Micheletta, J, Waller, BM, Panggur, MR, Neumann, C, Duboscq, J, Agil, M and Engelhardt, A (2012) Social bonds affect anti-predator behaviour in a tolerant species of macaque, Macaca nigra. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 279 (1744). ISSN 1471-2954

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Abstract

Enduring positive social bonds between individuals are crucial for humans' health and well being. Similar bonds can be found in a wide range of taxa, revealing the evolutionary origins of humans' social bonds. Evidence suggests that these strong social bonds can function to buffer the negative effects of living in groups, but it is not known whether they also function to minimize predation risk. Here, we show that crested macaques (Macaca nigra) react more strongly to playbacks of recruitment alarm calls (i.e. calls signalling the presence of a predator and eliciting cooperative mobbing behaviour) if they were produced by an individual with whom they share a strong social bond. Dominance relationships between caller and listener had no effect on the reaction of the listener. Thus, strong social bonds may improve the coordination and efficiency of cooperative defence against predators, and therefore increase chances of survival. This result broadens our understanding of the evolution and function of social bonds by highlighting their importance in the anti-predator context.

Item Type:	Article
Uncontrolled Keywords:	06 Biological Sciences, 11 Medical And Health Sciences, 07 Agricultural And Veterinary Sciences
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GN Anthropology Q Science > QL Zoology
Divisions:	Natural Sciences & Psychology (closed 31 Aug 19)
Publisher:	Royal Society, The
Date Deposited:	14 Mar 2016 13:21
Last Modified:	04 Sep 2021 13:13
DOI or ID number:	10.1098/rspb.2012.1470
URI:	https://researchonline.ljmu.ac.uk/id/eprint/3203

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