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Updated: Jul 16, 2025
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A System for Tracking the Dynamics of Social Preference Behavior in Small Rodents
Published on: November 21, 2019
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Wild jackdaws can selectively adjust their social associations while preserving valuable long-term relationships
Michael Kings1, Josh J Arbon2,3, Guillam E McIvor4
1Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, TR10 9FE, UK. mkings1024@gmail.com.
Nature Communications
|September 11, 2023
Summary
Wild jackdaws learned to associate with compatible partners, but their social networks were limited by existing relationships. This study explores social plasticity and decision-making in wild bird populations.
Area of Science:
- Evolutionary Biology
- Animal Behavior
- Cognitive Ecology
Background:
- Theories suggest individuals adjust social associations to enhance fitness by connecting with compatible partners.
- Social plasticity, the ability to change social networks, is crucial for maintaining beneficial relationships.
- Experimental evidence for this in natural populations, especially concerning long-term relationship constraints, is lacking.
Purpose of the Study:
- To experimentally test if wild animals can learn to favour compatible social partners.
- To investigate how social network structure changes based on individual decision-making.
- To examine the constraints on social plasticity imposed by existing relationships.
Main Methods:
- A social network manipulation experiment was conducted on wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula).
- Researchers tracked social associations and foraging interactions within the jackdaw groups.
- Compatibility was assessed based on the returns individuals received from social foraging.
Main Results:
- Wild jackdaws demonstrated an ability to learn and favour associations with compatible group members.
- Individuals preferentially associated with partners providing greater benefits in social foraging.
- However, the overall change in social network structure was limited by the need to maintain established relationships.
Conclusions:
- Cognitive mechanisms allow wild animals to adjust social associations based on partner compatibility.
- Social plasticity is evident but constrained by the persistence of valuable, long-term relationships.
- Findings illuminate the interplay between individual social learning, decision-making, and the evolution of social networks.
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