Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Fitness benefits of coalitionary aggression in male chimpanzees

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

Coalitionary aggression occurs when at least two individuals jointly direct aggression at one or more conspecific targets. Scientists have long argued that this common form of cooperation has positive fitness consequences. Nevertheless, despite evidence that social bond strength (which is thought to promote coalition formation) is correlated with fitness in primates, cetaceans, and ungulates, few studies have directly examined whether coalitionary aggression improves reproductive success. We tested the hypothesis that among free-ranging chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii), participation in coalitionary aggression increases reproductive output. Using 14 years of genetic and behavioral data from Gombe National Park, Tanzania, we found that coalitionary aggression increased a male’s chances of (A) siring offspring, compared to other males of similar dominance rank, and (B) ascending in rank, a correlate of future reproductive output. Because male chimpanzees form coalitions with many others within a complex network, we used social network analysis to identify the types of connections correlated with these fitness benefits. The beneficiaries of coalitionary aggression were males with the highest “betweenness”—that is, those who tended to have coalition partners who themselves did not form coalitions with each other. This suggests that beyond simply recognizing third-party relationships, chimpanzees may use this knowledge to choose coalition partners. If so, this is a significant step forward in our knowledge of the adaptive value of social intelligence. Regardless of mechanism, however, this is the first evidence of genetic benefits of coalitionary aggression in this species, and therefore has important implications for understanding the evolution of cooperation.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1
Fig. 2

Similar content being viewed by others

References

  • Boesch C, Boesch-Achermann H (2000) The chimpanzees of the Taï Forest. Oxford University Press, Oxford, Behavioural Ecology and Evolution

    Google Scholar 

  • Borgatti S (2002) Netdraw network visualization. Analytic Technologies, Harvard, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Borgatti S, Everett M, Freeman L (2002) UCINET for Windows: software for social network analysis. Analytic Technologies, Harvard, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Brent LJN, Lehmann J, Ramos-Fernández G (2011) Social network analysis in the study of nonhuman primates: a historical perspective. Am J Primatol 73:720–730

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Bygott D (1979) Agonistic behaviour, dominance and social structure in wild chimpanzees of the Gombe National Park. In: Hamburg DA, McCown ER (eds) The great apes. Benjamin/Cummings, Menlo Park, CA, pp 405–427

    Google Scholar 

  • Cameron EZ, Setsaas TH, Linklater WL (2009) Social bonds between unrelated females increase reproductive success in feral horses. P Natl Acad Sci USA 106:13850–13853

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Chapais B (1992) The role of alliances in the social inheritance of rank among female primates. In: Harcourt AH, de Waal FBM (eds) Coalitions and alliances in humans and other animals. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 29–59

    Google Scholar 

  • Cheney DL (2011) Extent and limits of cooperation in animals. P Natl Acad Sci USA 108:10902–10909

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Cheney DL, Seyfarth RM (2007) Baboon metaphysics: the evolution of a social mind. Chicago University Press, Chicago

    Google Scholar 

  • Christakis NA, Fowler JH (2007) The spread of obesity in a large social network over 32 years. New Engl J Med 357:370–379

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Connor RC, Smolker RA, Richards AF (1992) Two levels of alliance formation among male bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.). P Natl Acad Sci USA 89:987–990

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Croft DP, James R, Krause J (2008) Exploring animal social networks. Princeton University Press, Princeton

    Google Scholar 

  • de Vries H (1995) An improved test of linearity in dominance hierarchies containing unknown or tied relationships. Anim Behav 50:1375–1389

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • de Waal FBM (1982) Chimpanzee politics: power and sex among apes. Harper & Row, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Diggle PJ, Heagerty PJ, Liang K-Y, Zeger SL (2002) Analysis of longitudinal data, 2nd edn. Oxford University Press, New York

    Google Scholar 

  • Duffy KG, Wrangham RW, Silk JB (2007) Male chimpanzees exchange political support for mating opportunities. Curr Biol 17:R586–R587

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Dunbar RIM, Shultz S (2007) Evolution in the social brain. Science 317:1344–1347

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Feh C (1999) Alliances and reproductive success in Camargue stallions. Anim Behav 57:705–713

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Flack JC, Girvan M, de Waal FBM, Krakauer DC (2006) Policing stabilizes construction of social niches in primates. Nature 439:426–429

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Frère CH, Krützen M, Mann J, Connor RC, Bejder L, Sherwin WB (2010) Social and genetic interactions drive fitness variation in a free-living dolphin population. P Natl Acad Sci USA 107:19949–19954

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Girvan M, Newman MEJ (2002) Community structure in social and biological networks. P Natl Acad Sci USA 99:7821–7826

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Goodall J (1986) The chimpanzees of Gombe: patterns of behavior. Harvard University Press, Cambridge, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Harcourt AH, de Waal FBM (1992) Coalitions and alliances in humans and other animals. Oxford University Press, Oxford

    Google Scholar 

  • Higham JP, Maestripieri D (2010) Revolutionary coalitions in male rhesus macaques. Behaviour 147:1889–1908

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Jennings DJ, Carlin CM, Hayden TJ, Gammell MP (2011) Third-party intervention behaviour during fallow deer fights: the role of dominance, age, fighting and body size. Anim Behav 81:1217–1222

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Kalinowski ST, Taper ML, Marshall TC (2007) Revising how the computer program CERVUS accommodates genotyping error increases success in paternity assignment. Mol Ecol 16:1099–1106

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Krützen M, Barré LM, Connor RC, Mann J, Sherwin WB (2004) ‘O father: where art thou?’—paternity assessment in an open fission–fusion society of wild bottlenose dolphins (Tursiops sp.) in Shark Bay, Western Australia. Mol Ecol 13:1975–1990

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Lusseau D, Newman MEJ (2004) Identifying the role that animals play in their social networks. Biol Lett 271:477–481

    Google Scholar 

  • Marshall TC, Slate J, Kruuk L, Pemberton JM (1998) Statistical confidence for likelihood-based paternity in natural populations. Mol Ecol 7:639–655

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • McDonald DB (2007) Predicting fate from early connectivity in a social network. P Natl Acad Sci USA 104:10910–10914

    Article  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC (2009) Male chimpanzees form enduring and equitable social bonds. Anim Behav 77:633–640

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Mitani JC, Watts DP, Pepper JW, Merriwether DA (2002) Demographic and social constraints on male chimpanzee behaviour. Anim Behav 64:727–737

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Muller MN, Mitani JC (2005) Conflict and cooperation in wild chimpanzees. Adv Stud Behav 35:275–331

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newton-Fisher NE (1999) Association by male chimpanzees: a social tactic? Behaviour 136:705–730

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Newton-Fisher NE (2002) Relationships of male chimpanzees in the Budongo Forest, Uganda. In: Boesch C, Hohmann G, Marchant L (eds) Behavioural diversity in chimpanzees and bonobos. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 112–124

    Google Scholar 

  • Nishida T (1983) Alpha status and agonistic alliance in wild chimpanzees (Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii). Primates 24:318–336

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Nishida T, Hosaka K (1996) Coalition strategies among adult male chimpanzees of the Mahale Mountains, Tanzania. In: McGrew WC, Marchant L, Nishida T (eds) Great ape societies. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, pp 114–134

    Chapter  Google Scholar 

  • Nishida T, Zamma K, Matsusaka T, Inaba A, McGrew WC (2010) Chimpanzee behavior in the wild: an audio-visual encyclopedia. Springer, Tokyo

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Noë R (1992) Alliance formation among male baboons: shopping for profitable partners. In: Harcourt AH, de Waal FBM (eds) Coalitions and alliances in humans and other animals. Oxford University Press, Oxford, pp 285–321

    Google Scholar 

  • Riss D, Goodall J (1977) The recent rise to the alpha-rank in a population of free-living chimpanzees. Folia Primatol 27:134–151

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Schülke O, Bhagavatula J, Vigilant L, Ostner J (2010) Social bonds enhance reproductive success in male macaques. Curr Biol 20:2207–2210

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

  • Seyfarth RM (1977) A model of social grooming among adult female monkeys. J Theor Biol 65:671–698

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silk JB (2002) Kin selection in primate groups. Int J Primatol 23:849–875

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Silk JB (2007) Social components of fitness in primate groups. Science 317:1347–1351

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silk JB, Alberts SC, Altmann J (2003) Social bonds of female baboons enhance infant survival. Science 302:1231–1234

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Silk JB, Beehner JC, Bergman TJ, Crockford C, Engh AL, Moscovice LR, Wittig RM, Seyfarth RM, Cheney DL (2010) Strong and consistent social bonds enhance the longevity of female baboons. Curr Biol 20:1359–1361

    Article  PubMed  CAS  Google Scholar 

  • Smith JE, Van Horn RC, Powning KS, Cole AR, Graham KE, Memenis SK, Holekamp KE (2010) Evolutionary forces favoring intragroup coalitions among spotted hyenas and other animals. Behav Ecol 21:284–303

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Tabachnick B, Fidell L (2007) Using multivariate statistics, 5th edn. Allyn & Bacon, Boston, MA

    Google Scholar 

  • Wasserman S, Faust K (1994) Social network analysis: methods and applications. Structural analysis in the social sciences. Cambridge University Press, Cambridge

    Book  Google Scholar 

  • Watts DP (1998) Coalitionary mate guarding by male chimpanzees at Ngogo, Kibale National Park, Uganda. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 44:43–55

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Wroblewski EE, Murray CM, Keele BF, Schumacher-Stankey JC, Hahn BH, Pusey AE (2009) Male dominance rank and reproductive success in chimpanzees, Pan troglodytes schweinfurthii. Anim Behav 77:873–885

    Article  PubMed  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgments

Data collection was funded by the Jane Goodall Institute. Digitization and analysis of behavioral data were supported by grants from the National Science Foundation (DBS-9021946, SBR-9319909, BCS-0452315, LTREB-1052693), the University of Minnesota, the Harris Steel Group, the Windibrow Foundation, the Jane Goodall Institute, the Carnegie Corporation, Minnesota Base Camp and Duke University. Genetic analyses were supported by grants from the National Institutes of Health (R01 AI50529, R01 AI58715, P30 AI 27767). We thank TANAPA, TAWIRI, and COSTECH for permission to work in Gombe National Park, the Gombe Stream Research Center staff for maintaining data collection, and Richard Wrangham, Michael Platt, Daniel Schmitt, Julie Horvath, David Watts, and two anonymous reviewers for comments on earlier versions of this manuscript.

Ethical Standards

This research complies with the current laws of Tanzania.

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Evolutionary Anthropology, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Ian C. Gilby & Anne E. Pusey

  2. Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Center for Cognitive Neuroscience, Duke University, Durham, NC, 27708, USA

    Lauren J. N. Brent

  3. Department of Structural Biology, Stanford University School of Medicine, Stanford, CA, 94305, USA

    Emily E. Wroblewski

  4. Department of Microbiology, University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham, AL, 35294, USA

    Rebecca S. Rudicell

  5. Department of Medicine, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Beatrice H. Hahn

  6. Department of Microbiology, University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, PA, 19104, USA

    Beatrice H. Hahn

  7. The Jane Goodall Institute, Vienna, VA, 22182, USA

    Jane Goodall

Authors
  1. Ian C. Gilby
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  2. Lauren J. N. Brent
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  3. Emily E. Wroblewski
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  4. Rebecca S. Rudicell
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  5. Beatrice H. Hahn
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  6. Jane Goodall
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

  7. Anne E. Pusey
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Ian C. Gilby.

Additional information

Communicated by D. P. Watts

Electronic supplementary material

Below is the link to the electronic supplementary material.

ESM 1

(PDF 435 kb)

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Cite this article

Gilby, I.C., Brent, L.J.N., Wroblewski, E.E. et al. Fitness benefits of coalitionary aggression in male chimpanzees. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 67, 373–381 (2013). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-012-1457-6

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Revised:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00265-012-1457-6

Keywords

Search

Navigation