Are nonsocial species more social than we think? Seasonal patterns in sociality in a solitary terrestrial carnivore

• Published in: Animal behaviour 2024-10, Vol.216, p.107-130
• Main Authors: Heeres, Rick W., Leclerc, Martin, Frank, Shane, Kopatz, Alexander, Pelletier, Fanie, Zedrosser, Andreas
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: conspecific interaction; network analysis; nonterritorial; social behaviour; Sweden; Ursus arctos
• ISSN: 0003-3472
• DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2024.07.022

Animal sociality, the extent and manner in which conspecifics associate with each other, ultimately affects an individual's survival and reproductive success. It is shaped by the spatiotemporal configuration and composition of the social units (e.g. individual, pair, group) in a population. Here, we assessed the formation and structure of social networks of a presumed nonsocial species with individual-based movement data of 153 GPS-marked brown bears, Ursus arctos. We explored changes in the frequency of dyadic associations in relation to distinct seasonal patterns (i.e. mating, hyperphagia and hunting seasons) that affect bear behaviour. We found seasonally distinctive frequencies in brown bear associations throughout their active period and that reproduction was the main driver for associations in the population, that is, the highest frequency of associations occurred during the mating season and male–female dyads during the mating season included the majority (73%) of observed associations. We also observed dyadic associations during the hyperphagia and hunting seasons, but found no significant changes in frequency during these seasons. In addition, we found that social structures during both the mating and nonmating periods were nonrandom, that is, dyadic associations occurred more often than expected. Animal sociality is commonly viewed as a classification of social versus nonsocial, but our results suggest that it is rather a dynamic continuum primarily influenced by variation in a species' spatiotemporal configuration (i.e. seasonal movements, social unit structure) and demographic composition (i.e. age, sex). Our results also support the contention that studies focusing on animal sociality should include a sociospatial perspective, as both components are tightly linked. Since sociality can affect individual fitness, and vice versa, advancing the knowledge on assumed ‘solitary’ species is paramount for the conservation and sustainable management of their populations. •Animal sociality is a dynamic continuum instead of a binary classification.•The sociospatial environment of a population is under constant change.•We performed a network analysis using a GPS location database from a solitary species.•In brown bears, a ‘solitary species’, sociality is driven by reproduction.•Brown bear social interactions are nonrandom outside the mating season.