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PloS One 2020Social dominance is an important and widely used concept, however, different interpretations have led to ambiguity in the scientific literature and in popular science....
Social dominance is an important and widely used concept, however, different interpretations have led to ambiguity in the scientific literature and in popular science. Even though in ethology dominance is an attribute of dyadic encounters, and not a characteristic of the individual, 'dominance' has often been referred to as a personality trait in animals. Since few studies have specifically examined the link between personality traits and dominance status, we investigated this in dogs living in multi-dog households using a questionnaire, which required owners to specify whether the dog had a dominant or submissive status, and comprised items of both the features of the individual (i.e. personality traits) and previous social experience (interactions with group members and strangers). Four distinct personality factors emerged from 23 behavioural items by principal component analysis, labelled as assertiveness, trainability, intraspecific aggression and independence. Binomial logistic regression was used to examine how the demographic information of the dogs and the personality factors predicted the owner's estimate of the dog' status as dominant or submissive. The personality factor assertiveness accounted for 34% of the variance in dominance status, trainability 5% and dog age contributed 4%. Dogs perceived as dominant scored more highly on the factors assertiveness and trainability, which can help explain why 'dominance' has often been suggested to be a personality trait, rather than a dyad-specific social status according to different traditions in behavioural research. Similar to the 'social dominance' trait in humans, owner ascribed dominance showed a quadratic trajectory in cross-sectional mean change across the lifespan, increasing during adulthood and then maintaining high levels until old age. Overall, our study proposes a multifactorial background of dominance relationships in pet dogs, suggesting that not only previous experience of social interactions between individuals but also age and personality traits influence owner perceived dominance status in multi-dog households.
Topics: Age Factors; Animals; Behavior, Animal; Dogs; Family Characteristics; Female; Male; Models, Psychological; Personality; Pets; Social Dominance; Surveys and Questionnaires
PubMed: 31899765
DOI: 10.1371/journal.pone.0227253 -
Soft Matter Jun 2023Inhomogeneously swollen elastomers are an emergent class of materials, comprising elastic matrices with inclusion phases in the form of microgel particles or osmolytes....
Inhomogeneously swollen elastomers are an emergent class of materials, comprising elastic matrices with inclusion phases in the form of microgel particles or osmolytes. Inclusion phases can undergo osmotically driven swelling and deswelling over orders of magnitude. In the swollen state, the inclusions typically have negligible Young's modulus, and the matrix is strongly deformed. In that regime, the effective mechanical properties of the composite are governed by the matrix. Laying the groundwork for a generic analysis of inhomogeneously swollen elastomers, we develop a model based on incremental mean-field homogenization of a hyperelastic matrix. The framework allows for the computation of the macroscopic effective stiffness for arbitrary hyperelastic matrix materials. For an in-depth quantification of the local effective stiffness, we extend the concept of elastic stiffness maps to incompressible materials. For strain-stiffening materials, stiffness maps in the swollen state highlight pronounced radial stiffening with a non-monotonic change in stiffness in the hoop direction. Stiffening characteristics are sensitive to the form of constitutive models, which may be exploited in the design of hydrated actuators, soft composites and metamaterials. For validation, we apply this framework to a Yeoh material, and compare to recently published data. Model predictions agree well with experimental data on elastomers with highly swollen embedded microgel particles. We identify three distinct regimes related to an increasing degree of particle swelling: first, an initial decrease in composite stiffness is attributed to particle softening upon liquid intake. Second, dilute particle swelling leads to matrix stiffening dominating over particle softening, resulting in an increase in composite stiffness. Third, for swelling degrees beyond the dilute limit, particle interactions dominate further matrix stiffening.
PubMed: 37272410
DOI: 10.1039/d3sm00496a -
The ISME Journal Nov 2022The mammalian intestine harbors heterogeneous distribution of microbes among which specific taxa (e.g. Lactobacillus) dominate across mammals. Deterministic factors such...
The mammalian intestine harbors heterogeneous distribution of microbes among which specific taxa (e.g. Lactobacillus) dominate across mammals. Deterministic factors such as nutrient availability and utilization may affect microbial distributions. Due to physiological complexity, mechanisms linking nutrient utilization and the dominance of key taxa remain unclear. Lactobacillus amylovorus is a predominant species in the small intestine of pigs. Employing a pig model, we found that the small intestine was dominated by Lactobacillus and particularly L. amylovorus, and enriched with peptide-bound amino acids (PBAAs), all of which were further boosted after a peptide-rich diet. To investigate the bacterial growth dominance mechanism, a representative strain L. amylovorus S1 was isolated from the small intestine and anaerobically cultured in media with free amino acids or peptides as sole nitrogen sources. L. amylovorus S1 grew preferentially with peptide-rich rather than amino acid-rich substrates, as reflected by enhanced growth and PBAA utilization, and peptide transporter upregulations. Utilization of free amino acids (e.g. methionine, valine, lysine) and expressions of transporters and metabolic enzymes were enhanced simultaneously in peptide-rich substrate. Additionally, lactate was elevated in peptide-rich substrates while acetate in amino acid-rich substrates, indicating distinct metabolic patterns depending on substrate forms. These results suggest that an increased capability of utilizing PBAAs contributes to the dominance of L. amylovorus, indicating amino acid utilization as a deterministic factor affecting intestinal microbial distribution. These findings may provide new insights into the microbe-gut nutrition interplay and guidelines for dietary manipulations toward gut health especially small intestine health.
Topics: Amino Acids; Animals; Lactates; Lactobacillus; Lactobacillus acidophilus; Lysine; Mammals; Methionine; Nitrogen; Swine; Valine
PubMed: 35896730
DOI: 10.1038/s41396-022-01287-8 -
Scientific Reports Sep 2023The Bay of Bengal, the world's largest bay, is bordered by populous countries and rich in resources like fisheries, oil, gas, and minerals, while also hosting diverse...
The Bay of Bengal, the world's largest bay, is bordered by populous countries and rich in resources like fisheries, oil, gas, and minerals, while also hosting diverse marine ecosystems such as coral reefs, mangroves, and seagrass beds; regrettably, its microbial diversity and ecological significance have received limited research attention. Here, we present amplicon (16S and 18S) profiling and shotgun metagenomics data regarding microbial communities from BoB's eastern coast, viz., Saint Martin and Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh. From the 16S barcoding data, Proteobacteria appeared to be the dominant phylum in both locations, with Alteromonas, Methylophaga, Anaerospora, Marivita, and Vibrio dominating in Cox's Bazar and Pseudoalteromonas, Nautella, Marinomonas, Vibrio, and Alteromonas dominating the Saint Martin site. From the 18S barcoding data, Ochrophyta, Chlorophyta, and Protalveolata appeared among the most abundant eukaryotic divisions in both locations, with significantly higher abundance of Choanoflagellida, Florideophycidae, and Dinoflagellata in Cox's Bazar. The shotgun sequencing data reveals that in both locations, Alteromonas is the most prevalent bacterial genus, closely paralleling the dominance observed in the metabarcoding data, with Methylophaga in Cox's Bazar and Vibrio in Saint Martin. Functional annotations revealed that the microbial communities in these samples harbor genes for biofilm formation, quorum sensing, xenobiotics degradation, antimicrobial resistance, and a variety of other processes. Together, these results provide the first molecular insight into the functional and phylogenetic diversity of microbes along the BoB coast of Bangladesh. This baseline understanding of microbial community structure and functional potential will be critical for assessing impacts of climate change, pollution, and other anthropogenic disturbances on this ecologically and economically vital bay.
Topics: Bays; Phylogeny; Microbiota; Alteromonas; Dinoflagellida
PubMed: 37749192
DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-43306-4 -
Personality and Individual Differences Jun 2021This study used reversal theory to examine motivational predictors of well-being and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 149 UK based respondents completed an...
This study used reversal theory to examine motivational predictors of well-being and coping during the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020. 149 UK based respondents completed an online survey including measures of demographics, well-being, coping, motivational style, and dominance. Well-being was predicted by optimism (positively), autic and mastery (negatively) dominances, by alloic sympathy, optimism and paratelic motivation styles (positively), and, negatively by arousal seeking, arousability and pessimism. Coping was positively predicted by optimism and negativism dominances and by negativist, paratelic and telic motivations, and, negatively by arousability and pessimism. Using motivational dominances, indirect support was identified for the link between psychodiversity and well-being, but not coping. Findings suggest that well-being and, to a lesser degree, coping could be enhanced by encouraging individuals to experience a range of motivations, possibly focusing on those identified here as significant predictors. Future research needs to determine the context specificity of these findings and explore psychodiversity, well-being and coping using both metamotivational states and composite profiles incorporating the full range of motivational constructs.
PubMed: 33531726
DOI: 10.1016/j.paid.2021.110703 -
Pharmacology, Biochemistry, and Behavior Apr 2022Social subordination increases risk for psychiatric disorders, while dominance increases resilience to these disorders. Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin (5HT) reuptake...
Social subordination increases risk for psychiatric disorders, while dominance increases resilience to these disorders. Fluoxetine, a selective serotonin (5HT) reuptake inhibitor whose actions are mediated in part by the 5HT1A receptor (5HT1AR), has sex- and social status-specific effects on socioemotional behavior and aggressive behavior. However, the impact of social status on these sex-specific effects remains unclear. The current study evaluated the impact of acute fluoxetine treatment and social status on dominance-related behaviors in female and male hamsters, and the impact of chronic fluoxetine treatment on socioemotional behavior and 5HT1AR binding potential (5HT1AR) in female rhesus macaques. We hypothesized that sex differences in the effects of fluoxetine on aggression in hamsters would be diminished in dominant and enhanced in subordinate males and that aggression in female hamsters would be enhanced in dominants and diminished in subordinates. In female rhesus macaques, we hypothesized that chronic fluoxetine would alter socioemotional behaviors and site-specific 5HT1AR in a status-dependent manner. Male (n = 46) and female (n = 56) hamsters were paired with conspecifics for three days to establish social rank. Hamsters received a single dose of 20 mg/kg fluoxetine or vehicle two-hours prior to a test with a non-aggressive intruder. Female rhesus monkeys (n = 14) housed were administered fluoxetine (2.8 mg/kg/day) or vehicle injections chronically for 14-days, separated by a three-week washout period. On Day 15, positron emission tomography neuroimaging for 5HT1AR was conducted. Fluoxetine treatment decreased aggression in subordinate female monkeys and subordinate female hamsters but not in dominant females of either species. Fluoxetine decreased aggression in dominant but not in subordinate male hamsters. Fluoxetine also reduced and increased prefrontal 5HT1AR in dominant and subordinate females, respectively. Taken together, these results provide cross-species evidence that social status and sex impact how increased 5HT modulates agonistic behavior.
Topics: Aggression; Animals; Cricetinae; Female; Fluoxetine; Humans; Macaca mulatta; Male; Mesocricetus; Social Status
PubMed: 35219757
DOI: 10.1016/j.pbb.2022.173362 -
Behavioral Ecology : Official Journal... 2023In many social species, both the acquisition of dominance and the duration that individuals maintain their status are important determinants of breeding tenure and...
In many social species, both the acquisition of dominance and the duration that individuals maintain their status are important determinants of breeding tenure and lifetime reproductive success. However, few studies have yet examined the extent and causes of variation in dominance tenure and the duration of breeding lifespans. Here, we investigate the processes that terminate dominance tenures and examine how they differ between the sexes in wild Kalahari meerkats (), a cooperative breeder where a dominant breeding pair produces most of the young recruited into each group. Mortality and displacement by resident subordinate competitors were important forms of dominance loss for both sexes. However, dominant males (but rarely females) were also at risk of takeovers by extra-group invading males. Dominant males also differed from dominant females in that they abandoned their group after the death of their breeding partner, when no other breeding opportunities were present, whereas dominant females that lost their partner remained and continued to breed in the same group. We show that a larger number of processes can terminate dominance tenure in males with the result that the average male tenure of breeding positions was shorter than that of females, which contributes to the reduced variance in the lifetime reproductive success in males compared to females. Our analysis suggests that sex differences in emigration and immigration may often have downstream consequences for sex differences in reproductive variance and for the selection pressures operating on females and males.
PubMed: 37969548
DOI: 10.1093/beheco/arad066 -
Psychiatria Polska Jun 2022To assess attachment styles among adolescents (13-16 years) with ADHD or ADHD and oppositional defiant disorders (ODD).
OBJECTIVES
To assess attachment styles among adolescents (13-16 years) with ADHD or ADHD and oppositional defiant disorders (ODD).
METHODS
The Parents and Peers Attachment (IPPA) and the Parent Bonding Questionnaire (PBI) were used in three groups of teenagers raised in biological families: (1) ADHD/ODD group (n = 40), (2) ADHD group (n = 40) and (3) K (control) group of teenagers (n = 40) who have not benefited from psychological or psychiatric care in the past or at present.
RESULTS
Parental attachment styles in the area of "Trust", "Communication" and "Alienation" (IPPA), and "Care" and "Control" (PBI) in the ADHD/ODD group differ significantly compared to the control group. Teens from the ADHD/ODD group report to have experienced significantly less "Trust" and "Communication" (IPPA), and "Care" (PBI) in relationships with parents and more "Alienation" (IPPA) and "Control" (PBI) than adolescents in the ADHD group. Attachment patterns with peers in both clinical and control groups differ significantly. The ADHD/ODD group is dominated by the anxious-avoidant style of attachment to the mother and father, in the ADHD group, a secure style in relation to the mother and anxious-avoidant in relation to the father. In relations with peers in the ADHD/ODD group and the ADHD group, the anxious-avoidant style dominates.
CONCLUSIONS
The attachment style is significantly different in adolescents diagnosed with ADHD and ODD than in adolescents with only ADHD. In the ADHD/ODD group and the ADHD group, unlike in the group of adolescents without a psychiatric diagnosis, insecure attachment styles for parents and peers dominate (mainly anxious-avoidant style).
Topics: Adolescent; Humans; Attention Deficit Disorder with Hyperactivity; Attention Deficit and Disruptive Behavior Disorders; Parents
PubMed: 36342984
DOI: 10.12740/PP/OnlineFirst/130366 -
Proceedings of the National Academy of... Aug 2020Dominant individuals are often most influential in their social groups, affecting movement, opinion, and performance across species and contexts. Yet, behavioral traits...
Dominant individuals are often most influential in their social groups, affecting movement, opinion, and performance across species and contexts. Yet, behavioral traits like aggression, intimidation, and coercion, which are associated with and in many cases define dominance, can be socially aversive. The traits that make dominant individuals influential in one context may therefore reduce their influence in other contexts. Here, we examine this association between dominance and influence using the cichlid fish , comparing the influence of dominant and subordinate males during normal social interactions and in a more complex group consensus association task. We find that phenotypically dominant males are aggressive, socially central, and that these males have a strong influence over normal group movement, whereas subordinate males are passive, socially peripheral, and have little influence over normal movement. However, subordinate males have the greatest influence in generating group consensus during the association task. Dominant males are spatially distant and have lower signal-to-noise ratios of informative behavior in the association task, potentially interfering with their ability to generate group consensus. In contrast, subordinate males are physically close to other group members, have a high signal-to-noise ratio of informative behavior, and equivalent visual connectedness to their group as dominant males. The behavioral traits that define effective social influence are thus highly context specific and can be dissociated with social dominance. Thus, processes of hierarchical ascension in which the most aggressive, competitive, or coercive individuals rise to positions of dominance may be counterproductive in contexts where group performance is prioritized.
Topics: Aggression; Animals; Cichlids; Consensus; Decision Making; Female; Male; Social Dominance
PubMed: 32675244
DOI: 10.1073/pnas.2000158117 -
Vision (Basel, Switzerland) Mar 2020Eye dominance is often defined as a preference for the visual input of one eye to the other. Implicit in this definition is the dominant eye has better visual function....
Eye dominance is often defined as a preference for the visual input of one eye to the other. Implicit in this definition is the dominant eye has better visual function. Several studies have investigated the effect of visual direction or defocus on ocular dominance, but there is less evidence connecting ocular dominance and monocular visual thresholds. We used the classic "hole in card" method to determine the dominant eye for 28 adult observers (11 males and 17 females). We then compared contrast thresholds between the dominant and non-dominant eyes using grating stimuli biased to be processed more strongly either by the magnocellular (MC) or parvocellular (PC) pathway. Using non-parametric mean rank tests, the dominant eye was more sensitive overall than the non-dominant eye to both stimuli (z = -2.54, = 0.01). The dominant eye was also more sensitive to the PC-biased stimulus (z = -2.22, = 0.03) but not the MC-biased stimulus (z = -1.16, = 0.25). We discuss the clinical relevance of these results as well as the implications for parallel visual pathways.
PubMed: 32178302
DOI: 10.3390/vision4010019