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Mongooses rarely leave the group they were born into, so members are usually genetically related. The new study, published today in the journal Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, reveals how females bypass the problem of inbreeding.
The research team, led by the University of Cambridge and the University of Exeter, says that “exploitative leadership” of this kind, which is also seen in human warfare, leads to frequent and harmful conflicts.
“Female banded mongooses start fighting between groups to gain genetic benefits from mating with strangers, while males within their group – and the group as a whole – pay the costs,” said Professor Michael Cant. , at the Center for Ecology and Conservation of Exeter Penryn Campus in Cornwall, which was involved in the research.
He added: “A classic explanation for war in human societies is leadership by exploitative individuals who reap the benefits of conflict while avoiding the costs.
“In this study, we show that such leadership can also explain the evolution of severe collective violence in some animal societies.”
Dr Faye Thompson of the University of Exeter and senior author of the report added: ‘The findings do not fit into a heroic model of leadership, in which leaders contribute most to aggression and bear the greatest costs, but rather a model of exploitation, in which the initiators of the conflict expose others to greater risks while contributing little to fighting themselves “.
The findings suggest that decoupling leaders from the costs of their choices amplifies the destructive nature of intergroup conflict.
Professor Rufus Johnstone of the University of Cambridge’s Department of Zoology and first author of the report said: “The exploitative leadership in banded mongooses helps explain why inter-group violence is so expensive in this species compared to other animals.
“The death costs involved are similar to those seen in a handful of the more warlike mammals, including lions, chimpanzees and, of course, humans.”
The study used long-term data from wild banded mongooses in Uganda.
Reference
Johnstone, RA et al; “Exploitative leaders incite intergroup warfare in a social mammal.” Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, November 2020 DOI: 10.1073 / pnas.2003745117
Adapted from a press release from the University of Exeter.
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