Dominance style predicts differences in food retrieval strategies
Open Access
- 1 February 2021
- journal article
- research article
- Published by Springer Science and Business Media LLC in Scientific Reports
- Vol. 11 (1), 1-9
- https://doi.org/10.1038/s41598-021-82198-0
Abstract
In several species, rank predicts access to food, and subordinates may need specific behavioural strategies to get a share of resources. This may be especially important in despotic species, where resources are strongly biased in favour of dominants and subordinates may more strongly rely on specific tactics to maximize food intake. Here, we compared three macaque species with an experimental set-up reproducing feeding competition contest. Following our predictions, more tolerant species mostly retrieved food in the presence of others and were less dependent on specific tactics. Contrarily, subordinates in more despotic species more likely collected food (1) when dominants could not see food or (2) were attacking others, (3) while "dissimulating", or (4) "storing food". Our study reveals that dominance styles reliably predict the probability of using specific food retrieval tactics and provides important insights on the social conditions that might have led to the emergence of tactical deception.Funding Information
- Ministerio de Educación y Formación Profesional, España ((FPU16/02878))
- German Research Foundation (AM 409/4–1)
- Projekt DEAL
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