Genetic origins of social networks in rhesus macaques
Open accessAbstract
Sociality is believed to have evolved as a strategy for animals to cope with their environments. Yet the genetic basis of sociality remains unclear. Here we provide evidence that social network tendencies are heritable in a gregarious primate. The tendency for rhesus macaques, Macaca mulatta, to be tied affiliatively to others via connections mediated by their social partners - analogous to friends of friends in people - demonstrated additive genetic variance. Affiliative tendencies were predicted by genetic variation at two loci involved in serotonergic signalling, although this result did not withstand correction for multiple tests. Aggressive tendencies were also heritable and were related to reproductive output, a fitness proxy. Our findings suggest that, like humans, the skills and temperaments that shape the formation of multi-agent relationships have a genetic basis in nonhuman primates, and, as such, begin to fill the gaps in our understanding of the genetic basis of sociality.
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Analogous models of social behavior apply to other species, including non-human primates, birds, bees, hyenas, and fish.
“Analogous models of social behavior apply to other species: non-human primates (Brent et al., 2013), birds (Fernald and Scharff, 2010), bees (Insel and Fernald, 2004), hyenas (Fernald, 2014), and fish (Fernald and Maruska, 2012).”
From A map for social navigation in the human brain (2015) · cites this paper as Brent et al., 2013
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References 152 · Cited by 220
Research works printed but not linked: 2
- Thierry B. Social Epigenisis. In Macaque Societies: A Model for the Study of Social Organization (eds Thierry, B., Singh, M. & Kaumanns, W.) Ch. 12, 267– 290 (Cambridge University Press, 2004).
- Rawlings R. G. & Kessler M. J. The Cayo Santiago Macaques: History, Behavior & Biology (State University of New York Press, Albany, 1986).
- Authors
- Brent, L. J. N., Heilbronner, S. R., Horvath, J. E., Gonzalez-Martinez, J., Ruiz-Lambides, A., Robinson, A. G., Skene, J. H. P., & Platt, M. L.
- Affiliations
- Duke University (US)
- North Carolina Central University (US)
- University of Puerto Rico, Medical Sciences Campus (PR)
- Corresponding author
- Brent, Lauren J. N.
- ORCID
- Venue
- Scientific Reports
- Published
- 2013-01-09
- Volume
- 3
- Issue
- 1
- Pages
- 1042-1042
- ISSN
- 2045-2322 (ISSN-L)
- PMC
- PMC3540398
- OpenAlex
- W2054194674
- Cited by
- 220
- References
- 152
- Citations by year
- 2026: 5 · 2025: 10 · 2024: 9 · 2023: 17 · 2022: 26 · 2021: 16 · 2020: 18 · 2019: 24 · 2018: 11 · 2017: 24 · 2016: 22 · 2015: 15 · 2014: 12 · 2013: 11
- FWCI
- 30.02
- Type
- journal article
- Language
- en
- Open access
- gold
- doi.org
- Licence
- Locations
- Scientific Reports (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed Central (publishedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- PubMed (publishedVersion)
- Max Planck Digital Library (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Figshare (submittedVersion)
- Open Research Exeter (University of Exeter) (submittedVersion, cc-by-nc-nd)
- MPG.PuRe (Max Planck Society) (submittedVersion, other-oa)
- Funders
- National Institutes of Health (P40OD012217)
- Duke Institute for Brain Sciences, Duke University
- National Institute of Mental Health (MH089484, R01MH089484, R01MH096875)
- National Center for Research Resources
- Office of Research Infrastructure Programs, National Institutes of Health (P40‐OD012217)
- Topics
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Social Psychology › Primate Behavior and Ecology
- Life Sciences › Agricultural and Biological Sciences › Ecology, Evolution, Behavior and Systematics › Animal Behavior and Reproduction
- Social Sciences › Psychology › Experimental and Cognitive Psychology › Evolutionary Psychology and Human Behavior
- Keywords
- social networks, rhesus monkeys, heritability, additive genetic variance, affiliative behavior, aggression, reproductive output, evolution of social behavior, non-human primates
- MeSH terms
- Aggression, Alleles, Animals, Grooming, Macaca mulatta, Polymorphism, Genetic, Reproduction, Social Behavior, Tryptophan Hydroxylase, Genetic Variation, Serotonin Plasma Membrane Transport Proteins
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