Ageing red deer alter their spatial behaviour and become less social
Gregory F Albery1,2,3, Tim H Clutton-Brock4, Alison Morris5
1Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington DC, USA. gfalbery@gmail.com.
Nature Ecology & Evolution
|July 21, 2022
Summary
As animals age, their social connections often decrease due to changes in behavior. This study in European red deer reveals how aging impacts social networks in wild mammals.
Area of Science:
- Ecology
- Animal Behavior
- Gerontology
Background:
- Social relationships are crucial for animal survival and reproduction.
- The impact of aging on social connectedness and its mechanisms in non-primate mammals remain largely unknown.
- Understanding age-related changes in social structure is key to resolving the role of age in animal social systems.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate age-related declines in social connectedness within individuals.
- To identify the behavioral mechanisms underlying these declines in a wild mammal population.
- To elucidate the ecological and evolutionary implications of aging on social networks.
Main Methods:
- Utilized 46 years of longitudinal data from a wild, individually monitored population of European red deer (Cervus elaphus).
- Applied spatial and social network analyses to track changes in social behavior and spatial distribution over time.
- Examined within-individual changes in social interactions and movement patterns associated with aging.
Main Results:
- Demonstrated significant senescent declines in social connectedness within individual red deer.
- Identified within-individual changes in social behavior as the primary driver of decreased connectedness.
- Observed correlated changes in spatial behavior, including reduced home range size and shifts to lower-density areas.
Conclusions:
- Aging leads to reduced social connectedness in wild red deer due to intrinsic behavioral shifts.
- Socio-spatial behavioral changes in older individuals impact their integration into fission-fusion societies.
- These findings offer insights into the ecological and evolutionary processes shaping social structures in wild animal populations.
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