Virtually nothing in nature is uniform. Observed at the right scale, most entities are clustered
rather than evenly distributed, spatially and temporally, and this applies across domains …

Increased reproduction success, enhanced foraging and reduced predation risk are usually
regarded as major factors favouring the evolution of social behaviour. Here we formulate a …

The idea that groups of individuals may develop around resource patches led to the
formulation of the Resource Dispersion Hypothesis (RDH). We tested the predictions of the …

Capybaras,(Hydrochoerus hydrochaeris) are large, herbivorous New World hystricomorphs,
common in the seasonally flooded savannas of tropical and subtropical South America. In …

The evolution of stable social groups can be promoted by both indirect and direct fitness
benefits. Sperm whales (Physeter macrocephalus) are highly social, with a hierarchical …

Some species of carnivores fluctuate between a primarily solitary lifestyle and a group‐living
lifestyle, depending on resource availability. Understanding the ontogeny of this transition …

In polygynous mammals, the spatial clumping and predictability of food should influence
spacing behavior of females whose reproductive success depends to a great extent on food …

Ecological reasons for philopatry and cooperation are frequently invoked when kin selection
is an insufficient explanation. The Ethiopian wolf (Canis simensis) is a specialised rodent …

One of the universal features of human sociality is the fact that our social networks are highly
integrated–human societies exhibit several nested social layers including families, bands …

The resource dispersion hypothesis (RDH) predicts that resource heterogeneity can act as a
passive cause of group‐living in social carnivores and potentially many other species. One …