Journal article 69 views
Linking energy availability, movement, and sociality in a wild primate (Papio ursinus)
Ines Fuertbauer 
,
Chloe Shergold,
Charlotte Christensen,
Anna M. Bracken,
Michael Heistermann,
Marina Papadopoulou ,
M. Justin O’Riain,
Andrew King
,
Chloe Shergold,
Charlotte Christensen,
Anna M. Bracken,
Michael Heistermann,
Marina Papadopoulou ,
M. Justin O’Riain,
Andrew King
Philosophical Transactions B
Swansea University Authors:
Ines Fuertbauer , Chloe Shergold, Marina Papadopoulou , Andrew King
Abstract
Proximate mechanisms of 'social ageing’, i.e. shifts in social activity and narrowing of social networks, are understudied. It is proposed that energetic deficiencies (which are often seen in older individuals) may restrict movement and, in turn, sociality, but empirical tests of these intermed...
| Published in: | Philosophical Transactions B |
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| Published: |
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| URI: | https://cronfa.swan.ac.uk/Record/cronfa67598 |
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| Abstract: |
Proximate mechanisms of 'social ageing’, i.e. shifts in social activity and narrowing of social networks, are understudied. It is proposed that energetic deficiencies (which are often seen in older individuals) may restrict movement and, in turn, sociality, but empirical tests of these intermediary mechanisms are lacking. Here, we study wild chacma baboons (Papio ursinus), combining measures of faecal triiodothyronine (fT3), a non-invasive proxy for energy availability, high-resolution GPS data (movement and social proximity), and accelerometery (social grooming durations). Higher (individual mean-centred) fT3 was associated with increased residency time (i.e. remaining in the same area longer) which, in turn, was positively related to social opportunities (i.e. close physical proximity). Individuals with more frequent social opportunities received more grooming whereas for grooming given, fT3 moderated this effect, suggesting an energetic cost of giving grooming. While our results support the spirit of the energetic deficiencies hypothesis, the directionality of the relationship between energy availability and movement is unexpected and suggests that lower-energy individuals may use strategies to reduce costs of intermittent locomotion. Thus, future work should consider whether age-related declines in sociality may be a by-product of a strategy to conserve energy. |
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| College: |
Faculty of Science and Engineering |