The evolution of different forms of sociality : behavioral mechanisms and eco-evolutionary feedback
Abstract
Different forms of sociality have evolved via unique evolutionary trajectories. However, it remains unknown to what extent trajectories of social evolution depend on the specific characteristics of different species. Our approach to studying such trajectories is to use evolutionary case-studies, so that we can investigate how grouping co-evolves with a multitude of individual characteristics. Here we focus on anti-predator vigilance and foraging. We use an individual-based model, where behavioral mechanisms are specified, and costs and benefits are not predefined. We show that evolutionary changes in grouping alter selection pressures on vigilance, and vice versa. This eco-evolutionary feedback generates an evolutionary progression from “leader-follower” societies to “fission-fusion” societies, where cooperative vigilance in groups is maintained via a balance between within- and between-group selection. Group-level selection is generated from an assortment that arises spontaneously when vigilant and non-vigilant foragers have different grouping tendencies. The evolutionary maintenance of small groups, and cooperative vigilance in those groups, is therefore achieved simultaneously. The evolutionary phases, and the transitions between them, depend strongly on behavioral mechanisms. Thus, integrating behavioral mechanisms and eco-evolutionary feedback is critical for understanding what kinds of intermediate stages are involved during the evolution of particular forms of sociality.
Citation
Van Der Post , D J , Verbrugge , R & Hemelrijk , C 2015 , ' The evolution of different forms of sociality : behavioral mechanisms and eco-evolutionary feedback ' , PLoS One , vol. 10 , no. 1 , e0117027 . https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pone.0117027
Publication
PLoS One
Status
Peer reviewed
ISSN
1932-6203Type
Journal article
Rights
© 2015 van der Post et al. This is an open access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited.
Description
This research was funded by the Netherlands Organization for Scientific Research (http://www.nwo.nl/en): Vici grant NWO-277-80-001 awarded to Rineke Verbrugge (in the project Cognitive systems in interaction: Logical and computational models of higher-order social cognition). Date of Acceptance: 17/12/2014Collections
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