Fission-fusion society
Encyclopedia
In primatology
, a fission-fusion society is one in which the social group, e.g. bonobo
collectives of 100-strong, sleep in one locality together, but forage in small groups going off in different directions during the day. This form of social organization occurs in several other species of primates, though usually less organised and less social than bonobos (e.g. chimpanzees, hamadryas, gelada baboons, spider monkeys, and humans), most carnivores including the spotted hyena
, African lion
, and cetaceans such as bottlenose dolphins, ungulates such as deer
, and fish such as guppies
. These societies change frequently in their size and composition, making up a permanent social group called the 'parent group.' Permanent social networks consist of all individual members of a faunal community and often varies to track changes in their environment and based on individual animal dynamics.
In a fission-fusion society, the main parent group can fracture (fission) into smaller stable subgroups or individuals to adapt to environmental
or social circumstances. For example, a number of males may break off from the main group in order to hunt or forage for food during the day, but at night they may return to join (fusion) the primary group to share food and partake in other activities.
Overlapping of so-called 'parent groups' territorially is also frequent, resulting in more interaction and mingling of community members, further altering the make-up of the parent group. This results in instances where, say, a female chimpanzee may generally belong to one parent group, but encounters a male who belongs to a neighboring community. If they copulate, the female may stay with the male for several days and come into contact with his parent group, temporarily 'fusing' into the male's community. In some cases, animals may leave one parent group in favor of associating themselves with another, usually for reproductively motivated reasons.
Primatology
Primatology is the scientific study of primates. It is a diverse discipline and researchers can be found in academic departments of anatomy, anthropology, biology, medicine, psychology, veterinary sciences and zoology, as well as in animal sanctuaries, biomedical research facilities, museums and zoos...
, a fission-fusion society is one in which the social group, e.g. bonobo
Bonobo
The bonobo , Pan paniscus, previously called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often, the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee...
collectives of 100-strong, sleep in one locality together, but forage in small groups going off in different directions during the day. This form of social organization occurs in several other species of primates, though usually less organised and less social than bonobos (e.g. chimpanzees, hamadryas, gelada baboons, spider monkeys, and humans), most carnivores including the spotted hyena
Spotted Hyena
The spotted hyena also known as laughing hyena, is a carnivorous mammal of the family Hyaenidae, of which it is the largest extant member. Though the species' prehistoric range included Eurasia extending from Atlantic Europe to China, it now only occurs in all of Africa south of the Sahara save...
, African lion
Lion
The lion is one of the four big cats in the genus Panthera, and a member of the family Felidae. With some males exceeding 250 kg in weight, it is the second-largest living cat after the tiger...
, and cetaceans such as bottlenose dolphins, ungulates such as deer
Deer
Deer are the ruminant mammals forming the family Cervidae. Species in the Cervidae family include white-tailed deer, elk, moose, red deer, reindeer, fallow deer, roe deer and chital. Male deer of all species and female reindeer grow and shed new antlers each year...
, and fish such as guppies
Guppy
The guppy , also known as the millionfish, is one of the most popular freshwater aquarium fish species in the world. It is a small member of the Poeciliidae family [females long, males long] and like all other members of the family, is live-bearing....
. These societies change frequently in their size and composition, making up a permanent social group called the 'parent group.' Permanent social networks consist of all individual members of a faunal community and often varies to track changes in their environment and based on individual animal dynamics.
In a fission-fusion society, the main parent group can fracture (fission) into smaller stable subgroups or individuals to adapt to environmental
Social environment
The social environment of an individual, also called social context or milieu, is the culture that s/he was educated or lives in, and the people and institutions with whom the person interacts....
or social circumstances. For example, a number of males may break off from the main group in order to hunt or forage for food during the day, but at night they may return to join (fusion) the primary group to share food and partake in other activities.
Overlapping of so-called 'parent groups' territorially is also frequent, resulting in more interaction and mingling of community members, further altering the make-up of the parent group. This results in instances where, say, a female chimpanzee may generally belong to one parent group, but encounters a male who belongs to a neighboring community. If they copulate, the female may stay with the male for several days and come into contact with his parent group, temporarily 'fusing' into the male's community. In some cases, animals may leave one parent group in favor of associating themselves with another, usually for reproductively motivated reasons.