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: 2019
• 资助国家: 加拿大
• 起止时间: 2019-01-01 至 2020-12-31
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://www.nserc-crsng.gc.ca/ase-oro/Details-Detailles_eng.asp?id=689430
• 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 flexibilitythe 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.

我的目的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，以及那些使我们不同的方面。一个共同的特征被认为是我们高度的行为灵活性，即应对生态和社会环境变化的能力。然而，与此同时，人类和其他灵长类动物被证明具有稳定的个性；也就是说，我们的行为往往在不同的时间和环境下非常一致。在不同的背景下表现出相同的行为与灵活性正好相反，并引发了为什么应该存在稳定的人格特征的问题。*在这里，我建议研究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持续差异会导致稳定的个性特征(例如，生长迅速的动物可能需要更具攻击性、更活跃、更冒险，以确保它们通过觅食来满足能量需求)，并且这种差异可能会在发育过程中得到加强。纵向研究结合了从婴儿期到成年期的观察和实验数据，可以帮助回答这个问题。也有人认为，个性和可塑性是相辅相成的：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也可能不同。利用实验和观察数据，我将测试个性是否可以预测个体内部和个体之间的可塑性，以及这种可塑性是否会在不同的生命阶段和性别之间有所不同。这些数据将提供有关马鞭草可塑性的范围和限度以及它们可能应对快速气候变化的能力的有价值的信息。*我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区别。在这里，重点是现代工业经济中的文化转变如何影响生育决定，导致家庭规模比进化理论预测的要小得多。一种建议是，经济发展导致我们的社交网络发生变化(联系较弱，亲属较少)，这反过来会影响繁殖的决定。在这里，我的学员、合作者和我将对加拿大的社交网络进行比较，加拿大的生育率低于更替水平(每名妇女1.61个孩子)，而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)。了解生育率变化的原因，以及是什么影响了人们的生育决定，将有助于更准确地预测人口，并有可能解释为什么在工业化国家，人们有时无法实现家庭规模目标。