Data and R-Code for: Capture order across social bathyergids indicate similarities in behavioural and spatial organisation

Data & code underlying the manuscript (info below):
It include capture order data from 4 species of mole-rats and the R-script for the analyses constituting the paper.

Capture order across social bathyergids indicate similarities in behavioural
and spatial organisation
Markus Zöttl1,
Hanna M. Bensch1, Kyle T. Finn2, Daniel W. Hart2,
Jack Thorley3, Nigel C Bennett2, Stan Braude4

1Department of Biology and Environmental
Science, Linnaeus University, Kalmar, Sweden

2Mammal Research Institute, Department of
Zoology and Entomology, University of Pretoria, Pretoria, South Africa

3Department of Earth, Ocean and Ecological
Sciences, University of Liverpool, Liverpool, UK

4Biology Department, Washington University in
St. Louis, USA

Correspondence: Corresponding author [e-mail]

Summary:
The social mole-rats of the family
Bathyergidae show elaborate social
organisation, that may include division of labour between breeders and
non-breeders and across non-breeders within their groups. However, comparative
behavioural data across the taxa are rare and contrasts and similarities
between species are poorly understood. Field studies of social bathyergids usually involve capturing
all group members until the entire group is captured. Because each animal is
only captured once and traps are typically placed in close proximity to active
foraging areas, the order in which animals are captured provides an indication
of the foraging activity of different individuals and of the spatial
organisation of the group within the burrow system. Here, we compare the
association of capture order with breeding status, sex and body mass in four
species and subspecies of social bathyergids,
which vary in group size and represent all three social genera within the
family Bathyergidae. We show that in
naked and Damaraland mole-rats (Heterocephalus
glaber and Fukomys damarensis),
male and female breeders are captured later than non-breeders, whereas in two
different subspecies of the genus Cryptomys
only female breeders are captured later than non-breeders. The effect sizes
vary largely and are 10 times stronger in naked mole-rats as compared to Fukomys and 3-4 times stronger than in Cryptomys. Among non-breeders, sex
effects are notably absent in all species and body mass predicted capture order
in both naked and Damaraland mole-rats. In naked mole-rats, larger non-breeders
were captured earlier than smaller ones, whereas in Damaraland mole-rats
intermediate-sized non-breeders were captured first. Our data suggest that
there are similarities in behavioural structure and spatial organisation across
all social bathyergid species, though
the most pronounced differences within groups are found in naked mole-rats.

支撑该手稿（详见下文）的数据集与配套代码：
本数据集包含4种鼹形鼠的捕获顺序（capture order）数据，以及支撑论文分析所用的R脚本（R-script）。

《社会性鼹形鼠科（Bathyergidae）物种的捕获顺序反映其行为与空间组织的相似性》
马库斯·措特尔1, 汉娜·M. 本施1, 凯尔·T. 芬恩2, 丹尼尔·W. 哈特2, 杰克·索利3, 奈杰尔·C. 贝内特2, 斯坦·布劳德4

1 瑞典卡尔马林奈大学生物与环境科学系
2 南非比勒陀利亚大学动物学与昆虫学系哺乳动物研究所
3 英国利物浦大学地球、海洋与生态科学系
4 美国圣路易斯华盛顿大学生物学系

通讯作者：马库斯·措特尔（[e-mail]）

摘要：
鼹形鼠科（Bathyergidae）的社会性鼹形鼠具有复杂的社会结构，群体内存在繁殖者与非繁殖者之间，以及非繁殖者内部的劳动分工。然而，跨类群的比较行为学数据较为匮乏，物种间的行为差异与相似性尚未得到充分研究。对社会性鼹形鼠的野外研究通常需要捕获群体内所有个体直至完全捕获。由于每只动物仅会被捕获一次，且陷阱通常设置在活跃觅食区附近，因此动物的捕获顺序可反映不同个体的觅食活跃程度，以及群体在洞穴系统内的空间组织模式。本研究针对4种（亚种）社会性鼹形鼠科物种（涵盖该科全部3个社会性属，且群体大小存在差异），分析捕获顺序与繁殖状态、性别及体重的关联。研究结果显示，在裸鼹鼠（*Heterocephalus glaber*）和达马拉兰鼹形鼠（*Fukomys damarensis*）中，雌雄繁殖者的捕获时间均晚于非繁殖者；而在隐鼹鼠属（*Cryptomys*）的两个亚种中，仅雌性繁殖者的捕获时间晚于非繁殖者。该效应的量值差异显著，裸鼹鼠中的效应强度是达马拉兰鼹形鼠的10倍，较隐鼹鼠属物种强3~4倍。在非繁殖者中，所有物种均未体现出显著的性别效应；且在裸鼹鼠与达马拉兰鼹形鼠中，体重可预测个体的捕获顺序。裸鼹鼠中体型更大的非繁殖者捕获时间早于体型更小的个体，而达马拉兰鼹形鼠中体型中等的非繁殖者会被最先捕获。本研究数据表明，所有社会性鼹形鼠科物种在行为结构与空间组织上均存在相似性，但群体内差异最显著的类群为裸鼹鼠。