one could discern future territorial status of males, based on their initial metabolomic profiles. Bile acids and volatile amines were identified as potential chemical signals of social status in the fathead minnow. The finding that trimethylamine (a fishy smelling volatile amine) may be a social cue is particularly interesting, because it is known to bind trace amine-associated receptors, indicating that these receptors may play role in chemical signalling of social status in fish.

Implicit signals in small group settings and their impact on the expression of cognitive capacity and associated brain responses

Measures of intelligence, when broadcast, serve as salient signals of social status, which may be used to unjustly reinforce low-status stereotypes about out-groups' cultural norms. Herein, we investigate neurobehavioural signals manifest in small (n = 5) groups using functional magnetic resonance imaging and a ‘ranked group IQ task’ where implicit signals of social status are broadcast and differentiate individuals based on their expression of cognitive capacity. We report an initial overall decrease in the expression of cognitive capacity in the small group setting. However, the environment of the ‘ranked group IQ task’ eventually stratifies the population into two groups (‘high performers’, HP and ‘low performers’, LP) identifiable based on changes in estimated intelligence quotient and brain responses in the amygdala and dorsolateral prefrontal cortex. In addition, we demonstrate signals in the nucleus accumbens consistent with prediction errors in expected changes in status regardless of group membership. Our results suggest that individuals express diminished cognitive capacity in small groups, an effect that is exacerbated by perceived lower status within the group and correlated with specific neurobehavioural responses. The impact these reactions have on intergroup divisions and conflict resolution requires further investigation, but suggests that low-status groups may develop diminished capacity to mitigate conflict using non-violent means.