This post was written by QBIC sophomore, Mariluz Soula.
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Lewis JS, Wartzok D, Heithaus MR.
(2011) Highly dynamic fission-fusion species can exhibit leadership when
traveling. Behavior Ecology Sociobiology 65: 1061-1069
Leadership in
tight-knit social groups is known to enhance the fitness of the entire group.
Leadership by specific individuals usually occurs in species groups that are
stable and related, and that inhabit complex habitats (Payne, 2003). However, leadership
has not been studied in fission-fusion groups, or social groups that change in
size and composition as time passes. In a species exhibiting fission-fusion
dynamics, the group might disperse to forage during the day (fission), then
reunite to sleep in the same place (fusion). Although these groups tend to be
unstable, complex habitats may allow leadership to develop regardless. Leaders
may have variable effects: they may lead the group to areas rich in resources
but may also lead the group away from forage sites (King et al., 2009). Leaders of fission-fusion groups may also influence
group size and may actually select individuals from the group that will
maximize the leader’s fitness since these types of species frequently change in
composition and size (Conradt & Roper, 2005).
