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Publication Details
AFRICAN RESEARCH NEXUS
SHINING A SPOTLIGHT ON AFRICAN RESEARCH
agricultural and biological sciences
Cyclicity in the structure of female baboon social networks
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology, Volume 63, No. 7, Year 2009
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Description
There is an established and very influential view that primate societies have identifiable, persistent social organizations. It assumes that association patterns reflect long-term strategic interests that are not qualitatively perturbed by short-term environmental variability. We used data from two baboon troops in markedly different habitats over three consecutive seasons to test this assumption. Our results demonstrate pronounced cyclicity in the extent to which females maintained differentiated relationships. When food was plentiful, the companionships identified by social network analysis in the food-scarce season disappeared and were replaced by casual acquaintanceships more representative of mere gregariousness. Data from the fourth, food-scarce, season at one site indicated that few companions were re-united. It is likely that this reflected stochastic variation in individual circumstances. These results suggest that attention could profitably be paid to the effects of short-term local contingencies on social dynamics, and has implications for current theories of primate cognitive evolution. © 2009 Springer-Verlag.
Authors & Co-Authors
Henzi, S. Peter
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Canada, Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
Lusseau, David
Canada, Halifax
Dalhousie University
Weingrill, Tony
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Switzerland, Zurich
Universität Zürich
van Schaik, Carel P.
Switzerland, Zurich
Universität Zürich
Barrett, Louise
South Africa, Durban
University of Kwazulu-natal
Canada, Lethbridge
University of Lethbridge
Statistics
Citations: 217
Authors: 5
Affiliations: 4
Identifiers
Doi:
10.1007/s00265-009-0720-y
ISSN:
03405443
Research Areas
Food Security
Participants Gender
Female