Ecological Factors Affecting Prosociality in Marmoset Monkeys
Anand R Mysorekar1, Anushka Vispute1, Cory Miller1
1Cortical Systems and Behavior Laboratory, University of California, San Diego.
Biorxiv : the Preprint Server for Biology
|July 16, 2025
Summary
Food availability and portion size influence marmoset prosocial behavior. Larger food portions increase sharing, but hunger (longer time since food access) reduces this effect, showing flexible social decisions.
Area of Science:
- Behavioral Ecology
- Primate Social Behavior
- Animal Cognition
Background:
- Prosocial behaviors like cooperation and food sharing are vital for social species' cohesion.
- The impact of temporary physiological states on these behaviors is not well understood.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate how short-term ecological factors affect social behavior in common marmosets (Callithrix jacchus).
- To determine the influence of food divisibility and time since food access (TSFA) on food sharing.
Main Methods:
- Common marmosets were observed under varying conditions of food item size (small vs. large).
- Food sharing behavior was quantified at different times after food access (0, 1, and 3 hours).
Main Results:
- Larger food portions consistently led to increased prosocial interactions.
- Extended time since food access (TSFA) promoted more individualistic behavior.
- A significant interaction showed that increasing TSFA diminished the prosocial effect of large food portions.
Conclusions:
- Marmoset prosociality is highly sensitive to immediate ecological conditions.
- Social decision-making in marmosets is flexible and context-dependent, influenced by hunger and food availability.
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