Behavioral plasticity shapes population aging patterns in a long- lived avian scavenger

• 成果类型: Article
• 署名作者: Acacio, Marta; Gahm, Kaija; Anglister, Nili; Vaadia, Gideon; Hatzofe, Ohad; Harel, Roi; Efrat, Ron; Nathan, Ran; Pinter-Wollman, Noa; Spiegel, Orr
• 署名单位: Tel Aviv University; University of California System; University of California Los Angeles; Max Planck Society; Ben-Gurion University of the Negev; Hebrew University of Jerusalem
• 刊物名称: PROCEEDINGS OF THE NATIONAL ACADEMY OF SCIENCES OF THE UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
• ISSN/ISSBN: 0027-8588
• DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2407298121
• 发表日期: 2024-08-27
• 关键词: vultures gyps-fulvus; social-structure; AGE; senescence; MOVEMENT; LIFE; CONSEQUENCES; individuals; association; INFORMATION

摘要

Studying the mechanisms shaping age- related changes in behavior (behavioral aging) is important for understanding population dynamics in our changing world. Yet, studies that capture within- individual behavioral changes in wild populations of long- lived animals are still scarce. Here, we used a 15- y GPS- tracking dataset of a social obligate scavenger, the griffon vulture (Gyps fulvus), to investigate age- related changes in movement and social behaviors, and disentangle the role of behavioral plasticity and selective disappearance in shaping such patterns. We tracked 142 individuals for up to 12 y and found a nonlinear increase in site fidelity with age: a sharp increase in site fidelity before sexual maturity (<5 y old), stabilization during adulthood (6 to 15 y), and a further increase at old age (behavioral plasticity) and not from selective disappearance. Mature vultures increased the predictability of their movement routines and spent more nights at the most popular roosting sites compared to younger individuals. Thus, adults likely have a competitive advantage over younger conspecifics. These changes in site fidelity and movement routines were mirrored in changes to social behavior. Older individuals interacted less with their associates (decreasing average strength with age), particularly during the breeding season. longitudinal studies are imperative for understanding how plasticity and selection shape