Publications by authors named "Ivan Garcia-Nisa"

The last two decades have seen great advances in the study of social learning (learning from others), in part due to efforts to identify it in the wild as the basis of behavioral traditions. Theoretical frameworks suggest that both the dynamics of social tolerance and transmission biases (or social learning strategies) influence the pathways of information diffusion in social groups. Bearded capuchins () inhabiting the semiarid seasonal caatinga biome of the Serra da Capivara National Park (SCNP) form highly tolerant societies that possess the largest "tool-kit" described for monkeys, a feat likely facilitated by social learning.

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Article Synopsis
  • In this study, researchers examined the relationship between hierarchical structure and the distribution of fitness-related benefits in primate social groups, focusing on how dominance ranks influence access to resources.
  • They tested the hypothesis that the steepness of hierarchy within groups would predict variations in these benefits, analyzing data from 27 primate species using various ranking methods.
  • The results revealed that hierarchy steepness did not affect the connection between dominance rank and access to benefits like fecundity and survival, implying that other behavioral strategies may be critical in resource acquisition beyond just winning interactions.
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Vocalizations differ substantially between the sexes in many primates, and low-frequency male vocalizations may be favored by sexual selection because they intimidate rivals and/or attract mates. Sexual dimorphism in fundamental frequency may be more pronounced in species with more intense male mating competition and in those with large group size, where social knowledge is limited and efficient judgment of potential mates and competitors is crucial. These non-mutually exclusive explanations have not been tested simultaneously across primate species.

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Despite playing a pivotal role in the inception of animal culture studies, macaque social learning is surprisingly understudied. Social learning is important to survival and influenced by dominance and affiliation in social animals. Individuals generally rely on social learning when individual learning is costly, and selectively use social learning strategies influencing what is learned and from whom.

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