La Tour du Valat

Institut de recherche pour la conservation des zones humides méditerranéennes

Titre :	The importance of fission-fusion social group dynamics in birds
Auteurs :	Matthew J. Silk, Auteur ; Darren P. Croft, Auteur ; Tom Tregenza, Auteur ; Stuart Bearhop, Auteur
Type de document :	Article
Dans :	Ibis (156(4) OCT 2014)
Article en page(s) :	701-715
Résumé :	Almost all animal social groups show some form of fission-fusion dynamics, whereby group membership is not spatio-temporally stable. These dynamics have major implications at both population and individual levels, exerting an important influence on patterns of social behaviour, information transfer and epidemiology. However, fission-fusion dynamics in birds have received relatively little attention. We review the existing evidence for fission-fusion sociality in birds alongside a more general explanation of the social and ecological processes that may drive fission-fusion dynamics. Through a combination of recent methodological developments and novel technologies with well-established areas of ornithological research, avian systems offer great potential to further our understanding of fission-fusion social systems and the consequences they have at an individual and population level. In particular, investigating the interaction between social structure and environmental covariates can promote a deeper understanding of the evolution of social behaviour and the adaptive value of group living, as well as having important consequences for applied research.

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