Quantitative and systematic behavioral profiling reveals social complexity in eusocial naked mole-rats

IF 12.5 1区综合性期刊 Q1 MULTIDISCIPLINARY SCIENCES

Science Advances Pub Date : 2025-10-08 DOI:10.1126/sciadv.ady0481

Masanori Yamakawa, Takahiro Ezaki, Akiyuki Watarai, Nobuyuki Kutsukake, Kyoko Miura, Teruhiro Okuyama

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Abstract

In highly organized animal societies, individual behavioral differences and close social relationships are crucial for group success and cohesion. However, in naked mole-rats, a eusocial mammal, these factors remain poorly understood because monitoring all colony members simultaneously is challenging. We developed an automated radio frequency identification (RFID) tracking system to continuously collect behavioral data from entire colonies, monitoring 102 individuals from five colonies for 30 days. Based on behavioral parameters, we statistically identified distinct behavioral phenotypes, comprising one cluster for breeders and six clusters for nonbreeders. Breeders formed strong social bonds, consistently remaining close in activity rhythm synchrony, spatial proximity, and directional following. In contrast, nonbreeders exhibited behavioral heterogeneity according to their cluster: One cluster avoided other active nonbreeders, whereas another cluster attracted frequent following. Our study highlights social complexity in this eusocial mammal and establishes a robust platform for further investigations into naked mole-rat social dynamics.

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定量和系统的行为分析揭示了社会性裸鼹鼠的社会复杂性

在高度组织化的动物社会中，个体行为差异和密切的社会关系对群体的成功和凝聚力至关重要。然而，在裸鼹鼠这种群居哺乳动物中，这些因素仍然知之甚少，因为同时监测所有群体成员是具有挑战性的。我们开发了一种自动射频识别（RFID）跟踪系统，连续收集整个蜂群的行为数据，对五个蜂群的102只个体进行了30天的监测。基于行为参数，我们在统计上发现了不同的行为表型，包括一个群集为育种者和六个群集为非育种者。繁殖者形成了强大的社会纽带，在活动节奏同步、空间接近和方向跟随方面始终保持密切。相反，非育种者根据他们的集群表现出行为异质性：一个集群避免其他活跃的非育种者，而另一个集群吸引频繁的追随者。我们的研究突出了这种群居哺乳动物的社会复杂性，并为进一步研究裸鼹鼠的社会动态建立了一个强大的平台。

本文章由计算机程序翻译，如有差异，请以英文原文为准。

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来源期刊

Science Advances 综合性期刊-综合性期刊

CiteScore

21.40

自引率

1.50%

发文量

1937

审稿时长

29 weeks

期刊介绍： Science Advances, an open-access journal by AAAS, publishes impactful research in diverse scientific areas. It aims for fair, fast, and expert peer review, providing freely accessible research to readers. Led by distinguished scientists, the journal supports AAAS's mission by extending Science magazine's capacity to identify and promote significant advances. Evolving digital publishing technologies play a crucial role in advancing AAAS's global mission for science communication and benefitting humankind.