Natal dispersal in a social landscape： Considering individual behavioral phenotypes and social environment in dispersal ecology

Natal dispersal, the movement of an organism from its birthplace to the site of first reproduction, is fundamental to many ecological and evolutionary processes. Mechanistically, individual dispersal decisions can depend on both individual phe- notype and environmental cues. In particular, many established evolutionary theories of dispersal highlight the importance of the social environment. More recent research in behavioral ecology has focused on the importance of individual behavioral pheno- types. We reviewed the literature on individual behavioral phenotypes and dispersal and suggest that how individual behavioral phenotypes interact with the immediate social environment experienced by individuals in influencing dispersal is still poorly un- derstood, despite growing interest. We found that very few studies had examined the interaction of individual behavioral pheno- types and social factors, and behavioral phenotypes related to social tendencies were less commonly measured than were beha- vioral phenotypes related to exploration or response to risk. Further, and unsurprisingly, studies on social behavioral phenotypes and dispersal behaviors during the transience stage of dispersal were underrepresented compared to the departure or settlement stages. Future studies in this area should aim to＂ a） make explicit links between behavioral traits and their proposed effects on dispersal decisions throughout multiple stages of dispersal, b） integrate more continuous dispersal variables, and c） consider the effects of the spatial distribution and phenotypes of conspecifics （i.e., the social landscape） encountered by individual dispersers

Social interactions in striped hyena inferred from camera trap data:is it more social than previously thought?

Understanding the drivers promoting sociality over solitariness in animal species is imperative for predicting future population trends and informing conservation and management.In this study we investigate the social structure of a desert dwelling population of striped hyena Hyaena hyaena.This species is historically regarded as strictly solitary albeit being the least studied of the extant Hyaenids.Accumulating evidence regarding the frequency of social interactions sug-gests a revision of striped hyena social structure is required.We hypothesized that striped hyena has a social structure that is more complex than expected for a strictly solitary species.For that end,we deployed an array of camera-traps in a remote desert region in Israel,and compared observed frequencies of striped hyena co-occurrence against null models to test whether hyena co-occurred more than expected by chance.Seven adults were(re)captured by our camera-traps in 49 different instances over 83 tracking days.Of these,6 exhibited shared space-use around a scarce,isolated perennial water source.Five of them,co-occurred with other hyena(in 3 instan-ces)significantly more frequent than expected by chance(and that timing suggests reproduction is unlikely to be the driving factor).Our findings substantiate evidence of complex social structure in striped hyena,highlight the importance of a scarce resource in space use and sociality,and provide a baseline for future research of striped hyena social structure.We suggest that similar methods be employed to evaluate social structure in other"solitary species"to better under-stand their social dynamics.