Age-related shifts in leadership patterns during group movements of Tibetan macaques: evidence from a long-term dataset
6 affiliations
- 1School of Resources and Environmental Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601 China
- 2International Collaborative Research Center for Huangshan Biodiversity and Tibetan Macaque Behavioral Ecology, Hefei, 230601 China
- 3School of Civil Engineering and Water Conservancy, Bengbu University, Bengbu, 233000 China
- 4Ministry of Education Key Laboratory for Biodiversity and Ecological Engineering, College of Life Sciences, Beijing Normal University, Beijing, 100875 China
- 5School of Life Sciences and Medical Engineering, Anhui University, Hefei, 230601 China
- 6School of Biology and Food Engineering, Hefei Normal University, Hefei, 230601 China
Abstract
Background: Collective movement is fundamental in animal societies, yet how the drivers of leadership roles change across an individual’s lifespan remains poorly understood. In particular, the combined effects of age and social factors on movement initiation lack investigation over biologically meaningful timescales, as most prior studies are limited to short-term observations.
Methods: We analyzed a longitudinal dataset (2012–2023) from a group of free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) in Huangshan, China. Using analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and generalized additive models, we examined how age, social rank, and social relationships influenced movement initiation.
Results: Females initiated group movements more frequently than males. The tendency of females to act as initiators followed a unimodal distribution across age groups, increasing from youth to midlife before declining in older adults. Among old females (≥ 15 years), initiation rates correlated negatively with age, whereas male initiation patterns remained stable with age. In these aging females, higher social rank and greater centrality in proximity-based social networks were key predictors of successful initiation.
Conclusions: Our long-term dataset reveals that leadership dynamics in collective movement, particularly among females, are governed by the interplay of age, social status, and social connectivity, highlighting how aging factors delicately shape decision-making processes in group-living animals.
Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-026-00692-4.
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BibTeX
@article{yang2026agerelated,
title = {{Age-related shifts in leadership patterns during group movements of Tibetan macaques: evidence from a long-term dataset}},
author = {DongXin Yang and Tong Zhang and BoWen Li and ZiFei Tang and MengMeng Chen and Sen Ren and Xin Gao and XiWen Zhang and Wenbo Li and DongPo Xia and JinHua Li and BingHua Sun and Xi Wang},
journal = {Movement Ecology},
year = {2026},
month = aug,
doi = {10.1186/s40462-026-00692-4},
url = {https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-026-00692-4},
note = {CC BY-NC-ND 4.0},
}
RIS
TY - JOUR
TI - Age-related shifts in leadership patterns during group movements of Tibetan macaques: evidence from a long-term dataset
AU - DongXin Yang
AU - Tong Zhang
AU - BoWen Li
AU - ZiFei Tang
AU - MengMeng Chen
AU - Sen Ren
AU - Xin Gao
AU - XiWen Zhang
AU - Wenbo Li
AU - DongPo Xia
AU - JinHua Li
AU - BingHua Sun
AU - Xi Wang
PY - 2026
DA - 2026/08/06
JO - Movement Ecology
DO - 10.1186/s40462-026-00692-4
UR - https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-026-00692-4
AB - Background: Collective movement is fundamental in animal societies, yet how the drivers of leadership roles change across an individual’s lifespan remains poorly understood. In particular, the combined effects of age and social factors on movement initiation lack investigation over biologically meaningful timescales, as most prior studies are limited to short-term observations. Methods: We analyzed a longitudinal dataset (2012–2023) from a group of free-ranging Tibetan macaques (Macaca thibetana) in Huangshan, China. Using analysis of variance, correlation analysis, and generalized additive models, we examined how age, social rank, and social relationships influenced movement initiation. Results: Females initiated group movements more frequently than males. The tendency of females to act as initiators followed a unimodal distribution across age groups, increasing from youth to midlife before declining in older adults. Among old females (≥ 15 years), initiation rates correlated negatively with age, whereas male initiation patterns remained stable with age. In these aging females, higher social rank and greater centrality in proximity-based social networks were key predictors of successful initiation. Conclusions: Our long-term dataset reveals that leadership dynamics in collective movement, particularly among females, are governed by the interplay of age, social status, and social connectivity, highlighting how aging factors delicately shape decision-making processes in group-living animals. Supplementary Information: The online version contains supplementary material available at https://doi.org/10.1186/s40462-026-00692-4.
SN - 2051-3933
ER -