Stability in foraging associations is linked to stability in communal use of burrows in degus

Sociality involves inter-individual interactions mostly (but not exclusively) within groups, establishing associations in different contexts, such as foraging and refuge use. Social foragers may experience flexible changes in individual composition of short-term foraging groups, yet experience longer-term stability in other contexts, implying that dynamics in one context influence those in other contexts. We addressed whether individual identity- or kinship based foraging associations influence the intensity of current and long-term burrow use associations in Octodon degus, a communally rearing rodent. We further examined whether stability across social foraging and communal burrow use contexts result in reproductive benefits. We used live-trapping, telemetry, genetic tools, and behavioral observations based on individual focal follows to quantify social associations during foraging and burrow use. We found that foraging associations during mating positively linked to associations in bu..., , , # Data from: Stability in foraging associations is linked to stability in communal use of burrows in degus ## GENERAL INFORMATION 1\. Paper Citation Riquelme JD, Košćina T, León C, Morales CB, Hayes LD, Ebensperger LA (2025). Stability in foraging associations is linked to stability in communal use of burrows in degus. Behavioral Ecology. 2\. Brief abstract Consumers experience permanent and temporary changes in their associations with peers during foraging and when using refuge. We addressed whether individual associations during foraging contribute to long-term stability of associations when using refuges in group-living degus. We found that foraging associations during mating matched burrow use associations during mating and during offspring rearing. Most relevant, degus keeping stable associations when foraging also kept relatively more stable associations based on refuge use during offspring rearing. 3\. Originators Juan D. Riquelme de la Fuente 4\. Contact information Jua...,