Behavioural Flexibility, Fertility and Social Network Influences in Human and Non-Human Primates

人类和非人类灵长类动物的行为灵活性、生育能力和社交网络影响

• 批准号: RGPIN-2018-04181
• 负责人: Barrett, Louise
• 金额: $ 3.42万
• 依托单位: University of Lethbridge
• 依托单位国家: 加拿大
• 项目类别: Discovery Grants Program - Individual
• 财政年份: 2018
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2018-01-01 至 2019-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=644703
• 关键词: Behavioural; Flexibility; Fertility; Social; Network

My aim is to understand how evolutionary processes influence the behaviour of human and non-human primates. More specifically, I am interested in exploring those aspects that we share with other primate species, and those that make us different. One shared feature is argued to be our high level of behavioural flexibility—the ability to cope with changes in the ecological and social environment. At the same time, however, humans and other primates have been shown to possess stable personalities; that is, our behaviour is often very consistent across time and circumstance. Displaying the same behaviour over different contexts is the very opposite of flexibility, and raises questions of why stable personality traits should exist. *** Here, I propose to investigate the link between personality and plasticity among South African vervet monkeys. It has been argued that consistent differences in growth rate between individuals leads to stable personality traits (e.g., animals that are growing fast may need to be more aggressive, more active and take more risks to ensure they meet their energy demands via foraging), and that such differences may be reinforced over the course of development. Longitudinal studies, combining observational and experimental data, from infancy to adulthood, can help answer this question. It has also been suggested that personality and plasticity are complementary: animals may show average differences in their behaviour, and they may also vary in the strength of their response to environmental change. Using experimental and observational data on vervet monkeys, I will test whether personality predicts plasticity within and between individuals, and if this varies across different life stages and between the sexes. These data will provide valuable information on the scope and limits of vervet plasticity, and their likely ability to cope with rapid climate change. *** The second part of my proposal deals with human behaviour, and focuses on our differences from other primates. Here, the emphasis is on how cultural shifts in modern, industrial economies influence reproductive decisions, leading to much smaller family sizes than evolutionary theory predicts. One suggestion is that economic development leads to changes in our social networks (weaker links, with fewer kin), which in turn affects the decision to reproduce. Here, my trainees, collaborators and I will compare social networks in Canada, where fertility is below replacement levels (1.61 children per woman), with a less developed nation, Samoa, where fertility remains high (5.10 children per woman). Understanding why fertility varies, and what influences people's reproductive decisions will help contribute to more accurate population forecasts, and potentially explain why people sometimes fail to reach their family size goals in industrial nations.

我的目标是了解进化过程如何影响人类和非人类灵长类动物的行为。更具体地说，我感兴趣的是探索我们与其他灵长类物种共享的那些方面，以及那些使我们与众不同的方面。一个共同的特点被认为是我们的高水平的行为灵活性，以科普生态和社会环境的变化的能力。然而，与此同时，人类和其他灵长类动物已经被证明具有稳定的个性;也就是说，我们的行为在不同的时间和环境中往往非常一致。在不同的环境中重复相同的行为与灵活性正好相反，并提出了为什么稳定的人格特征应该存在的问题。* 在这里，我建议调查南非长尾猴的个性和可塑性之间的联系。有人认为，个体之间生长速度的一致差异导致稳定的人格特征（例如，生长迅速的动物可能需要更有侵略性，更活跃，并承担更多风险，以确保通过觅食满足其能量需求），并且这种差异可能会在发展过程中得到加强。从婴儿期到成年期的纵向研究，结合观察和实验数据，可以帮助回答这个问题。也有人认为，个性和可塑性是互补的：动物在行为上可能表现出平均差异，它们对环境变化的反应强度也可能不同。利用对长尾猴的实验和观察数据，我将测试个性是否能预测个体内部和个体之间的可塑性，以及这种可塑性是否在不同的生命阶段和性别之间存在差异。这些数据将提供关于长尾猴可塑性的范围和极限以及它们科普快速气候变化的可能能力的有价值的信息。* 我的建议的第二部分涉及人类行为，重点是我们与其他灵长类动物的差异。在这里，重点是现代工业经济中的文化变迁如何影响生育决策，导致家庭规模比进化理论预测的要小得多。一种观点认为，经济发展导致我们的社交网络发生变化（联系减弱，亲属减少），这反过来又影响了生育的决定。在这里，我的学员、合作者和我将比较加拿大的社交网络，那里的生育率低于更替水平（每名妇女1.61个孩子），而一个欠发达国家萨摩亚的生育率仍然很高（每名妇女5.10个孩子）。了解为什么生育率不同，以及什么影响人们的生育决定将有助于更准确的人口预测，并可能解释为什么人们有时无法达到工业国家的家庭规模目标。