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The perception of the value of children (VOC) can elucidate why individuals consider it beneficial to have children by uncovering their subjective intentions and experiences regarding their fertility decisions. Using VOC perceptions to understand fertility change in the modernization process, this qualitative study explores how parents' VOC change meshes with China's socioeconomic and cultural contexts. This article examines intergenerational VOC evolution under the support and constraints of socioeconomic environments and cultural norms. Grandparents, embedded in the rural economy and traditional culture, exhibit economic/utilitarian and social/normative VOC. Young parents, living, and having grown up in urban economic and modernized cultural contexts, recognize emotional/psychological VOC for fertility intention. Migrant parents living in urban economies but bound by traditional culture believe that social/normative VOC is important for fertility intention. The results advance understanding of the integration of individuals' psychological intentions with the socioeconomic-cultural contexts that influence their fertility and VOC. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cervical cancer is one of the leading causes of cancer-related death among African women. Unfortunately, in most sub-Saharan African nations, women are vulnerable if they are unaware that cervical cancer is preventable with frequent screening and early treatment. The aim of this study was to examine Black African immigrant women's perceptions and experiences of cervical screening in British Columbia, Canada. Twenty Black African immigrant women were interviewed using the qualitative research method Interpretive Description. Data collection approaches included indepth interviews and analytic memos. Data were analyzed using a constant comparative technique guided by a socioecologic framework to capture subjective experiences and perceptions. Four key themes were identified, including confusing conceptualizations about cancer and cancer screening, competing priorities, concerns for modesty, and commitment to culture. The study findings point to the need for more active approaches to promoting cervical screening for this population. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Individuals experience changes in spatiotemporal group cohesion during social foraging, leading to groups splitting up and remerging as smaller subgroups. These temporal changes represent fission–fusion dynamics, which is hypothesized to adjust foraging group size to ecological and social settings. While available evidence supports the importance of ecological drivers, social factors and the joint effects of ecological and social conditions remain relatively less clear. In the present study, we address both components of context to examine whether the stability of foraging groups is driven by socioecological conditions. Specifically, we examined the extent to which stability in group membership by female and male foragers is enhanced by increasing predation risk, food abundance, group kinship and adult opposite-sex ratio. Additionally, we determined whether foraging group stability during mating and offspring rearing seasons was contingent on the sex of individuals. We tested these effects in the degu, Octodon degus , a diurnal and group-living rodent that forages socially and rears offspring communally. We found that degus foraged in small groups of mixed composition, where social stability increased with increasing abundance of high-quality food, increasing refuge density, decreasing interindividual distance and in the presence of predators, and was higher during spring than during winter. In addition, the stability of foraging groups was differentially sensitive to opposite-sex ratio in females and males. Together, these findings highlight how degus adjust social behaviour to socioecological conditions, potentially leading to fitness benefits of social foraging. • We examined ecological drivers of stability of degu social foraging groups. • Food availability, predation risk, opposite-sex ratio and season influenced stability. • Foraging group fission–fusion dynamics allow adjustment to socioecological conditions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: This study aimed to compare the distinct socio-ecological characteristics, nutritional status, and nutrient intake quality of the older adults based on breakfast skipping (EBF, eating breakfast vs. SBF, skipping breakfast). This study also investigated the association between breakfast skipping, socioecological features, and quality of nutrient consumption. Method: From the 8th Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES, 2020), data of 92,093 subjects aged ≥ 65 years old (male: 43,910 and female: 48,183) having data with eating habits, such as nutrient intake and skipping breakfast were analyzed. Results: The average age of SBF was markedly lower than EBF. EBF had a lower employed status, education level, heavy alcohol intake frequency, smoking, and eating out regularly than SBF. Compared to EBF, SBF showed a significantly higher BMI and waist circumference. Moreover, EBF showed a markedly higher average intake in energy, protein, fiber, calcium, and iron compared with SBF, while SBF had a noticeably higher mean intake in fat, saturated fat, and sugar. In addition, SBF had a significantly reduced mean adequacy ratio (MAR, adjusted OR: 0.260 [95% CI: 0.245−0.276]) and the value of index nutritional quality (INQ, adjusted OR: 0.847 [95% CI: 0.799−0.898]) compared with EBF. Discussion: There were distinct socioecological features and nutritional conditions of older adults relying on breakfast skipping; and a strong association between breakfast skipping, socioecological parameters, and nutrient intake quality. These observations provide the significance of breakfast skipping in the nutritional status of older adults and offer fundamental information for nutritional education and implications for older adults.

Cancer screening is pivotal for early detection and improved survival rates. While socio-ecological factors are known to influence screening uptake, the role of lifestyle, dietary habits, and general health in shaping these decisions remains underexplored. Utilizing the 2019 Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (KNHANES), this study examined the myriad of factors impacting cancer screening utilization. Data from 274,872 adults aged 40 years or older were scrutinized, highlighting demographics, income, lifestyle behaviors, health-related variables, nutrient intake, and dietary quality. A combination of descriptive statistics and logistic regression helped us ascertain influential determinants. Higher educational attainment and income quartiles were positively correlated with cancer screening rates. Regular walkers, those engaged in moderate physical activity, and individuals with a previous cancer diagnosis were more likely to get screened. High-risk drinkers and smokers were less inclined towards screening. Dietary habits also influenced screening decisions. Notably, participants with healthier eating behaviors, indicated by factors such as regular breakfasts and fewer meals out, were more likely to undergo screening. Additionally, nutrient intake analysis revealed that those who had undergone screening consumed greater quantities of most nutrients, bar a few exceptions. For individuals aged 50–64, nutritional assessment indicators highlighted a higher mean adequacy ratio (MAR) and index of nutritional quality (INQ) value among those who participated in screening, suggesting better nutritional quality. This study elucidates the complex socio-ecological and nutritional landscape influencing cancer screening decisions. The results underscore the importance of a holistic approach, emphasizing lifestyle, dietary habits, and socio-economic considerations. It provides a roadmap for policymakers to craft more inclusive screening programs, ensuring equal access and promoting early detection. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Climate change and rising sea levels have led to managed realignment at the coast, but the practice of realignment has an ambiguous socioecological identity that has hindered its widespread use. Realignment represents the realization of the nature‐based coastal management strategies first proposed in the United States during the Shoreline Debate of the early 1980s. It was put into practice in 1990 on Northey Island, Essex, as an experimental response to coastal erosion, and has subsequently become relatively widespread on the British coast. Realignment has been represented either as a form of ecological modernisation or as a rewilding, though it can challenge both these understandings through the radical ambiguity of the 'wild experiments' it produces. This ambiguity, however, means that while realignment has the potential to enable a structural transformation of socioecological relations at the coast, it has commonly only been used for the purposes of pragmatic environmental reform. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Historical demographic research shows that the factors influencing mortality risk are labile across time and space. This is particularly true for datasets that span societal transitions. Here, we seek to understand how marriage, migration, and the local economy influenced mortality dynamics in a rapidly changing environment characterized by high in-migration and male-biased sex ratios. Mortality records were extracted from a compendium of historical vital records for the Baja California peninsula (Mexico). Our sample consists of 1,201 mortality records spanning AD 1835–1900. Findings from Cox proportional hazard models indicate that (1) marriage was associated with a protective effect for both sexes; (2) residing in a mining town was associated with higher mortality for men, but not women; (3) migration was associated with decreased mortality risk for women, but not men; and (4) the risk of mortality increased in the face of infectious disease, but decreased over time. Despite the early initiation of reproduction for women, marriage had a protective effect, likely because marriage linked women to resources. Although mining boomtowns were associated with elevated risk factors generally, only men experienced greater mortality risk, likely due to dangerous working conditions that women did not experience. Last, female, but not male, migrants experienced greater longevity, possibly because exposure to harsh labor conditions eroded the protective effect of selection bias for men. Together, these results shed light on an understudied historical population and broaden our understanding of demographic dynamics in preindustrial settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

As urbanization expands, it is becoming increasingly important to understand how anthropogenic activity is affecting ecological and evolutionary processes. Few studies have examined how human social patterns within cities can modify eco‐evolutionary dynamics. We tested how socioeconomic variation corresponds with changes in trophic interactions and natural selection on prey phenotypes using the classic interaction between goldenrod gall flies (Eurosta solidaginis) and their natural enemies: birds, beetles, and parasitoid wasps. We sampled galls from 84 sites across neighbourhoods with varying socioeconomic levels, and quantified the frequency of predation/parasitism on flies and natural selection by each enemy. We found that bird predation was higher in the highest income neighbourhoods, increasing the strength of selection for smaller galls. Wasp and beetle attack, but not their strength of selection, increased in lower income neighbourhoods. We show that socioeconomic variation in cities can have strong unintended consequences for the ecology and evolution of trophic interactions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Female social relationships are often shaped by the distribution of dietary resources. Socioecological models predict that females should form strict linear dominance hierarchies when resources are clumped and exhibit more egalitarian social structures when resources are evenly distributed. While many frugivores and omnivores indeed exhibit dominance hierarchies accompanied by differential resource access, many folivores deviate from the expected pattern and display dominance hierarchies despite evenly distributed resources. Among these outliers, geladas (Theropithecus gelada) present a conspicuous puzzle; females exhibit aggressive competition and strict dominance hierarchies despite feeding primarily on non-monopolizable grasses. However, these grasses become scarce in the dry season and geladas supplement their diet with underground storage organs that require relatively extensive energy to extract. We tested whether female dominance hierarchies provide differential access to underground storage organs by assessing how rank, season, and feeding context affect aggression in geladas under long-term study in the Simien Mountains National Park, Ethiopia. We found that the likelihood of receiving aggression was highest when feeding belowground and that the inverse relationship between rank and aggression was the most extreme while feeding belowground in the dry season. These results suggest that aggression in geladas revolves around belowground foods, which may mean that underground storage organs are an energetically central dietary component (despite being consumed less frequently than grasses), or that even "fallback" foods can influence feeding competition and social relationships. Further work should assess whether aggression in this context is directly associated with high-ranking usurpation of belowground foods from lower-ranking females following extraction. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The increasing connectivity and urbanization of human population favor the reemergence and spread of dengue fever in subtropical and temperate regions, which poses onerous challenges to health systems. Analyzing the contribution of socioenvironmental conditions to the contagion risk is essential to design preventive strategies. In this retrospective analysis, we aim to assess the effects of social, demographic and environmental factors on the likelihood of becoming infected with dengue virus in Tucumán, the main subtropical city of Argentina. We implemented a case-control study to analyze the 2016 dengue outbreak. The control group included all persons reported with nonspecific febrile syndrome, and the cases were those confirmed with dengue virus after laboratory analyses. We recorded the age, sex and diagnostic date for every patient, and we georeferenced their house. This georeferentiation allowed us to estimate the distance to the nearest previous positive case (to control autocorrelation), population density, proportion of households with insufficient material constructive quality, overcrowding, educational level, NDVI, surface temperature and distance to nearest canal and cemetery. We constructed and compared logistic regression models to identify the combination of variables that best predicted dengue cases. Proximity to previous cases, cemeteries and canals, scarcity of surrounding vegetation, age and educational deficit were associated with an increased probability of being positive for dengue. In Argentina, socioeconomic differences are reflected in environmental inequalities, which reinforce the differential odds of suffering from dengue fever. Our results suggest that improving urban environmental quality may constitute an efficient way of preventing individual contagion of dengue and subsequent outbreaks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Context is important when considering how racism acts to harm Black youth. Hence, social scientists developed socioecological theories that consider both the individual and the context(s) which shapes them. We used these theories to make sense of the challenges facing Black youth and identify points for intervention. However, these theories were rarely shared with community participants. Theory, at its core, is a way to make sense of the world. Theory shared in an age‐appropriate manner can help youth make sense of their experiences in a way that promotes psychological wellness. This paper describes the intentional sharing of socioecological theory with community members engaged in two community‐based mental health programs. Our team has collaborated closely with community stakeholders to implement and iteratively improve these programs. This first‐person account presents the doctoral students' experiences in engaging community members in using socioecological theory to improve the programs with which they have identified as useful to their community. The article underscores the importance of elevating community voices when engaging in community‐based research and how that engagement is more fundamental as programs become well‐established. Highlights: Community‐based participatory research (CBPR) encourages a more equitable research process.Together, CBPR and socioecological theories contextualize the lived experiences of Black youth.The socioecological theory presented in an age‐appropriate fashion inspired youth‐driven action.Revised curriculums of both CBPR programs reflect this salient interest in community engagement.Ongoing discussion with community members is essential in ensuring CBPR interventions stay relevant. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Investment in social interaction and affiliative behaviour is often related to variation in sex-specific dispersal patterns among species but can also vary within species in response to local environmental conditions and feeding competition. Chimpanzee (Pan troglodytes) association patterns have been studied primarily in low and mid-elevation tropical forests. This study adds to our understanding of association patterns in chimpanzees by presenting the first data on association patterns in a high-elevation population at Nyungwe in equatorial Rwanda. Using data on co-occurrence in social parties (party association) and calculating gregariousness indices, we quantified levels of associations among age-sex classes relative to food (fruit) distribution and the presence of oestrous females. Overall, adult females in Nyungwe are less gregarious than males. Female but not male gregariousness increased when feeding on clumped foods, indicating that resource characteristics impact female association tendencies more intensely than males. Despite high elevation forests representing a habitat with relatively fewer fruit resources for chimpanzees, at an edge of range location, we found that gregariousness patterns were driven by similar factors as those in mid and low elevation chimpanzee populations. – We quantified association patterns in a high elevation population of chimpanzees at Nyungwe (Rwanda) – Adult females were less gregarious than males – Female but not male gregariousness increased when feeding on clumped foods, indicating that resource characteristics impact female association tendencies more intensely than males [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The central objective lies in synthesizing the use of cc and land by tourists and service providers. The methodology used was analytical of the information obtained in the cabinet and enriched with field work on the island of La Roqueta in Acapulco de Juárez, Guerrero, Mexico during the Easter and summer vacation periods from 2020 to August 2022. Between the results are: a) the seawater, being crystalline, warm, with little waves, makes free diving (snorkeling) and autonomous diving (scuba) possible and b) the ground that has contact with the seawater has fine-textured sand, beige color, average height of three meters where swimming activities, walks, among others, take place. The conclusions are: 1) extensive use of seawater for intensive tourist use and 2) the sandy soil supports four on-site restaurants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article is aimed at researching the current problem of socioecology –the causes and consequences of possible resource depletion, as well as establishing thepossibility of its averting. There are two classifications of natural resources from the point of view of ecology: according to their renewability and according to the possibility of use. Based on the concept of the Rouche limit, the law of the resource balance of society is formulated, which relates the social productivity of labor to the population density and the depletion of available natural resources. This law is another form of recording the balance of social production and consumption of resources.The consequences of its violation are shown.The effect of abiotic, biotic and anthropogenic factors on the rate of depletion of available natural resources is studied, and the decisive role of scientific and technological progress in the development of the resource base of society is shown. It was determined that scientific and technological progress is a decisive factor in averting a resource catastrophe by humanity and individual nations. The conducted study of the social structure allows us to draw a conclusion about the decisive role of industrial relations in the implementation of new scientific and technical solutions in production.

IntroductionFor decades, herbicide application in commercial forestry has been a serious concern for First Nations across northern Ontario. To date, the vast majority of studies concerning the impacts of glyphosate-based herbicides have been conducted through a Western scientific lens. Indigenous knowledge systems provide holistic frameworks which acknowledge the interconnectedness of the environment and provide a holistic view of relationships between flora, fauna, environment, and humans. This socio-ecological perspective is key to understanding the wide-ranging impacts of commercial forestry on the wellbeing of Indigenous Peoples.MethodsThrough a knowledge sharing workshop, “Connecting Guardians in a Changing World”, we interviewed community members from First Nations across the Robinson-Huron Treaty Area and asked them to share their knowledge and concerns regarding herbicide use in commercial forestry. Based on the topics discussed in the workshop, we conducted a literature review to further investigate documented Western scientific evidence on workshop participants’ concerns. We then wove the responses of participants and Western Science to identify key concerns of participants regarding the use of glyphosate-based herbicides, identify gaps in current knowledge, and to direct future research.ResultsWe identified three main research gaps regarding glyphosate-based herbicide impacts used in forestry: 1) research regarding the direct effects of glyphosate-based herbicide toxicity to most of the fauna and flora of the Great Lakes region of northeastern Ontario as well as its environmental persistence, 2) research regarding the indirect effects of glyphosate-based herbicides to the ecosystem and resulting impacts of trophic cascades, and 3) research regarding the impacts of glyphosate-based herbicides to Indigenous culture and community wellbeing.DiscussionBy weaving knowledge systems in this way, we can conduct research through an inclusive system which prioritizes the inclusion of multiple ways of knowing, addressing environmental concerns in holistic and inclusive ways which emphasize the interconnectedness of the environment, including humans therein.

Nurturing relationships are crucial for adaptive child development. The objectives of the study were to investigate whether nature availability was associated with early nurturing parenting practices, mother-infant bonding, and infant socioemotional function. Data were from the Australian Temperament Project (n = 809 infants to 515 parents residing in Victoria, Australia) and were linked cross-sectionally to residential greenness (i.e., Normalized Difference in Vegetation Index). There were no observable associations between residential greenness within a 1,600 m network radius and parenting practices, mother-infant bonding, or infant socioemotional function. The findings were largely corroborated by sensitivity analyses (i.e., NDVI within 100, 250, 500, and 1,000 m and distance to park). Shorter distances to a park were associated with less hostile parenting. More residential greenness (1,000 and 1,600 m) was associated with stronger father-infant bonding and more hostile parenting amongst the most stressed parents in exploratory analyses. Residential greenness might be a socioecological precursor for father-infant bonding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The present lack of sample diversity and ecological theory in psychological science fundamentally limits generalizability and obstructs scientific progress. A focus on the role of socioecology in shaping the evolution of morphology, physiology, and behavior has not yet been widely applied toward psychology. To date, evolutionary approaches to psychology have focused more on finding universals than explaining variability. However, contrasts between small-scale, kin-based rural subsistence societies and large-scale urban, market-based populations, have not been well appreciated. Nor has the variability within high-income countries, or the socioeconomic and cultural transformations affecting even the most remote tribal populations today. Elucidating the causes and effects of such broad changes on psychology and behavior is a fundamental concern of the social sciences; expanding study participants beyond students and other convenience samples is necessary to improve understanding of flexible psychological reaction norms among and within populations. Here I highlight two examples demonstrating how socioecological variability can help explain psychological trait expression: (i) the role of environmental harshness and unpredictability on shaping time preference and related traits, such as impulsivity, vigilance, and self-efficacy; and (ii) the effects of industrialization, market integration, and niche complexity on personality structure. These cases illustrate how appropriate theory can be a powerful tool to help determine choices of diverse study populations and improve the social sciences.

Culture and personality are two central topics in psychology. Individuals are culturally influenced influencers of culture, yet the research linking culture and personality has been limited and fragmentary. We integrate the literatures on culture and personality with recent advances in socioecology and genetics to formulate the Socioecological-Genetic Framework of Culture and Personality. Our framework not only delineates the mutual constitution of culture and personality but also sheds light on (a) the roots of culture and personality, (b) how socioecological changes partly explain temporal trends in culture and personality, and (c) how genes and culture/socioecology interact to influence personality (i.e., nature × nurture interactions). By spotlighting the roles of socioecology and genetics, our integrative framework advances the understanding of culture and personality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Inequity aversion (IA), the affective, cognitive, and behavioral response to inequitable outcomes, allows individuals to avoid exploitation and therefore stabilizes cooperation. The presence of IA varies across animal species, which has stimulated research to investigate factors that might explain this variation, and to investigate underlying affective responses. Among great apes, IA is most often studied in chimpanzees. Here, we investigate IA in bonobos, a reputedly tolerant and cooperative species for which few IA studies are available. We describe how bonobos respond to receiving less preferred rewards than a partner in a token exchange task. We show that bonobos respond to receiving less preferred rewards by refusing tokens and rewards, and by leaving the experimental area. Bonobos never refused a trial when receiving preferred rewards, and thus showed no advantageous IA. We also investigate the variability in the disadvantageous IA response on a dyadic level, because the level of IA is expected to vary, depending on characteristics of the dyad. Like in humans and chimpanzees, we show that the tolerance towards inequity was higher in bonobo dyads with more valuable relationships. To study the affective component of IA, we included behavioral and physiological measures of arousal: a displacement behavior (rough self‐scratching) and changes in salivary cortisol levels. Both measures of arousal showed large variability, and while analyses on rough self‐scratching showed no significant effects, salivary cortisol levels seemed to be lower in subjects that received less than their partner, but higher in subjects that received more than their partner, albeit that both were not significantly different from the equity condition. This suggests that although overcompensated bonobos showed no behavioral response, they might be more aroused. Our data support the cooperation hypothesis on an interspecific and intraspecific level. They show inequity aversion in bonobos, a reputedly cooperative species, and suggest that the variability in IA in bonobos can be explained by their socioecology. Most successful cooperative interactions happen between mothers and their sons and among closely bonded females. The limited need to monitor the partners' investment within these dyads can result in a higher tolerance towards inequity. We therefore suggest future studies to consider relevant socioecological characteristics of the species when designing and analyzing IA studies. Research highlights: Bonobos responded to inequity by refusing tokens and moving away from the experimenterOvercompensated subjects showed more arousal, as measured by salivary cortisolThe level of inequity aversion decreased with increasing relationship quality [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Migration and mobility increase the cultural diversity of a society. Does this diversity have consequences for how people interact and form social ties, even when they join a new community? We hypothesized that people from regions with greater cultural diversity would forge more diversified social ties in a newly formed community, connecting otherwise unconnected groups. In other words, they would become social brokers. We tested this prediction by characterizing the social networks of eight Master of Business Administration cohorts (N = 2,257) at a business school in the U.S. International students (N = 773) from populations with both greater present day ethnic diversity and a history of extensive cultural intermingling were more likely to become social brokers than international students from less diverse nations. Domestic students' (N = 1,461) brokerage scores were also positively related to the ancestral diversity of the U.S. county they identified as "home." The results of this study suggest that more culturally diverse social environments—defined here at multiple geographic and temporal scales—endow people with socially adaptable behaviors that help them connect broadly within new, heterogeneous communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Certain group-living mammals-including many primates-exhibit affiliative relationships between sexes that persist past copulation. Relationships between females and males in baboons (Papio sp.) are particularly well-characterized. These relationships tend to revolve around the female reproductive cycle and are generally female-initiated and female-maintained. Kinda baboons (P. kindae) appear to diverge phylogenetically and behaviorally from other baboons. Here, we assess how Kinda baboons differ socially by characterizing female-male relationships using 9 years of data on a population in Kasanka National Park, Zambia., Methods: We used generalized linear mixed models to assess grooming rates and directionality for individuals and among female/male dyads, patterns of between-sex proximity, and rates of agonistic behavior. We examined these patterns across female reproductive states and evaluated the degree to which dyadic affiliations persisted over time., Results: We find that female-male relationships in Kinda baboons are characterized by a high degree of male investment with low aggression that persists across female reproductive states and years. We find that females have strong affiliations with a single male while males have strong affiliations with multiple females at a time. Males are largely responsible for initiation, grooming, and proximity in affiliative relationships with females, and dyads often persist across years., Discussion: Our results suggest that Kinda baboons represent a mosaic of baboon social features and, paired with recent genomic evidence about their population history, may resemble the ancestral baboon phenotype. This expands our understanding of the "baboon model" for comparative socioecology and emphasizes the high variability and evolvability of social phenotypes., (© 2025 Wiley Periodicals LLC.)

Punishments for norm violations are hypothesised to be a crucial component of the maintenance of cooperation in humans but are rarely studied from a comparative perspective. We investigated the degree to which punishment systems were correlated with socioecology and cultural history. We took data from the Standard Cross-Cultural Sample database and coded ethnographic documents from a sample of 131 largely non-industrial societies. We recorded whether punishment for norm violations concerned adultery, religion, food, rape or war cowardice and whether sanctions were reputational, physical, material or execution. We used Bayesian phylogenetic regression modelling to test for culture-level covariation. We found little evidence of phylogenetic signals in evidence for punishment types, suggesting that punishment systems change relatively quickly over cultural evolutionary history. We found evidence that reputational punishment was associated with egalitarianism and the absence of food storage; material punishment was associated with the presence of food storage; physical punishment was moderately associated with greater dependence on hunting; and execution punishment was moderately associated with social stratification. Taken together, our results suggest that the role and kind of punishment vary both by the severity of the norm violation, but also by the specific socio-economic system of the society.

To determine if helping behaviors are affected by socioecological variables such as relational mobility and the COVID-19 pandemic, we investigated the impact of relational mobility on helping behaviors before (Study 1) and during (Study 2) COVID-19 in China via two experiments. In Study 1, we manipulated participants' relational mobility and found that a greater proportion of participants in the high relational mobility condition signed up for another psychological experiment, relative to the low relational mobility condition. In Study 2, the manipulation of relational mobility was embedded in a phone interview, and we found that a high relational mobility condition caused fewer signups for a COVID-19 support program relative to a low relational mobility condition. These results extend our understanding of the meaning of relational mobility under different ecological contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study identified resilience processes at the individual, family, and community levels among Filipino migrant domestic workers (MDWs). Resilience processes highlight strengths and resources that can enhance positive adaptation to problems that affect this vulnerable migrant group. Data came from focus groups and key informant interviews involving 27 MDWs and 7 key informants. Data was analyzed using thematic analysis and organized according to the socioecological model. Results revealed 7 resilience processes. Financial coping, health management, and spirituality were found across levels. Companionship and emotional support are transacted within family and community levels, whereas expanding knowledge and support occurs at individual and community levels. MDWs and their families prioritize each family member, whereas the community provides legal support. Resilience processes exist across ecological levels. However, individual resilience processes are insufficient, thus necessitating collective agency through familial and community resilience processes and building social structures that facilitate resilience. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The environmental influences on early childhood development are understudied. The association between vegetation cover (i.e., trees, shrubs, grassed areas) in four key behaviour settings and socioemotional functioning was investigated in 1196 young children (2–5 years). Emotional difficulties were inversely associated with vegetation cover in the home yard (OR: 0.81 [0.69—0.96]) and neighbourhood (OR: 0.79 [0.67–0.94]), but not in early childhood education and care (ECEC) centre outdoor areas or the ECEC neighbourhood. The higher odds of emotional difficulties associated with lower levels of maternal education was reduced with higher percentages of home yard vegetation cover. There was no evidence of mediation of the relationship between emotional difficulties and vegetation cover by time spent playing outside the home, day or nighttime sleep duration, or physical activity. We found no associations between vegetation cover and conduct, hyperactivity and inattention, peer difficulties, or prosocial behaviours. A video abstract of this article can be viewed at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=J3HeEiIjVZc [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In today's vast digital landscape, people are constantly exposed to threatening language, which attracts attention and activates the human brain's fear circuitry. However, to date, we have lacked the tools needed to identify threatening language and track its impact on human groups. To fill this gap, we developed a threat dictionary, a computationally derived linguistic tool that indexes threat levels from mass communication channels. We demonstrate this measure's convergent validity with objective threats in American history, including violent conflicts, natural disasters, and pathogen outbreaks such as the COVID-19 pandemic. Moreover, the dictionary offers predictive insights on US society's shifting cultural norms, political attitudes, and macroeconomic activities. Using data from newspapers that span over 100 years, we found change in threats to be associated with tighter social norms and collectivistic values, stronger approval of sitting US presidents, greater ethnocentrism and conservatism, lower stock prices, and less innovation. The data also showed that threatening language is contagious. In all, the language of threats is a powerful tool that can inform researchers and policy makers on the public's daily exposure to threatening language and make visible interesting societal patterns across American history. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Adapted to survive in the interface between land and sea, mangroves are highly vulnerable to the impacts of climate change. They are also highly adaptive to the imagination, with the theme of the mangrove being differently signified across texts, languages and communities as a place to find death in the tropics, a nature tourism destination, endangered environment, magical wood, refuge for maroons and revolutionaries, and source of livelihoods. The cultural malleability of mangroves mirrors their natural adaptability. It also echoes the varied and rhizomatic identities and imaginaries of the peoples of the tropical Americas. Relevant cultural texts produced in the region support experimentations with mangroves as a raw material susceptible to being worked in order to explain diverse realities. In order to highlight the relevance and malleability of mangrove ecosystems, this paper explores resignifications of socioecological interactions at the Ecological Mangrove Reserve Cayapas-Mataje in Ecuador through the lens of photographer Felipe Jácome. Jácome’s photographic essay Los Reyes del Manglar [The Kings of the Mangrove] provides rich material to study the rhizomatic evolution of the theme of the mangrove and its entanglements with people’s lives, cultures and histories. I argue that cultural representations of mangroves can go beyond their metaphorical recovery to support environmental justice. This essay is also informed by extant research on the important role of mangrove forests for carbon sequestration and climate change mitigation, which locates these socioecological systems at the centre of people’s struggle for climate justice.

This study aims to analyze the sustainability index of each dimension of ecology, economy, social, and technology as well as identify sensitive attributes that determine the sustainability of ornamental plant farming in Makassar. The rapid appraisal for program modified from rapid appraisal for fisheries program using the multidimensional scaling (MDS) method was used as the analytical instrument. MDS ordination analysis results showed the sustainability index value of each dimension, namely ecology (37.30), economic (40.90), social (31.74), and technology (34.33) were categorized as less sustainable with an average index value of all dimensions was 36.07. The leverage analysis visualizes that 9 out of 17 attributes has shown to be sensitive attributes that affect the business sustainability of ornamental plant in Makassar, namely frequency of crop waste management, water sources, utilization of plant waste, market scale, profitability, business land status, company registration certificate, use of modern technology, and frequency of environmentally friendly technology usage. Government should provide special business zones for ornamental plant so that all ornamental plant farmer in Makassar can be grouped into one zone. Furthermore, it can increase gross regional domestic product, employment opportunities, and opening up opportunities of other industrial sectors growth.

Toothed whales (suborder Odontoceti) are highly social, large brained mammals with diverse social systems. In recent decades, a large body of work has begun investigating these dynamic, complex societies using a common set of analytical tools: social network analysis. The application of social network theory to toothed whales enables insight into the factors that underlie variation in social structure in this taxon, and the consequences of these structures for survival, reproduction, disease transmission, and culture. Here, we perform a systematic review of the literature regarding toothed whale social networks to identify broad patterns of social network structure across species, common drivers of individual social position, and the consequences of network structure for individuals and populations. We also identify key knowledge gaps and areas ripe for future research. We recommend that future studies attempt to expand the taxonomic breadth and focus on standardizing methods and reporting as much as possible to allow for comparative analyses to test evolutionary hypotheses. Furthermore, social networks analysis may provide key insights into population dynamics as indicators of population health, predictors of disease risk, and as direct drivers of survival and reproduction.

This study investigates the effect of socio-ecological networks on the willingness to communicate (WTC) in English among Japanese people. Previous studies have shown that relational mobility (socio-ecological factor), which is defined as the availability of opportunities to choose new relationship partners, positively affects the WTC in English for Japanese people. However, the network structure of the variables of relational mobility and its effects have not been revealed yet. The present study conducted network analysis with 474 Japanese university students and found the two clusters that correspond to the dimensions of relational mobility in the partial correlation network. Three variables regarding opportunities to meet new people and leave current relationships positively affected the WTC in English; one had a negative effect. Centrality indices, such as nodes strength, betweenness, and closeness, revealed the centrality of several variables in the network. Bootstrapping methods showed the trustworthiness of the estimated network structure and centrality indices as well as edges and variables whose effects differed significantly from that of others. Contrary to the regression analysis results, the network analysis findings can help us understand the in-depth effect of relational mobility on the WTC in a second language, which will prove useful for intervention studies.

Long-range signaling, such as acoustic communication, is best understood within the broader context of all potential receivers. Exactly what kind of information is transmitted or obtained is a matter of debate. To address this issue, we describe the communication network of a population of wild siamangs (Symphalangus syndactylus), small territorial apes that sing loud and complex duets. Based on calling data collected over >3400 observation hours on 7 groups of wild siamangs, we used linear mixed-effects models to evaluate the effect of changes in group composition on singing rates and social network analysis to study the effect of social change on the structure of this siamang communication network. Results show that, compared to stable groups, groups whose composition had recently changed elicited significantly more responses to their calls from neighboring groups. These results support the hypothesis that listening individuals can take advantage of public information to detect points of social instability in the community, e.g., adult males seeking opportunities to obtain their own territory. Our results help explain some sociobiological conundrums concerning hylobatids, e.g., by highlighting a potential strategic benefit for males living in the multimale, single female groups that are reported in some species, advance our understanding of the function of calling in hylobatids, and offer theoretical and methodological insights applicable to other taxa such as birds and cetaceans. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The main factors influencing feeding competition among members of diurnal primate groups are the distribution, availability, and quality of food resources. Socioecological models predict that temporal availability of preferred resources, such as fruit, can influence intragroup feeding competition, which is expected to affect rates of agonism and intragroup spatial patterns. We evaluated the effects of temporal variation in fruit availability on the degree of frugivory (i.e., the proportion of time spent feeding on fruit in relation to total food consumption) and the effects of fruit availability and degree of frugivory on rates of agonistic interactions, and intragroup proximity in two wild groups of gray woolly monkeys (Lagothrix lagotricha cana) in southwestern Brazilian Amazonia. We recorded 227 agonistic interactions via the all occurrences method and 3549 records of spacing via scan sampling during an 8-mo field study from March to October 2017. We found that fruit availability showed a positive relationship with the woolly monkeys' degree of frugivory, which in turn showed a positive relationship with the rates of agonism. We also found that degree of frugivory positively affected intragroup proximity in periods of lower fruit availability, and that agonistic interactions and proximity covaried positively. Conversely, as the degree of frugivory increased, monkeys exhibited greater interindividual distances and, consequently, lower rates of agonism, consistent with lower levels of feeding competition in periods of higher fruit availability. Therefore, we suggest that intragroup contest competition for fruits is an important cost of group living even for generalized, opportunistic frugivorous primates, such as woolly monkeys. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Economic assessments for invasive alien species (IAS) are an urgent requirement for informed decisionmaking, coordinating and motivating the allocation of economic and human resources for the management of IAS. We searched for economic costs of IAS occurring in Spain, by using the InvaCost database and requesting data to regional governments and national authorities, which resulted in over 3,000 cost entries. Considering only robust data (i.e. excluding extrapolated, potential (not-incurred or expected) and low reliability costs), economic costs in Spain were estimated at US$ 261 million (€ 232 million) from 1997 to 2022. There was an increase from US$ 4 million per year before 2000 to US$ 15 million per year in the last years (from € 4 to 13 million). Robust data showed that most reported costs of IAS in Spain (> 90%) corresponded to management costs, while damage costs were only found for 2 out of the 174 species with reported costs. Economic costs relied mostly on regional and inter-regional administrations that spent 66% of costs in post-invasion management actions, contrary to all international guidelines, which recommend investing more in prevention. Regional administrations unequally reported costs. Moreover, 36% of the invasive species, reported to incur management costs, were not included in national or European regulations (i.e. Black Lists), suggesting the need to review these policies; besides, neighbouring regions seem to manage different groups of species. We suggest the need of a national lead agency to effectively coordinate actions, facilitate communication and collaboration amongst regional governments, national agencies and neighbouring countries. This will motivate the continuity of long-lasting management actions and the increase in efforts to report IAS costs by regional and inter-regional managers which will adequately provide information for future budgets gaining management effectiveness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study investigates the effect of socio-ecological networks on the willingness to communicate (WTC) in English among Japanese people. Previous studies have shown that relational mobility (socio-ecological factor), which is defined as the availability of opportunities to choose new relationship partners, positively affects the WTC in English for Japanese people. However, the network structure of the variables of relational mobility and its effects have not been revealed yet. The present study conducted network analysis with 474 Japanese university students and found the two clusters that correspond to the dimensions of relational mobility in the partial correlation network. Three variables regarding opportunities to meet new people and leave current relationships positively affected the WTC in English; one had a negative effect. Centrality indices, such as nodes strength, betweenness, and closeness, revealed the centrality of several variables in the network. Bootstrapping methods showed the trustworthiness of the estimated network structure and centrality indices as well as edges and variables whose effects differed significantly from that of others. Contrary to the regression analysis results, the network analysis findings can help us understand the in-depth effect of relational mobility on the WTC in a second language, which will prove useful for intervention studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Humpback dolphins (Sousa spp.) are obligate shallow‐water and resident species, and they typically live in fission–fusion societies composed of small‐sized groups with changeable membership. However, we have scant knowledge of their behavioral ecology, starting with potential factors influencing inter‐population variability of their group sizes. Here, we compiled a new global dataset of humpback dolphin group sizes based on 150 published records. Our data indicated an inter‐specific consistency of group‐living strategy among the 4 species in the Sousa genus, as these species preferred living in small‐sized groups with a mean size of mostly no more than 10, a minimum size of single individual or small pairs, and a maximum size of several tens or ≈100. In addition, we clearly showed the geographic variations in group sizes of humpback dolphins at a global scale. We found that the geographic variations in humpback dolphin group sizes were primarily associated with the latitude, sea surface temperature, and abundance. To conclude, our findings provide insights into social dynamics and socioecological trade‐offs of humpback dolphins, and help better understand how these resident animals adapted to their shallow‐water habitats from the perspectives of biogeography and socioecology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Many authors consider the change of ways of life, towards more “sustainability”, as an essential condition for ecological transition. But a clear definition of the term ways of life, often confused with the word lifestyle, is never given. However, the distinction between these terms is important for understanding the various constraints that rigidify daily life and lead to the ineffectiveness of ecological reform projects for consumption and ordinary uses. This paper explains why, and shows that the level of analysis of the kinds of life would allow a better targeted public action at the categorical level and therefore an ecological change of practices more socially acceptable.

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Copyright of VertigO is the property of La Revue Electronique en Sciences de l'Environnement VertigO and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

While the role of ecological factors in shaping primate social systems has been a central focus for decades, less attention has been given to phylogenetic relationships and the potential role of underlying proximate mechanisms. This study aimed to investigate the relationship between one such proximate mechanism, prenatal androgen effects (PAEs), and aspects of social behavior in female nonhuman primates using the 2D:4D ratio as a proxy for PAEs and phylogenetically controlled methods. In general, female 2D:4D ratios were highest in monogamous species (low inferred PAEs) and lowest in polygynandrous and polygynous species (high inferred PAEs). 2D:4D ratios also varied with the form of polygyny/polygynandry, potentially with regard to the need for competitive over cooperative behaviors and the intensity of female reproductive competition. Species characterized by female dominance had lower 2D:4D ratios than species characterized by male dominance or codominance. There were no significant relationships between 2D:4D ratio and either degree of frugivory or group size. Relationships between 2D:4D ratios and the directional consistency index and 2D:4D ratios and rates of female–female agonism were also nonsignificant although sample sizes for both of these variables were small. Female social relationships are a manifestation of complex competitive and cooperative behaviors and the results suggest that PAEs may act as a proximate mechanism underlying the expression of certain aspects of behavior in female primates in ways that are adaptive to their social system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Sexual coercion, in the form of forced copulations, is relatively frequently observed in orangutans and generally attributed to their semi-solitary lifestyle. High ecological costs of association for females may be responsible for this lifestyle and may have prevented the evolution of morphological fertility indicators (e.g., sexual swellings), which would attract (male) associates. Therefore, sexual conflict may arise not only about mating per se but also about associations, because males may benefit from associations with females to monitor their reproductive state and attempt to monopolize their sexual activities. Here, we evaluate association patterns and costs for females when associating with both males and females of two different orangutan species at two study sites: Suaq, Sumatra (Pongo abelii), and Tuanan, Borneo (Pongo pygmaeus wurmbii). Female association frequency with both males and females was higher in the Sumatran population, living in more productive habitat. Accordingly, we found that the cost of association, in terms of reduced feeding to moving ratio and increased time being active, is higher in the less sociable Bornean population. Males generally initiated and maintained such costly associations with females, and prolonged associations with males led to increased female fecal cortisol metabolite (FCM) levels at Tuanan, the Bornean population. We conclude that male-maintained associations are an expression of sexual conflict in orangutans, at least at Tuanan. For females, this cost of association may be responsible for the lack of sexual signaling, while needing to confuse paternity. Significance statement: Socioecological theory predicts a trade-off between the benefits of sociality and the ecological costs of increased feeding competition. Orangutans’ semi-solitary lifestyle has been attributed to the combination of high association costs and low predation risk. Previous work revealed a positive correlation between association frequencies and habitat productivity, but did not measure the costs of association. In this comparative study, we show that females likely incur costs from involuntary, male-maintained associations, especially when they last for several days and particularly in the population characterized by lower association frequencies. Association maintenance therefore qualifies as another expression of sexual conflict in orangutans, and especially prolonged, male-maintained associations may qualify as an indirect form of sexual coercion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Wine production is part of the Chilean landscape. In three valleys, traditional socioecological forms of wine production still prevail, practices that represent ways of doing and knowing that question and negotiate with large industry's processes. Work was made with five organizations in the Marga-Marga, Lontué and Itata valleys, through interviews and social cartography, revealing the socio-territorial conflicts, productive and economic practices of small-scale producers and their market insertion strategies. The sustainability of these experiences looks to recover the taste for local wine, different flavors, ingrained in the conditions of the territories. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]