scholarly journals Coevolution of vocal communication and sociality in primates

2005 ◽  
Vol 1 (4) ◽  
pp. 381-385 ◽  
Author(s):  
Karen McComb ◽  
Stuart Semple

Understanding the rules that link communication and social behaviour is an essential prerequisite for discerning how a communication system as complex as human language might have evolved. The comparative method offers a powerful tool for investigating the nature of these rules, since it provides a means to examine relationships between changes in communication abilities and changes in key aspects of social behaviour over evolutionary time. Here we present empirical evidence from phylogenetically controlled analyses indicating that evolutionary increases in the size of the vocal repertoire among non-human primate species were associated with increases in both group size and time spent grooming (our measure of extent of social bonding).

2021 ◽  
Vol 8 (7) ◽  
pp. 210873
Author(s):  
Eithne Kavanagh ◽  
Sally E. Street ◽  
Felix O. Angwela ◽  
Thore J. Bergman ◽  
Maryjka B. Blaszczyk ◽  
...  

Animal communication has long been thought to be subject to pressures and constraints associated with social relationships. However, our understanding of how the nature and quality of social relationships relates to the use and evolution of communication is limited by a lack of directly comparable methods across multiple levels of analysis. Here, we analysed observational data from 111 wild groups belonging to 26 non-human primate species, to test how vocal communication relates to dominance style (the strictness with which a dominance hierarchy is enforced, ranging from ‘despotic’ to ‘tolerant’). At the individual-level, we found that dominant individuals who were more tolerant vocalized at a higher rate than their despotic counterparts. This indicates that tolerance within a relationship may place pressure on the dominant partner to communicate more during social interactions. At the species-level, however, despotic species exhibited a larger repertoire of hierarchy-related vocalizations than their tolerant counterparts. Findings suggest primate signals are used and evolve in tandem with the nature of interactions that characterize individuals' social relationships.


Author(s):  
K.A. Ushmaeva ◽  
◽  
A.S. Goncharov

This study is devoted to the study of relevant works on the history of the Stavropol Cossacks, works in the field of education of the Stavropol Cossacks as an independent Cossack group, trade, cultural and economic ties in the Stavropol Territory, spiritual life, language, culture, traditions and customs of the Stavropol Cossacks. Among modern studies in the history of the Stavropol Cossacks, the following topics stand out: military life and everyday life, folklore and song traditions, the movement for the revival of the Cossacks, as well as the current state and prospects for the development of Cossack organizations. The prospect of the development of pedagogical technologies based on the Cossack traditions of educating young people in Stavropol is highlighted as a separate topical topic. The relevance of the study lies in the need for a private study of the historiography of the regional Cossack group of Stavropol Cossacks in order to expand the scientific and pedagogical tools in the field of «Cossack studies». The practical significance of the study is expressed in the possibility of using the data of the article in the search for supporting material for teaching the "History of the Cossacks" in a higher educational institution (taking into account the regional specifics). The scientific novelty of the research is expressed in a new view of the Stavropol Cossacks as an independent Cossack group formed at the end of the XVIII century. The source base is represented mainly by archival data from the State Archives of the Stavropol Territory, data banks on archaeological, cultural and linguistic expeditions, sources of personal origin, the works of contemporary historians and directly the works of historians, whose studies formed the basis of the historiography of the history of the Stavropol Cossacks. The research methodology is based on the principles of historiographic comparative studies and comparative analysis of sources. Within the framework of the sociocultural approach, we rely on the following methods. Special-historical: the narrative method, the historical-comparative method, the historical-systemic method, the retrospective method. Sociological: document analysis, method of generalizing characteristics, method of ideal types. Culturological: comparative method, cultural-systemic method. Pedagogical: pedagogical interviewing, a method of studying and generalizing pedagogical experience.


Author(s):  
Tracii Ryan ◽  
Kelly A. Allen ◽  
DeLeon L. Gray ◽  
Dennis M. McInerney

The use of social media is rapidly increasing, and one of the major discussions of the 21st century revolves around how the use of these applications will impact on the social relationships of users. To contribute to this discussion, we present a brief narrative review highlighting the advantages and disadvantages of social media use on three key aspects of social connectedness: social capital, sense of community, and loneliness. The results indicate that using social media can increase social capital, lead to the formation of friendships and communities, and reduce loneliness. However, some social media site users may experience weakening friendships, online ostracism, and heightened loneliness. Therefore, we argue that the use of social media has contradictory effects on social connectedness. Moreover, the direction of these outcomes is contingent upon who is using the site and how they are using it. Based on these arguments, possible directions for future research are discussed. It is recommended that discourse be continued relating to the association between online social behaviour and connectedness, as this will enable researchers to establish whether the positive outcomes of social media use outweigh the negative.


2018 ◽  
Vol 49 (4) ◽  
pp. 1444-1459 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mari C. Vázquez-Borrego ◽  
Antonio C. Fuentes-Fayos ◽  
Manuel D. Gahete ◽  
Justo P. Castaño ◽  
Rhonda D. Kineman ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Biguanides are anti-hyperglycaemic agents used to treat diabetes by acting primarily on the liver, inhibiting hepatic gluconeogenesis. However, biguanides may target other key metabolic tissues to exert beneficial actions. As the “master endocrine gland”, the pituitary is a true homeostatic sensor that controls whole body homeostasis and metabolism by integrating central and peripheral signals. However, whether the pituitary is a primary site of biguanides action in normal adult humans/primates remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to elucidate the direct effects of two biguanides (metformin/phenformin) on the expression and secretion of all anterior pituitary hormones in two non-human primate species (Papio anubis and Macaca fascicularis), and the molecular/signalling-mechanisms behind these actions. Methods: Primary pituitary cell cultures from baboons and macaques were used to determine the direct impact of metformin/phenformin (alone and combined with primary regulators) on the functioning of all pituitary cell-types (i.e. expression/secretion/signaling-pathways, etc). Results: Metformin/phenformin inhibited basal, but not GHRH/ghrelin-stimulated GH/ACTH/ FSH-secretion and GH/POMC-expression, without altering secretion or expression of other pituitary hormones (PRL/LH/TSH), FSH-expression or cell viability in both primate models. These biguanide actions are likely mediated through modulation of: 1) common (mTOR/PI3K/intracellular-Ca2+mobilization) and distinct (MAPK) signaling pathways; and 2) gene expression of key receptors regulating somatotrope/corticotrope/gonadotrope function (i.e. upregulation of SSTR2/SSTR5/INSR/IGF1R/LEPR). Conclusion: The pituitary gland is a primary target of biguanide actions wherein they modulate somatotrope/corticotrope/gonadotrope-function through multiple molecular/signaling pathways in non-human primate-models. This suggests that the well-known metabolic effects of biguanides might be, at least in part, influenced by their actions at the pituitary level.


2020 ◽  
Vol 10 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Julia Jenikejew ◽  
Brenda Chaignon ◽  
Sabrina Linn ◽  
Marina Scheumann

Abstract Vocal communication networks can be linked to social behaviour, allowing a deeper understanding of social relationships among individuals. For this purpose, the description of vocal dyads is fundamental. In group-living species, this identification is based on behavioural indicators which require a high level of reactivity during social interactions. In the present study, we alternatively established a proximity-based approach to investigate whether sex-specific differences in vocal communication reflect social behaviour in a species with rather loose social associations and low levels of reactivity: the Southern white rhinoceros (Ceratotherium simum simum). We performed audio- and video recordings of 30 captive animals from seven groups. Vocal networks for the four most common call types were constructed by considering conspecifics at close distance (≤ 1 body length) to the sender as potential receivers. The analysis of the resulting unidirectional structures showed that not only the sex of the sender but also the sex of the potential receiver, the quality of social interactions (affiliative or agonistic) as well as association strength predict the intensity of vocal interactions between group members. Thus, a proximity-based approach can be used to construct vocal networks providing information about the social relationships of conspecifics—even in species with loose social associations where behavioural indicators are limited.


2018 ◽  
Vol 5 (6) ◽  
pp. 180736
Author(s):  
Ben J. Evans ◽  
Anthony J. Tosi ◽  
Kai Zeng ◽  
Jonathan Dushoff ◽  
André Corvelo ◽  
...  

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