Social behaviour of the crested porcupine in urban and rural areas

IF 1.3 4区 生物学 Q4 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Emiliano Mori, Filippo Gallese, Leonardo Ancillotto
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The social behaviour of rodents has captivated scientists for decades, offering valuable insights into the evolution of mammalian sociality. One of the main critical gaps in understanding rodent sociality is the role of subadult individuals prolonging their stay with parents and younger siblings, particularly in nocturnal and elusive species. Moreover, urban environments are known to elicit changes in the social behaviour of mammals, leading to altered patterns of sociality. Yet, little is known on how rodent societies may change in altered environments. Thus, we aimed at investigating the social behaviour of the crested porcupine Hystrix cristata in central Italy, with a particular focus on group composition and on the prolonged occurrence of subadult individuals within family groups. We also tested the potential effects of natural and urban environments. We combined marking of free-ranging individuals with camera trapping campaigns across three ecologically contrasting areas, and showed a pair-living social system for adult crested porcupines. Most videos captured either single young individuals or pairs of adults. Subadult marked females were observed together with adults during the birth season in the year following their birth, suggesting a potential helping role. Conversely, subadult marked males were rarely observed, presumably dispersing. Groups exceeding two individuals ranged between three and five, and were typically observed following reproductive events, with porcupines commuting in line, parents positioned at head and tail of the row. Urban environments showed a slightly different pattern, with occasional aggregations of subadults. We highlight the importance of understanding subadult behaviour in crested porcupines, as well as of testing the effects of urban ecosystems upon mammalian social systems. These findings contribute to a broader understanding of social behaviour and evolutionary adaptations in rodents and, more in general, of mammals.

城市和农村地区冠豪猪的社会行为
几十年来,啮齿动物的社会行为一直吸引着科学家,为哺乳动物的社会进化提供了有价值的见解。在理解啮齿动物的社会性方面,一个主要的关键空白是亚成年个体延长与父母和弟弟妹妹在一起的时间,特别是在夜间活动和难以捉摸的物种中。此外,已知城市环境会引起哺乳动物社会行为的变化,导致社会模式的改变。然而,人们对啮齿动物社会如何在改变的环境中发生变化知之甚少。因此,我们旨在调查意大利中部冠毛豪猪Hystrix cristata的社会行为,特别关注群体组成和亚成年个体在家庭群体中的长期出现。我们还测试了自然和城市环境的潜在影响。我们将自由放养个体的标记与相机诱捕活动结合起来,在三个生态截然不同的地区,展示了成年冠毛豪猪的成对生活社会系统。大多数视频拍摄的要么是单身的年轻个体,要么是成对的成年个体。在出生后一年的出生季节,亚成虫标记的雌性与成虫一起观察,这表明它们可能起到帮助作用。相反,亚成年有标记的雄性很少被观察到,可能是分散了。超过2只的豪猪群在3到5只之间,通常在繁殖活动之后观察到,豪猪排成一行,父母位于这排的头和尾。城市环境表现出略微不同的模式,偶尔有亚成虫聚集。我们强调了解冠状豪猪亚成年行为的重要性,以及测试城市生态系统对哺乳动物社会系统的影响。这些发现有助于更广泛地理解啮齿动物的社会行为和进化适应,更广泛地说,是哺乳动物。
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来源期刊
acta ethologica
acta ethologica 生物-动物学
CiteScore
1.90
自引率
0.00%
发文量
18
审稿时长
>12 weeks
期刊介绍: acta ethologica publishes empirical and theoretical research papers, short communications, commentaries, reviews and book reviews as well as methods papers in the field of ethology and related disciplines, with a strong concentration on the behavior biology of humans and other animals. The journal places special emphasis on studies integrating proximate (mechanisms, development) and ultimate (function, evolution) levels in the analysis of behavior. Aspects of particular interest include: adaptive plasticity of behavior, inter-individual and geographic variations in behavior, mechanisms underlying behavior, evolutionary processes and functions of behavior, and many other topics. acta ethologica is an official journal of ISPA, CRL and the Portuguese Ethological Society (SPE)
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