Group Size and Social Conflict in Complex Societies

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dc.contributor.authorShen, Sheng-Feng
dc.contributor.authorAkçay, Erol
dc.contributor.authorRubenstein, Dustin R
dc.date2023-05-17T12:30:04.000
dc.date.accessioned2023-05-22T12:36:25Z
dc.date.available2023-05-22T12:36:25Z
dc.date.issued2014-02-01
dc.date.submitted2015-10-02T08:12:19-07:00
dc.description.abstractConflicts of interest over resources or reproduction among individuals in a social group have long been considered to result in automatic and universal costs to group living. However, exploring how social conflict varies with group size has produced mixed empirical results. Here we develop a model that generates alternative predictions for how social conflict should vary with group size depending on the type of benefits gained from being in a social group. We show that a positive relationship between social conflict and group size is favored when groups form primarily for the benefits of sociality but not when groups form mainly for accessing group-defended resources. Thus, increased social conflict in animal societies should not be viewed as an automatic cost of larger social groups. Instead, studying the relationship between social conflict and the types of grouping benefits will be crucial for understanding the evolution of complex societies.
dc.identifier.urihttps://repository.upenn.edu/handle/20.500.14332/5543
dc.legacy.articleid1007
dc.legacy.fields10.1086/674378
dc.legacy.fulltexturlhttps://repository.upenn.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1007&context=biology_papers&unstamped=1
dc.source.beginpage301
dc.source.endpage310
dc.source.issue6
dc.source.issue2
dc.source.journalDepartmental Papers (Biology)
dc.source.journaltitleThe American Naturalist
dc.source.statuspublished
dc.source.volume183
dc.subject.otherBehavior and Ethology
dc.subject.otherBiology
dc.subject.otherDemography, Population, and Ecology
dc.subject.otherPopulation Biology
dc.titleGroup Size and Social Conflict in Complex Societies
dc.typeArticle
digcom.contributor.authorShen, Sheng-Feng
digcom.contributor.authorisAuthorOfPublication|email:eakcay@sas.upenn.edu|institution:University of Pennsylvania|Akçay, Erol
digcom.contributor.authorRubenstein, Dustin R
digcom.identifierbiology_papers/6
digcom.identifier.contextkey7669865
digcom.identifier.submissionpathbiology_papers/6
digcom.typearticle
dspace.entity.typePublication
relation.isAuthorOfPublication4aa6a1c1-7d06-448a-94e7-580bcbec41ad
relation.isAuthorOfPublication.latestForDiscovery4aa6a1c1-7d06-448a-94e7-580bcbec41ad
upenn.schoolDepartmentCenterDepartmental Papers (Biology)
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