The Evolution of Mammalian Sociality in an Ecological Perspective (SpringerBriefs in Ecology)

This brief discusses factors associated with group formation, group maintenance, group population structure, and other events and processes (e.g., physiology, behavior) related to mammalian social evolution. Within- and between-lineages, features of prehistoric and extant social mammals, patterns and linkages are discussed as components of a possible social “tool-kit”. "Top-down” (predators to nutrients), as well as “bottom-up” (nutrients to predators) effects are assessed. The present synthesis also emphasizes outcomes of Hebbian (synaptic) decisions on Malthusian parameters (growth rates of populations) and their consequences for (shifting) mean fitnesses of populations. Ecology and evolution (EcoEvo) are connected __via__ the organism’s “norms of reaction” (genotype x environment interactions; life-history tradeoffs of reproduction, survival, and growth) exposed to selection, with the success of genotypes influenced by intensities of selection as well as neutral (e.g. mutation rates) and stochastic effects. At every turn, life history trajectories are assumed to arise from “decisions” made by types responding to competition for limiting resources constrained by Hamilton’s rule (inclusive fitness operations). Preface 5 Contents 8 Chapter 1 Introduction: Definitions, Background 11 1.1 Different ``Routes'' to Sociality 12 References 16 Chapter 2 Competition for Limiting Resources, Hamilton's Rule, and Chesson's R* 18 2.1 West et al. (2002) Places Hamilton’s Rule in the Context of Intraspecific Competition 19 2.2 Generalizing Chesson's R* and Linking it to Hamilton's Rule 22 References 26 Chapter 3 Flexible and Derived Varieties of Mammalian Social Organization: Promiscuity in Aggregations May Have Served as a Recent ``Toolkit'' Giving Rise to ``Sexual Segregation,'' Polygynous Social Structures, Monogamy, Polyandry, and Leks 28 3.1 The Evolution of Thermal Niches and the Evolution of Mammalian Sociality 34 3.2 Abiotic and Biotic ``Drivers'' of Body Sizes and Home-Range Sizes in Mammals 35 3.3 What Roles Do Mammalian Males Play in Determining Population Structure? Interactions Between Intrasexual Selection, Sexual Dimorphism in Home Range Sizes, and the Potential for Male Monopolization of Females 37 3.4 “Promiscuous” Associations with Overlapping Home Ranges Without Male Monopolization: A Mammalian “Toolkit” 39 3.5 ``Solitary'' Mammals and Sexual Segregation Grade to Polygyny 41 References 42 Chapter 4 Multimale-Multifemale Groups and ``Nested'' Architectures: Collaboration Among Mammalian Males 46 4.1 Incipient Division-of-Labor in Multimale-Multifemale Groups of Mammals 47 4.2 “Nested” (“Hierarchical,” “Modular”) Social Organization and Management of Competition as Well as Competition by Queuing 48 4.3 Queuing May Minimize l* Levels for Superior Types 51 References 52 Chapter 5 Higher ``Grades'' of Sociality in Class Mammalia: Primitive Eusociality 55 5.1 Primitively Eusocial ``Cooperative'' Breeders 56 5.2 Primitively Eusocial Mole Rats 57 5.3 Toward a Social ``Toolkit'' 58 5.4 Mammalian Sociality and Social Insects: Convergent Patterns Emerge 60 References 61 Chapter 6 Ecological Models as Working Paradigms for ``Unpacking'' Positive and Negative Interactions Among Social Mammals 63 6.1 The Behavioral Ecology of Group Formation and Stable Maintenance of Groups 64 6.2 Predation May Facilitate Group Formation, a Necessary Precursor to Social Evolution 65 6.3 Interspecific Competition May Facilitate Mammalian Group Formation, a Necessary Precursor to Social Evolution 66 6.4 How Robust are Predation and Interspecific Competition as Conditions for the Evolution of Group Maintenance, Possibly Leading to Social Evolution in Mammals 67 References 69 Chapter 7 Mechanisms Underlying the Behavioral Ecology of Group Formation 73 7.1 Behavioral Ecology, a Paradigm for the Evolution of Group Structure: Extrinsic Factors Shape ``Decisions'' Made by Types 74 7.2 Types Influence and Are Influenced by Abiotic and Biotic Regimes: Positive and Negative Effects Among Species 76 7.3 A Case Study of Community Assembly: Superior and Inferior Competitors 81 References 84 Chapter 8 The Evolution of Mammalian Socialityby Sexual Selection 88 8.1 The Energetics of Sexual Allocation 89 8.2 “Sexual Conflict” Between Mammalian Males and Group-Living Females: Ecology Interacts with Traits 92 8.3 The Eco-Ethology of Male to Female Aggression 92 8.4 A Simple Model of Male to Female Aggression in Mammals 95 8.5 Managing Conflict Where More than One Males Coreside with Reproductive Females 97 8.6 A Final Note on Females: Potentials and Constraints 98 References 100 Chapter 9 Proximate Causation: Functional Traitsand the Ubiquity of Signaler to Receiver Interactions: From Biochemical to Whole Organism Levels of Mammalian Social Organization 104 9.1 An Integration of Social Neuroscience and Ecology Is on the Horizon 106 9.2 Mammalian Sociogenetics: What Genes Do What, and How? 106 9.3 The Promise of Mammalian Sociogenomics Has Yet to Be Realized 108 References 108 Chapter 10 Synopsis 111 10.1 Synopsis 111 10.2 Coda 112 References 115 Index 117 Annotation This brief discusses factors associated with group formation, group maintenance, group population structure, and other events and processes (e.g., physiology, behavior) related to mammalian social evolution. Within- and between-lineages, features of prehistoric and extant social mammals, patterns and linkages are discussed as components of a possible social tool-kit . "Top-down (predators to nutrients), as well as bottom-up (nutrients to predators) effects are assessed. The present synthesis also emphasizes outcomes of Hebbian (synaptic) decisions on Malthusian parameters (growth rates of populations) and their consequences for (shifting) mean fitnesses of populations. Ecology and evolution (EcoEvo) are connected "via" the organism s norms of reaction (genotype x environment interactions; life-history tradeoffs of reproduction, survival, and growth) exposed to selection, with the success of genotypes influenced by intensities of selection as well as neutral (e.g. mutation rates) and stochastic effects. At every turn, life history trajectories are assumed to arise from decisions made by types responding to competition for limiting resources constrained by Hamilton s rule (inclusive fitness operations) Front Matter....Pages i-xi Introduction: Definitions, Background....Pages 1-7 Competition for Limiting Resources, Hamilton’s Rule, and Chesson’s R *....Pages 9-18 Flexible and Derived Varieties of Mammalian Social Organization: Promiscuity in Aggregations May Have Served as a Recent “Toolkit” Giving Rise to “Sexual Segregation,” Polygynous Social Structures, Monogamy, Polyandry, and Leks....Pages 19-36 Multimale-Multifemale Groups and “Nested” Architectures: Collaboration Among Mammalian Males....Pages 37-45 Higher “Grades” of Sociality in Class Mammalia: Primitive Eusociality....Pages 47-54 Ecological Models as Working Paradigms for “Unpacking” Positive and Negative Interactions Among Social Mammals....Pages 55-64 Mechanisms Underlying the Behavioral Ecology of Group Formation....Pages 65-79 The Evolution of Mammalian Sociality by Sexual Selection....Pages 81-96 Proximate Causation: Functional Traits and the Ubiquity of Signaler to Receiver Interactions: From Biochemical to Whole Organism Levels of Mammalian Social Organization....Pages 97-103 Synopsis....Pages 105-110 Back Matter....Pages 111-112