Marmot Social Behavior, Survival, and Population Ecology
Investigates how social structure, antipredator behavior, and winter survival shape population dynamics in yellow-bellied marmots and related ground squirrels through decades of longitudinal field observation at RMBL.
Knowledge Graph (1068 nodes, 8445 connections)
Research Primer
Background
Yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer) have been studied continuously at the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory since 1962, making them one of the longest-running mammal research programs in the world. These large, burrow-dwelling rodents live in the high meadows of the Gunnison Basin, where they spend roughly eight months of the year hibernating and four months feeding, breeding, and raising young. Because marmots are long-lived, socially flexible, and site-faithful, researchers can follow the same individuals — and even the same matrilines of related females — across decades. This makes them an ideal window into how animals respond to predators, social partners, parasites, and a rapidly changing climate.
A few concepts help organize the findings that follow. Marmots are facultatively social, meaning individuals have flexibility in whether and how they live in groups; some females remain with their mothers and sisters in matrilineal societies, while others disperse (the movement away from the natal site). Researchers quantify social relationships using social network analysis, a method that maps not just direct interactions but each individual's position within the larger web of the group, summarized by centrality measures and traits like social embeddedness. Marmots' antipredator behavior is measured through flight initiation distance (how close an approaching threat gets before the animal flees) and through vigilance behavior, the time allocated to scanning instead of foraging — a time allocation tradeoff. They also communicate risk through alarm calls, whistles and trills that can contain nonlinear phenomena (noisy, chaotic acoustic features) thought to convey fear and urgency.
On the population side, researchers track vital rates (survival and reproduction by age class) using mark-recapture, estimate heritability of traits with the animal model (a statistical pedigree approach), and assess how summer survival, winter survival, and juvenile growth respond to snowpack, temperature, and drought. These tools let scientists connect individual behavior to population dynamics and to evolutionary change — a linkage that is increasingly urgent as climate change reshapes mountain ecosystems in Gothic and across the Gunnison Basin.
Foundational work
Early studies established the basic social and demographic architecture of the population. Downhower and Armitage described the marmot mating system as one of harem polygyny, where a single territorial male typically defends a group of related females, and showed that female fitness peaks at smaller harem sizes while male fitness peaks at larger ones (Downhower & Armitage, 1971). Armitage later argued that sociality in ground-dwelling squirrels evolved through daughters remaining in their mother's home range, extending maternal reproductive investment beyond weaning (Armitage, 1981). Genetic work on these same colonies showed that the matrilineal social structure itself shapes how genetic variation is distributed across the landscape, slowing the fixation of alleles and supporting a gradual model of evolution in social mammals (Schwartz & Armitage, 1980).
A second foundational thread concerned dispersal and communication. Van Vuren and Armitage found that dispersing marmots survived only about 16% less well than philopatric ones, meaning dispersal is far less costly than often assumed and can be understood as a fitness-enhancing tactic (Van Vuren & Armitage, 1994). Work on alarm calls showed that marmots produce three acoustically distinct vocalizations — whistles, trills, and chucks — and that while call rate scales with risk, the calls are not strongly predator-specific (Blumstein & Armitage, 1997). A comparative analysis across ground squirrels found that social complexity explained roughly 40% of the variation in alarm call repertoire size, providing early evidence that sociality shapes the evolution of communication (Blumstein & Armitage, 1997). Methodologically, the adoption of social network analysis opened the door to quantifying indirect as well as direct relationships, with measures proving robust even when substantial observational data were missing (Wey et al., 2008).
Key findings
One of the most influential discoveries from the Gothic population is that climate change has left a clear demographic fingerprint on marmots. Earlier emergence from hibernation has lengthened the growing season, producing heavier marmots before winter and driving a sharp jump in population growth rate from roughly 2% to 18% per year, with increased adult survival as the main engine (Ozgul et al., 2010). More recent work has shown that this picture is seasonally complex: across four decades, summer survival has generally risen while winter survival has declined (Paniw et al., 2020). A comparative review of hibernators confirms that warmer conditions tend to advance phenology and boost reproduction, but effects on body condition and survival vary by season, age, and elevation (Cordes et al., 2022).
Social behavior strongly predicts fitness, though not always in intuitive ways. Counterintuitively, marmots with stronger affiliative relationships tend to live shorter lives, with several network traits negatively correlated with longevity (Yang et al., 2018), and weakly affiliating females have higher annual reproductive success (Wey & Blumstein, 2012). Yet social embeddedness reduces the likelihood that female yearlings disperse, supporting the social cohesion hypothesis (Blumstein et al., 2009). Younger animals, especially yearlings, play a disproportionate role in holding groups together (Wey & Blumstein, 2010). Matriline formation enhances female reproductive success, while male success scales with the number of females in his territory (Armitage, 1998). Most females (86%) die without reproducing, and those that breed earlier achieve higher lifetime fitness (Oli & Armitage, 2003).
Alarm communication has emerged as a rich window into individuality and fear. Calls carry individual, age, and sex signatures, with discriminant analyses correctly classifying callers well above chance (Blumstein & Munos, 2005), and listeners adjust foraging based on the reliability of the caller (Blumstein et al., 2004). The addition of noise or nonlinearities to calls increases receiver responsiveness, supporting the idea that these acoustic features encode fear (Blumstein & Recapet, 2009). Metapopulation analyses show that the long-term persistence of marmot colonies across the Gunnison Basin depends heavily on a few high-quality sites and particularly on the survival of reproductive adult females (Ozgul et al., 2009); (Ozgul et al., 2006).
Current frontier
Early work in the 1970s and 1980s established the mating system and kin structure of marmot colonies; studies in the 1990s and 2000s shifted to quantifying dispersal costs, alarm call structure, and demographic variation; and the past fifteen years have been dominated by social network analysis, climate-change demography, and quantitative genetics. Recent studies since 2020 have pushed further into heritability and multilevel selection. Flight initiation distance is now known to be moderately heritable (h² around 0.15–0.18), though with low evolvability, suggesting limited scope for rapid adaptive change (Scurka et al., 2025). The noisiness of alarm calls is also heritable (Blumstein et al., 2025), as is the propensity to call at all, with different heritabilities in natural versus trapping contexts (Blumstein et al., 2025). A synthesis of 63 years of study emphasizes that marmot societies vary year to year with dispersal, mortality, and recruitment, making them a natural laboratory for studying how societies form (Blumstein, 2025).
A second frontier concerns how selection operates on groups as well as individuals. Using 19 years of network data, researchers have shown that selection on group-level social structure can be as strong as or stronger than selection on individual social behavior, and that antagonistic selection within and between levels may explain why sociality is not simply favored in this species (Philson et al., 2025). Related work finds that marmots in more reciprocally connected groups spend less time scanning for predators, consistent with the Social Security Hypothesis (Philson et al., 2025). Other recent studies document how weather shapes risk assessment — with marmots tolerating closer approaches on warmer days (Sanchez et al., 2025) and becoming more vigilant after recent rainfall (Bobb et al., 2025) — and how nonlinear acoustic features encode fear across taxa (Blumstein, 2025). Comparative demographic modeling across 41 species, including marmots, shows that interactions among multiple climate drivers and density dependence amplify population responses to climate change, especially in fast-lived species (Ickin et al., 2025).
Open questions
Several large questions remain. First, why is stronger sociality often associated with reduced longevity and reproductive success in marmots when it is beneficial in many other social mammals, and how does multilevel selection resolve this apparent paradox? Second, how will the opposing seasonal trends — rising summer survival but declining winter survival — balance out as snowpack continues to shrink and growing seasons lengthen, and which colony sites in the Gunnison Basin will act as long-term refuges? Third, given that antipredator traits like flight initiation distance are heritable but have low evolvability, can marmot populations adapt quickly enough to growing human disturbance, or will habituation and behavioral plasticity carry most of the load? Finally, integrating heritability estimates for alarm calling, docility, and vigilance with long-term pedigrees offers a chance to ask whether contemporary evolution is actually underway in the Gothic population — one of the few wild mammal systems where that question can be answered directly.
References
Armitage, K. B. (1981). Sociality as a life-history tactic of ground squirrels. Oecologia. →
Armitage, K. B. (1998). Reproductive strategies of yellow-bellied marmots: energy conservation and differences between the sexes. →
Blumstein, D. T. (2025). Nonlinear phenomena in marmot alarm calls: a mechanism encoding fear? Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B. →
Blumstein, D. T. (2025). Society formation and maintenance in yellow-bellied marmots. Animal Behaviour. →
Blumstein, D. T., & Armitage, K. B. (1997). Alarm calling in yellow-bellied marmots: I. The meaning of situationally variable alarm calls. Animal Behaviour. →
Blumstein, D. T., & Armitage, K. B. (1997). Does sociality drive the evolution of communicative complexity? American Naturalist. →
Blumstein, D. T., & Munos, O. (2005). Individual, age and sex-specific information is contained in yellow-bellied marmot alarm calls. →
Blumstein, D. T., & Recapet, C. (2009). The sound of arousal: the addition of novel non-linearities increases responsiveness in marmot alarm calls. →
Blumstein, D. T., et al. (2025). Is the propensity to alarm-call heritable and related across multiple contexts? Animal Behaviour. →
Blumstein, D. T., et al. (2025). The sound of fear is heritable. Current Zoology. →
Blumstein, D. T., Verneyre, L., & Daniel, J. C. (2004). Reliability and the adaptive utility of discrimination among alarm callers. →
Blumstein, D. T., Wey, T. W., & Tang, K. (2009). A test of the social cohesion hypothesis: interactive female marmots remain at home. →
Bobb, M., et al. (2025). Does rainfall or temperature influence antipredator vigilance in a hibernating mammal? Behavioral Ecology. →
Cordes, L. S., et al. (2022). Life history consequences of climate change in hibernating mammals: a review. →
Downhower, J. F., & Armitage, K. B. (1971). The yellow-bellied marmot and the evolution of polygamy. American Naturalist. →
Ickin, M., et al. (2025). Comparative life-cycle analyses reveal interacting climatic and biotic drivers of population responses to climate change. PNAS Nexus. →
Oli, M. K., & Armitage, K. B. (2003). Sociality and individual fitness in yellow-bellied marmots. →
Ozgul, A., et al. (2006). Effects of patch quality and network structure on patch occupancy dynamics of a yellow-bellied marmot metapopulation. →
Ozgul, A., et al. (2009). Influence of local demography on asymptotic and transient dynamics of a yellow-bellied marmot metapopulation. →
Ozgul, A., et al. (2010). Coupled dynamics of body mass and population growth in response to environmental change. Nature. →
Paniw, M., et al. (2020). Contrasting effects of climate change on seasonal survival of a hibernating mammal. →
Philson, C. S., & Blumstein, D. T. (2025). Wild marmots' social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action. The Conversation. →
Philson, C. S., et al. (2025). Multilevel selection on individual and group social behaviour in the wild. Proceedings of the Royal Society B. →
Philson, C. S., et al. (2025). Social security: individuals in socially reciprocal groups may perceive security from predators. Behavioral Ecology. →
Sanchez, A., et al. (2025). Climatic variation and risk assessment in a highly seasonal mammal. Current Zoology. →
Schwartz, O. A., & Armitage, K. B. (1980). Genetic variation in social mammals: the marmot model. Science. →
Scurka, A., et al. (2025). The heritability of fear: decomposing sources of variation in marmot flight initiation distance. Animal Behaviour. →
Van Vuren, D., & Armitage, K. B. (1994). Survival of dispersing and philopatric yellow-bellied marmots. Oikos. →
Wey, T. W., & Blumstein, D. T. (2010). Social cohesion in yellow-bellied marmots is established through age and kin structuring. →
Wey, T. W., & Blumstein, D. T. (2012). Social attributes and associated performance measures in marmots. →
Wey, T. W., Blumstein, D. T., Shen, W., & Jordán, F. (2008). Social network analysis of animal behaviour. Animal Behaviour. →
Yang, W. J., et al. (2018). Strong social relationships are associated with decreased longevity in a facultatively social mammal. →
Concept (157) →
antipredator behavior
Behaviors that reduce the likelihood of predation, including vigilance and evasion tactics
winter survival
Survival of organisms through winter diapause or dormancy, often related to environmental conditions during overwintering
social phenotype
Quantifiable aspects of social behavior and social structure that can be subject to natural selection
early-life trade-offs
The concept that organisms face competing demands for limited resources during development that create trade-offs between different fitness components
social network analysis
A method used to quantify social relationships that not only quantifies the direct relationship between a focal individual and its social partners, bu...
alarm communication
Vocal signals produced in response to predator detection to warn conspecifics or communicate threat information
density dependence
Population regulation mechanism where demographic rates depend on population density through competition and resource limitation
slow-fast continuum
A commonly used framework to describe variation in life-history strategies across species, ranking organisms from slow to fast living based on combina...
flight initiation distance
The distance at which an individual initiates moving away from an approaching humans, reflecting flightiness of an animal in response to a potential p...
metapopulation structure
The spatial arrangement and connectivity of subpopulations across a landscape that influences local population dynamics
Show 147 more concepts
vital rates
Demographic rates including survival, growth, flowering probability, seed production, and germination that determine population dynamics
mark-recapture
Method for estimating demographic parameters by marking individuals and tracking recapture histories over time
integral projection models
Demographic models that project population dynamics using continuous size or stage distributions
time allocation tradeoff
The finite time and energy budget forcing organisms to trade off between competing activities like foraging and vigilance
environmental stochasticity
Random environmental variation that affects demographic parameters across all individuals in a population simultaneously
dispersal
The movement away from your place of birth and onto another location involving decision to depart, displacement, and settlement
vigilance behavior
Time allocation to scanning for predators versus other activities like foraging, measured through specific postures and head orientations
facultative sociality
Social systems where individuals have flexibility in their social behaviors and group membership rather than being obligately social
anthropogenic disturbance
Human activities that impose novel challenges on a wide range of species, which can negatively influence individuals, populations, and communities as ...
kin selection
Natural selection that favors behaviors that benefit relatives, even at a cost to the individual performing the behavior
centrality measures
Network statistics that quantify the importance or influence of individuals within social networks, including degree, closeness, betweenness, and eige...
habituation
Process by which animals become less responsive to repeated non-threatening stimuli over time
acoustic playback experiment
Experimental technique using recorded sounds played back to animals to test behavioral or physiological responses to acoustic stimuli
vocal individuality
The degree to which individuals can be discriminated from one another based on their vocalizations, quantified using information theory
behavioral syndromes
Correlations between multiple repeatable, individually distinct behaviors that form consistent behavioral patterns across situations
body condition
Measure of an animal's physical state, often assessed through body mass relative to size
reproductive suppression
Reduction in reproductive output of individuals due to presence of other conspecifics, particularly older or dominant individuals
fecal glucocorticoid metabolites
Metabolites of stress hormones measured in fecal samples as a proxy for physiological stress levels
animal personality
Consistent individual differences in behaviour across time and contexts, concept known as animal personality, behavioural types, temperament or coping...
juvenile growth rate
Daily mass gain during critical post-emergence development period in juvenile mammals
maternal care
polygamous mating system
Mating system where males compete with one another over access to matelines consisting of groups of related females
philopatry
tendency of an organism to stay in or habitually return to a particular area
population stage structure
The distribution of individuals across different size or age classes within a population
summer survival
Probability of surviving the summer active season, measured by last sighting dates relative to seasonal cutoffs
resting metabolic rate
The rate of energy expenditure for basic physiological maintenance processes, measured as CO₂ emission rate.
animal model
Statistical approach that includes individual identity as a random effect linked to a pedigree to estimate additive genetic variance
camera trapping
Non-invasive wildlife monitoring technique using motion-triggered cameras to detect and photograph animals
group size effect
The hypothesis that animals allocate less time to antipredator vigilance as a function of increasing numbers of animals foraging together
docility
Individual's reaction to being trapped and handled, measured on behavioral scale from aggressive to passive responses
inbreeding depression
Reduced fitness in inbred individuals compared to outbred individuals due to expression of deleterious recessive alleles
stress hormones
Cortisol and glucocorticoids that help regulate energy balance in animals and could determine dispersal behavior under stressful conditions
antisocial behavior
Directed aggression toward conspecifics, increasing spatial distancing from or decreasing huddling with unfamiliar conspecifics
reproductive senescence
A within-individual process caused by deterioration in molecular and physiological function resulting in a decrease in survival probability and reprod...
focal animal sampling
Behavioral observation method where a single individual is observed continuously for a fixed time period
phylogenetically independent contrasts
A method to test for phylogenetic signal by comparing empirical data variance to variance from randomly reshuffled species identities across trait dat...
acoustic localization
Method to determine the spatial origin of sound sources using arrays of microphones and signal processing techniques
time budget
The allocation of time among different activities that determines overall energy expenditure patterns
neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio
Ratio of neutrophil to lymphocyte white blood cell counts used as a measure of immune response activity
nonlinear phenomena
Acoustic phenomena including subharmonics, biphonation, deterministic chaos, and warbles that occur when vocal production apparatus loses control
vehicular collision mortality
Mortality from roadkill events where animals are struck and killed by vehicles
intraclass correlation coefficient
Statistical measure of repeatability that tests individual consistency of a continuous variable by comparing within-subject and between-subject variat...
ecotourism
Nature-based tourism activities that can provide conservation benefits but may also impact wildlife behavior through human presence
survival probability
The likelihood that an individual survives from one time period to the next
matrilineal society
Social organization where related females remain together and males typically disperse
Social Security Hypothesis
Individuals in more tightly connected social groups perceive greater security from predators and allocate less time to antipredator vigilance while fo...
population sensitivity
Scaled measure of how population growth rate responds to changes in environmental drivers
intra-individual variation
Variation in behavioral expression within individuals across time or contexts
Life Table Response Experiment
A method to partition variance in population growth rate into contributions arising from temporal covariances of demographic parameters at different t...
nonlinearity and fear hypothesis
Hypothesis that highly aroused animals produce nonlinear vocalizations because they lose control of their larynx over vocal fold production apparatus
dominance hierarchy
Social ranking system based on agonistic interactions where some individuals consistently dominate others
inclusive fitness
Fitness benefits that include both direct fitness (individual's own reproductive success) and indirect fitness (fitness gained by helping relatives re...
reproduction ratio
The average number of offspring produced by a typical individual during its life, calculated as the product of offspring number and survival probabili...
affiliative social relationships
Positive social interactions and bonds between individuals including behaviors like grooming, playing, and proximity maintenance
compensatory growth
Ability of organisms to compensate for poor early-life conditions through increased feeding or altered resource allocation later in life
social embeddedness
The degree to which an individual is integrated in their group based on the number of independent links to others in the group
transgenerational plasticity
Plasticity that occurs across generations where parental environmental effects influence offspring phenotype or fitness
Beecher's information statistic
A statistic derived from information theory that quantifies individuality by calculating inter-individual variation relative to intra-individual varia...
collaborative sensing
Approach where multiple distributed sensors work together to achieve better performance than individual sensors
spatial aliasing
Ambiguity in direction estimation that occurs when sensor spacing exceeds half the wavelength of the signal
trade-offs
Situations where time spent on one activity reduces time available for other activities
age at first reproduction
The age at which females first reproduce, an important component of vertebrate life histories with effects on individual fitness and population dynami...
social cohesion hypothesis
The hypothesis that the more an individual interacts with others, the less likely they are to disperse
nest density
Number of nests per unit area, calculated by dividing number of nests in each habitat by total area
boldness
Individual's reaction to a non-novel, risky situation
unpredictability hypothesis
Hypothesis that nonlinear phenomena are more variable or more abrupt and therefore more unpredictable, making animals less likely to habituate to them...
sound degradation
Attenuation and degradation of sound over distance due to atmospheric absorption, ground attenuation, signal scattering, and deflection by layered sur...
bout length
The duration of continuous engagement in a particular behavioral activity
Clutton-Brock index
A method for calculating dominance based on an individual's relative number of wins or losses that is tolerant of missing pair-wise interactions and w...
litter sex composition
The proportion of male versus female offspring in a litter affecting prenatal hormone exposure
acoustic communication
Communication through sound production that requires receivers to detect and discern between distinct acoustic signals
long-term ecological studies
Ecological research projects that follow individuals or systems over extended periods, often spanning decades
temporal demographic correlation
The correlation between different demographic parameters (survival, reproduction, productivity) measured across the same time periods within a populat...
functionally referential communication
Signals that meet criteria of stimulus-class specificity and contextual independence, where alarm calls are said to be functionally referential when t...
group living
Social organization where individuals aggregate in groups, potentially providing antipredator benefits through collective vigilance and dilution effec...
social complexity
Demographic metric based on information theory quantifying the variation in social group composition across age and sex classes
social thermoregulation
Behavioral and physiological mechanisms whereby group-living animals share body heat to reduce thermoregulatory costs
multistate model
A capture-recapture model that accounts for transitions between different states (e.g., age classes) and estimates state-specific survival and detecti...
communication complexity evolution
The evolutionary processes leading to the development of multiple distinct call types in animal communication systems
anogenital distance
The distance between the anus and the genital papilla, used as a non-invasive measure of prenatal exposure to sex steroid hormones
neophobia
An aversion to novel stimuli, measured as latency to touch the puzzle box from stepping onto the platform
motivation-structure rules
Morton's theory that physical behaviors and acoustic signals are associated, with aggressive behaviors linked to noisy, low-frequency sounds and submi...
personality
acoustic entropy
Measure of how noisy or random a sound is, with pure tones having entropy values approaching negative infinity
practice hypothesis
The hypothesis that play provides an opportunity to practice and refine skills that will be needed later in adulthood
discriminant function analysis
Statistical technique used to classify observations into predefined groups based on multiple variables
inbreeding coefficient
Measure of the level of inbreeding within a population, with values close to 1.0 indicating high levels of inbreeding
condition dependence
The concept that signal production and structure depend on an individual's health status and condition
mass gain
Proportional increase in body mass during the active growing season, calculated as August 15 body mass divided by June 1 body mass
demographic social roles
The idea that individuals of different age-sex categories contribute differently to social structure and cohesion
asymptotic growth
Growth pattern characterized by an initial period of mass gain followed by stabilization before hibernation entry
cut points
Number of social ties that if cut will result in two or more separate networks, measuring group fragmentation
social reciprocity
Measures the proportion of relationships within a group where both individuals initiate interactions with each other, indicating mutual social relatio...
food supplementation
Experimental provision of additional food resources to wild populations to test resource limitation hypotheses
sensor network
Distributed network of environmental sensors measuring diverse phenomena across watershed for understanding and predicting watershed behavior
locomotor performance
Maximum running speed of an individual measured during chase trials
rolling circle amplification
DNA amplification technique that amplifies circular DNA templates using phi29 DNA polymerase
multipredator hypothesis
Assumes that antipredator adaptations evolve together and thus prey may respond to extinct predators as long as they have experience with other predat...
demographic buffering hypothesis
Hypothesis that populations may be buffered from adverse climatic effects when vital rates with high impacts on population growth exhibit the least te...
brain-gut axis
Communication between the central and enteric nervous systems as a potential mechanism for microbiome-behavior relationships
juvenile growth
Mass gain patterns in young animals during their first active season before hibernation
hibernation ecology
Winter survival strategy of some small mammals that may affect their vulnerability to avalanche disturbance depending on burrow depth and emergence ti...
experience-independent mechanism
Predator recognition abilities that do not require prior learning or experience with predators but are based on innate or genetically-determined respo...
immune response
Physiological responses of the immune system to pathogens, trauma, stress and inflammation
male-biased dispersal
Pattern where male mammals tend to travel farther than females in exploratory excursions and disperse more than females
data archiving
The practice of making research data publicly available for verification and reuse
group size effects
Changes in social behavior and group dynamics that result from variation in the number of individuals in a social group
hemispheric lateralization
Specialization of left and right brain hemispheres to carry out specific activities, with right hemisphere processing threats and left hemisphere proc...
acoustic adaptation hypothesis
Explains how acoustic signal structure is shaped by habitat-driven selection that enhances the propagation of relatively undegraded vocalizations
energy conservation
Physiological and behavioral adaptations to minimize energy expenditure
partner preference
When animals prefer to associate with certain individuals over others within a group
masculinization
The process by which female mammals that develop in male-biased litters show signs of masculinization because they are exposed to testosterone produce...
repeatability
The proportion of variance in a trait that is explained by individual identity, indicating consistency of individual differences over time and across ...
multisensory integration
The combining of information from multiple sensory modalities that influences decision-making
genetic rescue
Improvement in population fitness through the introduction of new genetic material
innovation
The ability to devise a novel solution to a novel or existing problem, measured as successful opening of puzzle box
mutual tolerance
When any social group contains 2 or more males with neither male forced to leave the group because of conflict
behavioral diversity
A measure of the variety of behaviors an individual uses, calculated using Shannon index across different behavioral categories during problem-solving...
circadian clock
Internal biological timing system that maintains rhythmicity in a wide range of behavioral, physiological, and metabolic processes
spectrogram correlation
Quantitative measure of acoustic similarity between sounds, ranging from 0 to 1.0 with higher correlations indicating more similar sounds
acoustic transmission fidelity
A measure of how well acoustic signals maintain their structure when transmitted through different environments
Type II survivorship curve
A survivorship pattern where approximately constant proportions of individuals survive through each age class
among-individual correlation
Correlation between behavioral traits at the individual level, estimated while controlling for within-individual variation and environmental effects
parasite infection
Infection by internal parasites including blood-borne trypanosomes and intestinal parasites that can affect host behavior and physiology
covariance reaction norm
Statistical model allowing phenotypic correlations between traits to vary continuously with environmental predictors
flight metabolic rate
The total volume of CO₂ emitted during flight trials, which reflects overall flight performance including endurance.
exploration
Behavioral tendency to investigate novel environments, measured through open-field tests
social microbiome
The relationship between the microbiome and sociality in animals
ecology of fear
The concept that predator-prey interactions extend beyond direct predation and can influence prey behavior and habitat use through perceived predation...
boldness
Risk-taking behavior calculated from flight initiation distance to a simulated predator approach
multiple paternity
Litters where offspring are sired by more than one male
reproductive skew
Unequal distribution of reproduction among group members, with some individuals having much higher reproductive success than others
interpath angle
The angle between the paths of predator and prey to the prey's refuge, expressing degree to which prey must run towards an approaching predator
individual heterogeneity
High diversity of life-history traits among individuals within populations, potentially masking life-history trade-offs
reproductive status
Classification of female reproductive phase as gestation/lactation or post-reproductive/pre-hibernation
costs and benefits of sociality
Theoretical framework examining trade-offs between advantages and disadvantages of group living
mirror image stimulus test
Behavioral test using mirror exposure to gauge shy and bold behavior through observed interactions with reflection
reciprocal altruism
Individuals participate in seemingly altruistic behaviors because they have reciprocal relationships and take turns
generation time
The mean age of females when they lay eggs or give birth, calculated as the inverse of the sum of elasticities of population growth rate to changes in...
within-individual centering approach
An analytical approach where deviations from an individual's average behavior or phenotype are calculated to quantify and analyze how an individual's ...
ontogeny
An individual's development from egg to adult
litter relocation behavior
Behavior in which a female moves her litter to a new location
territory size
Linear distance along stream between upper and lower boundaries of breeding territory
social learning
Learning that occurs through observation or interaction with other individuals
learned behavior
Behavioral patterns acquired through experience rather than innate programming
territoriality
alternative food source
When organisms switch from their primary food to secondary food sources under conditions of high competition or resource limitation
Protocol (58) →
mark-recapture (Sciuridae)
A 20-year longitudinal study tracking individually marked female marmots through live-trapping, unique marking, and behavioral observations to quantif...
focal animal sampling (Sciuridae)
Live-trapping and marking of yellow-bellied marmots followed by systematic focal behavioral observations to quantify time allocation to different beha...
Social network analysis (Sciuridae)
Direct observation of social interactions using binoculars and spotting scopes during peak activity periods. Interactions are classified as affiliativ...
Flight initiation distance measurement (Sciuridae)
Systematic measurement of antipredator escape behavior by approaching focal individuals at standardized speed and recording distances at key behaviora...
LTRE analysis (Sciuridae)
Stage-mass-structured IPMs incorporating seasonal demographic transitions and environmental stochasticity for population viability analysis. Uses pros...
automated weather monitoring (Sciuridae)
Integration of temperature, precipitation, and snow cover data from multiple weather stations and remote sensing platforms to characterize environment...
microsatellite parentage assignment (Sciuridae)
DNA extraction from hair samples followed by microsatellite genotyping to determine parentage relationships and construct molecular pedigrees for quan...
Blumstein & Daniel transmission fidelity technique (Sciuridae)
Digital recording and spectral analysis of alarm vocalizations to quantify entropy and goodness of pitch as measures of call structure and acoustic pr...
radioimmunoassay (Sciuridae)
Progesterone concentrations measured using radioimmunoassay with tritiated progesterone, ether extraction, and antibody binding assay. Standard curves...
parent-offspring regression (Sciuridae)
Mixed-effects modeling approach to partition phenotypic variance into genetic and environmental components using pedigree information and repeated mea...
Show 48 more protocols
fecal flotation (Sciuridae)
Fecal sample collection and zinc sulfate flotation protocol for detecting intestinal parasites including Ascaris, Eimeria, and Entamoeba in marmot fec...
neutrophil:lymphocyte ratio (Sciuridae)
Blood collection and analysis to determine neutrophil and lymphocyte counts for calculating neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratios as a measure of immune res...
residual body condition index (Sciuridae)
Linear mixed effect models to estimate individual body mass at key seasonal transition points, accounting for day-of-year effects and random variation...
capture-recapture
Individual animals are uniquely marked and tracked through capture-recapture over multiple decades to estimate survival, reproduction, and productivit...
Territory mapping (Aves)
Territory delineation by following singing males and recording GPS coordinates of singing locations to map territory boundaries and calculate area and...
change point analysis (Sciuridae)
Statistical method using continuous two-phase models to identify the age at which body mass growth stabilizes at adult levels in golden-mantled ground...
radio-telemetry (Sciuridae)
Intensive monitoring of juvenile emergence and movements using daily visual observations and grid-based distance calculations to characterize dispersa...
generalized linear mixed model (Sciuridae)
Bayesian statistical approach to simultaneously estimate individual lifetime means and variances in social traits from longitudinal data. Controls for...
Behavioral discrimination experiments for individual recognition (Sciuridae)
Controlled experiments testing marmots' ability to distinguish between individuals using acoustic and olfactory cues to assess recognition capabilitie...
JWatcher behavioral analysis
Systematic recording and quantification of animal behaviors using standardized ethogram categories and time budget analysis with JWatcher software.
Audio playback experiment
Controlled playback experiments using modified alarm calls to test receiver behavioral responses to different acoustic features including added noise ...
open-field test (Sciuridae)
Standardized 4-minute test immediately following open field test where a mirror is revealed to measure sociability and aggressive responses toward con...
Reproductive success assessment in marmots (Sciuridae)
Assessment of female reproductive success through behavioral observation of pup emergence from natal burrows and pedigree analysis to assign offspring...
ENSBox collaborative acoustic localization
A distributed wireless sensor network approach using tetrahedral microphone arrays to detect and localize animal vocalizations through collaborative D...
GIS-based human disturbance quantification (Sciuridae)
RASTER-based spatial analysis to quantify multiple metrics of anthropogenic disturbance including distance to infrastructure and proportion of impervi...
Predation risk assessment through predator counts (Sciuridae)
Systematic predator monitoring during behavioral observations to quantify predation pressure. Creates predation index by dividing predator counts by o...
Live-trap docility assessment (Sciuridae)
Live-trapping of marmots to assess docility through standardized behavioral responses during capture and handling, including alarm calling propensity ...
Puzzle box innovation testing (Sciuridae)
Deployment of novel puzzle boxes with multiple solution pathways to test problem-solving ability and innovation in wild animals. Video recorded trials...
Controlled acoustic playback validation
Systematic playback of pre-recorded animal vocalizations from known positions and orientations to validate localization algorithm performance under co...
multistate capture-mark-recapture models (Animalia)
Statistical modeling of capture-recapture data to estimate seasonal survival probabilities across age classes using program MARK with model selection ...
Phylogenetically independent contrasts
A standard comparative method that controls for evolutionary relationships among species by analyzing evolutionary changes along phylogenetic branches...
Remote sensing snowmelt and habitat mapping (Sciuridae)
Use of remote sensing data to determine snowmelt timing and map marmot colony boundaries. Combines satellite imagery analysis with ground-truthed colo...
radiotelemetry (Sciuridae)
Colony sites are visited daily starting April 19th each year to record the first emergence date of individual marmots from hibernation through direct ...
Clutton-Brock index (Sciuridae)
Mathematical method for calculating relative dominance ranks from pairwise interaction outcomes that is tolerant of missing data and accounts for grou...
Beecher information statistic
Quantification of vocal individuality using principal component analysis followed by ANOVA and Beecher's information statistic calculation to measure ...
systematic literature review (Cervidae)
Field playback experiments testing Mule deer responses to predator and control vocalizations. Single observer approached focal deer, conducted pre- an...
Viral metagenomics from mammalian feces (Sciuridae)
A comprehensive protocol for extracting, amplifying, sequencing and analyzing viral DNA from fecal samples to identify microviral genomes. Uses rollin...
Food supplementation experiment (Sciuridae)
Controlled feeding experiment providing different protein levels of horse feed to different matrilines while maintaining reference populations. Tests ...
RNA sequencing (Sciuridae)
RNA extraction from blood samples, library preparation, and high-throughput sequencing on Illumina platforms followed by read mapping and differential...
VoxNet distributed acoustic sensing platform deployment (Sciuridae)
Deployment and operation of networked embedded sensor nodes for distributed acoustic monitoring using custom hardware and WaveScript programming langu...
Grid-based habitat characterization (Sciuridae)
Systematic measurement of microhabitat features including vegetation height, cover, and structural elements like perches within a standardized 7×7-m g...
anogenital distance measurement (Sciuridae)
Measurement of anogenital distance using dial or digital callipers to 1mm accuracy as a proxy for prenatal testosterone exposure and masculinization. ...
Cormack-Jolly-Seber model (Sciuridae)
Semi-parametric survival analysis using Cox proportional hazard models to test effects of maternal, social, and environmental covariates on annual sur...
Intensive behavioral monitoring of meerkats
Frequent visits to wild meerkat groups to record births, deaths, emigration, and social status changes over 20 years of continuous observation.
coefficient of relatedness calculation (Sciuridae)
Construction of genealogies from long-term observational data and estimation of coefficients of relatedness using Hamilton's method with assumptions a...
Randomization test for inbreeding avoidance (Sciuridae)
Monte Carlo simulation comparing observed reproductive pair relatedness to expected relatedness under random mating to test for inbreeding avoidance.
Approximated Maximum Likelihood algorithm (Sciuridae)
Uses array of wireless acoustic sensors with correlation envelope sum (CES) method to precisely locate sources of marmot alarm calls in field settings...
Spectrographic song analysis
Detailed measurement of acoustic parameters from spectrograms to quantify song characteristics and calculate vocal individuality metrics.
Tourist traffic volume indexing (Sciuridae)
Weekly counts of visitors at a facility to create a traffic volume index as a proxy for vehicle traffic on nearby roads during peak visitation periods...
Principal Component Analysis
Statistical analysis of stream chemistry data transformed to compositional units using PCA to evaluate spatial and temporal trends while removing effe...
phylogenetic comparative method (Sciuridae)
Integration of molecular phylogeny with life history and energetic data to identify evolutionary patterns of energy conservation traits across marmot ...
PRISMA systematic review
Standardized literature search and screening process to identify and synthesize studies on hibernating mammal responses to climate change, followed by...
Metabolic monitoring during marmot torpor entry (Sciuridae)
Simultaneous measurement of oxygen consumption, body temperature, and conductance in marmots entering torpor to determine mechanisms of metabolic depr...
Multi-species life-history PCA analysis
Principal component analysis applied across multiple species using demographic traits to identify major axes of life-history variation and test for sl...
matrix population model
Construction and parameterization of periodic matrix population models to project population dynamics under different scenarios of environmental perio...
Marmot blood sampling for viral screening (Sciuridae)
Blood collection from trapped wild marmots via femoral vein puncture during routine handling for long-term population studies. Sera separated and froz...
Transient LTRE analysis
Analysis method that reveals demographic and trait mediated processes that buffer population growth using transient life table response experiments.
climatic window analysis
Statistical approach using the climwin package to determine optimal phenological windows of climate variables that best predict biological timing by t...
Publication (393) →
Coupled dynamics of body mass and population growth in response to environmental change
Yellow-bellied marmots: insights from an emergent view of sociality.
A test of the social cohesion hypothesis: interactive female marmots remain at home
Social attributes and associated performance measures in marmots: bigger male bullies and weakly affiliating females have higher annual reproductive success
A 32-year demography of yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Behavioral and spatial dynamics in a fluctuating population of golden-mantled ground squirrels (<i>Callospermophilus lateralis</i>)
Reproductive strategies of yellow-bellied marmots: energy conservation and differences between the sexes
Marmota flaviventris
Duration of snow cover and its influence on life-history variation in yellow-bellied marmots
Effect of predation risk on the presence and persistence of yellow-bellied marmot <i>(Marmota flaviventris)</i> colonies
Show 383 more publications
Social and population dynamics of yellow-bellied marmots: results from long-term research
Contrasting effects of climate change on seasonal survival of a hibernating mammal.
Locomotor ability and wariness in yellow-bellied marmots
Social cohesion in yellow-bellied marmots is established through age and kin structuring
Reproductive Ecology of Female Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrels
Heritability of anti-predatory traits: vigilance and locomotor performance in marmots
Correlates and consequences of dominance in a social rodent
Seasonal changes in weights of marmots
Fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in wild yellow-bellied marmots: experimental validation, individual differences and ecological correlates
Metapopulation dynamics of yellow-bellied marmots
Growth and survival of juvenile yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Social behaviour of a colony of the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris)
Environmentally induced phenotypic variation in wild yellow-bellied marmots
Male behaviour and territoriality in the yellow-bellied marmot
Social enhancement of fitness in yellow-bellied marmots
Alarm calling in yellow-bellied marmots: I. The meaning of situationally variable alarm calls
Behavioral and environmental factors in the spatial distribution and population dynamics of a yellow-bellied marmot population
Fitness and hormonal correlates of social and ecological stressors of female yellow-bellied marmots.
Timing of seasonal events is correlated with social network position in a wild mammal
Social security: are socially connected individuals less vigilant?
Strong social relationships are associated with decreased longevity in a facultatively social mammal
Alarm calling in yellow-bellied marmots: II. The importance of direct fitness
Social network analysis of animal behaviour: a promising tool for the study of sociality
Group social structure has limited impact on reproductive success in a wild mammal
Relationships matter: How the social environment affects individual fitness-related behaviors
The causes and maintenance of personality in yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Development of boldness and docility in yellow-bellied marmots.
Habituation or sensitization? Long-term responses of yellow-bellied marmots to human disturbance
Heritable victimization and the benefits of agonistic relationships
Emergent social structure is typically not associated with survival in a facultatively social mammal
Correlates of maternal glucocorticoid levels in a socially flexible rodent
Age and location influence the costs of compensatory and accelerated growth in a hibernating mammal
Assessing the sensitivity of foraging and vigilance to internal state and environmental variables in yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>).
Applying the coalitionary-traits metric: sociality without cooperation in male yellow-bellied marmots
Quantifying human disturbance on antipredator behavior and flush initiation distance in yellow-bellied marmots
Pattern and variation of the time budget of yellow-bellied marmots
How social behaviour and life-history traits change with age and in the year prior to death in female yellow-bellied marmots
Are social attributes associated with alarm calling propensity?
Population time budget for the yellow-bellied marmot
Evolution of social position and structure – a multilevel selection perspective
Yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>) hibernate socially
Demographic consequences of changes in environmental periodicity
Marmot mass gain rates relate to their group’s social structure
Does rainfall or temperature influence antipredator vigilance in a hibernating mammal?
Sociality, individual fitness and population dynamics of yellow-bellied marmots
Survival of dispersing and philopatric yellow-bellied marmots: what is the cost of dispersal?
Social security: individuals in socially reciprocal groups may perceive security from predators
Pattern and variation of the time budget of yellow-bellied marmots.
Individual differences and reproductive success in yellow-bellied marmots
Assessing seasonal demographic covariation to understand environmental-change impacts on a hibernating mammal
Hibernation as a major determinant of life-history traits in marmots
Yellow-bellied marmot population dynamics: demographic mechanisms of growth and decline
Sick and alone? Evaluating how immune response is associated with social network position in yellow-bellied marmots
Nonlinear phenomena in marmot alarm calls: a mechanism encoding fear?
Reliability and the adaptive utility of discrimination among alarm callers
Age, state, environment and season dependence of senescence in body mass
The structure, meaning and function of yellow-bellied marmot pup screams
Spatiotemporal variation in reproductive parameters of yellow-bellied marmots
Individual, age and sex-specific information is contained in yellow-bellied marmot alarm calls
How do humans impact yellow-bellied marmots? An integrative analysis
Does sociality drive the evolution of communicative complexity? A comparative test with ground-dwelling sciurid alarm calls
Multilevel selection on individual and group social behaviour in the wild
The sound of fear is heritable
Life history consequences of climate change in hibernating mammals: a review
Does current weather or seasonality influence antipredator vigilance in a hibernating mammal?
Faecal glucocorticoid metabolites and alarm calling in free-living yellow-bellied marmots
Energetics of yellow-bellied marmot populations
Causes and consequences of variation in social network attributes in yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Is flight initiation distance associated with longer-term survival in yellow-bellied marmots, Marmota flaviventer?
The social microbiome: gut microbiome diversity and abundance are negatively associated with sociality in a wild mammal
Yellow-bellied marmots discriminate between the alarm calls of individuals and are more responsive to calls from juveniles
Individual life histories: neither slow nor fast, just diverse
Proximate causes of natal dispersal in female yellow-bellied marmots, <i>Marmota flaviventris</i>
Age and sex influence marmot antipredator behavior during periods of heightened risk
Agonistic and affiliative social relationships are associated with marmot docility but not boldness
Peripheral obstructions influence marmot vigilance: integrating observational and experimental results
The sound of arousal: the addition of novel non-linearities increases responsiveness in marmot alarm calls
Behavioral ecology of alpine yellow-bellied marmots
Is the propensity to emit alarm calls associated with health status?
Bigger is not always better: Viability selection on body mass varies across life stages in a hibernating mammal
Sociality as a life-history tactic of ground squirrels
Temporal correlations among demographic parameters are ubiquitous but highly variable across species
The evolution, function, and meaning of marmot alarm communication
Social security: less socially connected marmots produce noisier alarm calls
The effect of maternal glucocorticoid levels on juvenile docility in yellow-bellied marmots
Weather influences on demography of the yellow-bellied marmot (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Is the propensity to alarm-call heritable and related across multiple contexts?
Spatiotemporal variation in survival rates: implications for population dynamics of yellow-bellied marmots
Parasites Are Associated With Noisy Alarm Calls
Early play may predict later dominance relationships in yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Influence of population density and climate on the demography of subalpine golden-mantled ground squirrels
More social female yellow-bellied marmots, <i>Marmota flaviventer</i>, have enhanced summer survival
Society formation and maintenance in yellow-bellied marmots
Effects of food addition on life history of yellow-bellied marmots
Influence of local demography on asymptotic and transient dynamics of a yellow-bellied marmot metapopulation
Developmental and social constraints on early reproduction in an asocial ground squirrel
Heritable variation in the timing of emergence from hibernation
Individuality, social behavior, and reproductive success in yellow-bellied marmots
Social Security: social relationship strength and connectedness influence how marmots respond to alarm calls
Evolution of sociality in marmots
Group size affects social relationships in yellow-bellied marmots <i>(Marmota flaviventris)</i>
Socioecology of marmots: female reproductive strategies
Stochastic population dynamics of a montane ground-dwelling squirrel
Do yellow-bellied marmots respond to predator vocalizations?
Causes and consequences of pre-hibernation body mass in golden-mantled ground squirrels (Callospermophilus lateralis)
Do individual differences influence flight initiation distance?
Social security: Are socially connected individuals less vigilant?
The social microbiome: the relationship between the microbiome and sociality in a wild mammal
Social variety in the yellow-bellied marmot: a population-behavioural system
Yellow-bellied marmots are generalist herbivores
Dispersal of the golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis)
The heritability of fear: decomposing sources of variation in marmot flight initiation distance
Social security: Does social position influence flight initiation distance?
The effect of food supplementation on juvenile growth and survival in Marmota flaviventris
Defensive and social aggression: repeatable but independent
Producer-scrounger relationships in yellow-bellied marmots
Does locomotor ability influence flight initiation distance in yellow-bellied marmots?
Cooperative breeding in marmots
Social Security: Do Individuals in Tight-Knit Social Groups Perceive Greater Security?
No evidence of inbreeding avoidance despite survival costs in a polygynous rodent
Maternal survival costs in an asocial mammal
Bridging animal personality with space use and resource use in a free-ranging population of an asocial ground squirrel
A cost of being amicable in a hibernating marmot.
The (surprising) importance of males in a matrilineal society: behavioural insights from a topological knockout study
Transient LTRE analysis reveals the demographic and trait-mediated processes that buffer population growth
Are Marmot Alarm Class Condition Dependent?
Female kin density affects offspring sex ratio in an asocial mammal, the golden-mantled ground squirrell <i>Callospermophilus lateralis</i>
Reproductive competition in female yellow-bellied marmots
Older mothers produce more successful daughters.
Yellow-bellied marmots do not compensate for a late start: the role of maternal investment in shaping life-history trajectories
Are social network measures associated with the propensity to alarm call in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris)?
Stress hormone metabolites predict overwinter survival in yellow-bellied marmots
Climatic variation and risk assessment in a highly seasonal mammal
Is alarm calling risky? Marmots avoid calling from risky places
Sex-specific reproductive strategies in wild yellow-bellied marmots (<i> Marmota flaviventer </i>): senescence and genetic variance in annual reproductive success differ between the sexes
Conditional syndromes: Effect of human disturbance and age on the correlation between flight initiation distance and vigilance in marmots
Hibernation slows epigenetic ageing in yellow-bellied marmots
Habitat selection in a fluctuating ground squirrel population: Density - dependence and fitness consequences
A test of the multipredator hypothesis: yellow-bellied marmots respond fearfully to the sight of novel and extinct predators
Dynamics of immigration into yellow-bellied marmot colonies
Indirect fitness benefits do not compensate for the loss of direct fitness in yellow-bellied marmots
Litter sex composition affects life-history traits in yellow-bellied marmots
Can individual variation in phenotypic plasticity enhance population viability?
Detecting context dependence in the expression of life history trade-offs
Is Compensatory Growth Costly?
Social position indirectly influences the traits yellow-bellied marmots use to solve problems
Solutions for archiving data in long-term studies - a reply to Whitlock et al.
Resting and field metabolic rates of adult male yellow-bellied marmots, Marmota flaviventris
Development and structure of boldness and aggression in yellow-bellied marmots
Social group size predicts the evolution of individuality
Effects of patch quality and network structure on patch occupancy dynamics of a yellow-bellied marmot metapopulation
Social effects on emergence from hibernation in yellow-bellied marmots
Adaptive gene regulation in wild mammals exposed to high predator abundance
Is social plasticity good? Does lifetime social variation enhance LRS and longevity in yellow-bellied marmots?
More social female yellow-bellied marmots have enhanced summer survival
Environmental, social, morphological and behavioural constraints on opportunistic multiple paternity
Sociality and individual fitness in yellow-bellied marmots: insights from a long-term study (1962-2001)
The effect of hemosporidian infections on white-crowned sparrow singing behavior
Vernal behaviour of the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris)
Does Stress Explain Variation in Marmot Parenting Behavior or Pup Survival?
Daily roadkill monitoring and long-term population census reveal female-biased mortality for a small mammal along a wildland-urban interface
Spatiotemporal variation in survival of male yellow-bellied marmots
Ontogeny and symmetry of social partner choice among free-living yellow-bellied marmots
Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes contribute to mass gain variation in female obligate hibernators
Effects of Burrow Distance on Anti-predator Vigilance in Foraging Yellow-Bellied Marmots
Transitivity and structural balance in marmot social networks
Senescence rates are determined by ranking on the fast-slow life-history continuum
Long-term effects of litter sex ratio on female reproduction in two iteroparous mammals
Kinship, reproductive strategies, and social dynamics of yellow-bellied marmots
Badger predation on yellow-bellied marmots
Social behavior and population dynamics of marmots
The function of kin discrimination
Lifetime reproductive success of territorial yellow-bellied marmots
An empirical study of collaborative acoustic source localization
Olfactory predator discrimination in yellow-bellied marmots
Intraspecific variation in marmots
Cumulative reproductive costs on current reproduction in a wild polytocous mammal
Mixed support for state maintaining risky personality traits in yellow-bellied marmots
Estimating the effect of temporal autocorrelated environments on the demography of density-independent age-structured populations
Take only pictures, leave only... Cameras influence marmot vigilance but not perceptions of risk
Population changes and social behavior following colonization by the yellow-bellied marmot
Why do yellow-bellied marmots call?
Costs and benefits of sociality in yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>): do noncolonial females have lower fitness?
The timing of reproduction is responding plastically, not genetically, to climate change in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer)
Climate change and the conservation of marmots
A test of the acoustic adaptation hypothesis in four species of marmots
Observations on plant choice by foraging yellow-bellied marmots
Adaptive strategies and diversity in marmots
Factors affecting oxygen consumption in wild-caught yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris)
An empirical study of acoustic source localization
Extending the social cohesion hypothesis: Is group cohesion associated with dispersal?
Do yellow-bellied marmots perceive enhanced predation risk when they are farther from safety?: an experimental study
Gene expression shifts in yellow-bellied marmots prior to natal dispersal
Oxygen consumption and body temperature in yellow-bellied marmot populations from montane-mesic and lowland-xeric environments
Genetic basis of between-individual and within-individual variance of docility
Exploring the behavioral rules influencing sociality in a facultatively social species, yellow-bellied marmots
Biodiversity in marmots
Circannual rhythms of food consumption, body mass, and metabolism in yellow-bellied marmots
The yellow-bellied marmot and the evolution of polygamy
Evolving communicative complexity: insights from rodents and beyond
Social control is associated with increased reproductive skew in a wild mammal
Costly calling: Marmots who alarm call at higher rates are less likely to survive the summer and live shorter lives
Factors affecting corticosteroid concentrations in yellow-bellied marmots
Behavioral responses of yellow-bellied marmots to birds and mammals
<i> Firmicutes </i> and <i> Bacteroidetes </i> explain mass gain variation in an obligate hibernator
Patterns of parasite prevalence and individual infection in yellow-bellied marmots.
Is flight initiation distance associated with longer-term survival in yellow-bellied marmots (<i> Marmota flaviventer </i>)?
Genetic variation in social mammals: the marmot model
What is the sound of fear? Behavioral responses of white-crownded sparrows Zonotrichia leucophrys to synthesized nonlinear acoustic phenomena
Yellow-bellied marmot hiding time is sensitive to variation in costs
Litter relocation behavior in two species of ground dwelling squirrels
Bottlenecks and rescue effects in a fluctuating population of golden-mantled ground squirrels (<i>Spermophilus lateralis</i>)
The benefits of being dominant: Health correlates of male social rank and age in a marmot
Behavioral strategies of golden-mantled ground squirrels, <i>Callospermophilus lateralis</i>
The potential to encode sex, age, and individual identity in the alarm calls of three species of Marmotinae
Predicted fitness consequences of threat-sensitive hiding behavior
Ontogenetic and sex differences influence alarm call responses in mammals: A meta-analysis
Effects of spontaneous movement on alert distance and flight initiation distance in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventris)
Field validation of a distribution model for the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris).
Extending the social cohesion hypothesis: is group social structure associated with dispersal in yellow-bellied marmots (Marmota flaviventer)?
Take only pictures, leave only… Cameras influence marmot vigilance but not perceptions of risk
Functional relationships between early play behavior and adult dominance roles in yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Yellow-bellied marmots as prey of coyotes
Reproductive energetics of adult male yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Mule deer (<i>Odocoileus hemionus</i>) respond to yellow-bellied marmot (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>) alarm calls
Investigating the role of climate on juvenile Golden-mantled ground squirrel (Callospermophilus lateralis) growth and behavior
Effects of trophic phenological synchrony or dyssynchrony on maternal investment of a small herbivorous mammal (Callospermophilus lateralis)
Early-life trade-offs in golden-mantled ground squirrel sociality and growth rate
Ontogenetic variation of heritability and maternal effects in yellow-bellied marmot alarm calls.
Is early life adversity associated with adult stress in a wild rodent?
Inter-specific variation in avian responses to human disturbance
Marmots and coyotes: behavior of prey and predator
Masculinized female yellow-bellied marmots initiate more social interactions
Comparative life-cycle analyses reveal interacting climatic and biotic drivers of population responses to climate change
Early season arboreal behaviour in yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Variation in vigilance of yellow-bellied marmots due to predator pressure
Maternal effects on anogenital distance in a wild marmot population
Differences in gut microbes across age and sex linked to metabolism and microbial stability in a wild hibernating mammal
Diverse cressdnaviruses and an anellovirus identified in the fecal samples of yellow-bellied marmots
An integrative study of marmot responses to ecotourism
Social complexity but not the acoustic environment is responsible for the evolution of complex alarm communication
Ectoparasites, fitness, and social behaviour of yellow-bellied marmots
Empirical studies of escape behavior find mixed support for the race for life model
The effect of body condition of yellow-bellied marmots on time allocation to vigilance and food acquisition while foraging
Determinants of multiple paternity in a fluctuating population of ground squirrels
Are vigilance and flight initiation distance correlated in yellow-bellied marmots?
Longevity can buffer plant and animal populations against changing climatic uncertainty.
Do Social Interactions Decrease Basal Stress Levels In Breeding Female Yellow-Bellied Marmots?
Breeding bird density does not drive vocal individuality
Comparing the level of human disturbance in 2009 and 2018 at yellow-bellied marmot (<i>Marmota flaviventer</i>) colonies
Sex differences in the play behavior of yearling yellow-bellied marmots
Individual differences in the behavior of juvenile yellow-bellied marmots
Marmots do not consistently use their left eye to respond to an approaching threat but those that did fled sooner
Defining yellow-bellied marmot social groups using association indices
Estimating the heritability of female dispersal in yellow-bellied marmots
Olfactory predator discrimination in yellow-bellied marmots
The importance of parasitism and body condition in explaining variation in anti-predator vigilance in the yellow bellied marmot (<i>Marmota flaviventris</i>)
Factors that affect the repeatability of personality in yellow-bellied marmots, <i>Marmota flaviventris</i>
The effects of altitude on the life history characteristics of yellow-bellied marmots <i>(Marmota flaviventris)</i>
Scared and less noisy: glucocorticoids are associated with alarm call entropy
A critical evaluation of subjective ratings: unacquainted observers can reliably assess personality
Do yellow-bellied marmots respond to predator vocalisations?
Time budget of yellow-bellied marmots at high and low elevations
Acoustic source localization using the acoustic ENSBox
Social dynamics of mammals: reproductive success, kinship, and individual fitness
Who pays? Intra- versus inter-generational costs of reproduction
Fur color diversity in marmots
Examining the effects of environmental variation on sociality in yellow-bellied marmots utilizing a within-individual centering approach
Habitat Quality Affecting the Body Mass of Golden-mantled Ground Squirrels
Biodiversity in marmots
Assessing anthropogenic effects on golden-mantled ground squirrel and least chipmunk flight initiation distances
Some quantitative aspects of the behavior of marmots
Microvirus Genomes Identified in Fecal Samples from Yellow - Bellied Marmots
Does breeding bird density drive vocal individuality?
Nesting activities of yellow-bellied marmots
Determining whether tourist abundance and reproductive status predispose golden-mantled ground squirrels (<i>Callospermophilus lateralis</i>) to vehicular accidents
Heritability of Maternal Investment in Golden Mantled Ground Squirrels (<i>Callospermophilus lateralis</i>)
Behavioral responses of white-crowned sparrows (Zonotrichia leucophrys) to synthesized nonlinear phenomena
Sex differences in play behavior, personality, and philopatry in golden-mantled ground squirrels (<i>Callospermophilus lateralis</i>)
The flush early and avoid the rush hypothesis holds after accounting for spontaneous behavior
Predation by badger on yellow-bellied marmot in Colorado
Developing an evolutionary ecology of fear: how life history and natural history traits affect disturbance tolerance in birds
The effect of human activity on the vigilance rates of <i>Spermophilis lateralis</i> and <i>Tamias minimus</i>
Acoustic monitoring in terrestrial environments using microphone arrays: applications, technological considerations and prospectus
Density effects on juvenile female dispersal in a population of golden-mantled ground squirrels
Behavioral syndromes in yellow-bellied marmots, <i>Marmota flaviventris</i>: Is there a correlation between boldness and exploration?
Consistency of individual foraging and vigilance patterns in Yellow-Bellied marmots
Investigating patterns of juvenile dispersal in golden mantled ground squirrels, <i>Callospermophilus lateralis</i>
Can yellow-bellied marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventer</i>) learn foraging innovations?
Rodent societies
The Influence of Summer Precipitation and Temperature on Golden Mantled Ground Squirrel Pup Foraging.
Age effects on yellow-bellied marmot <i> (Marmota flaviventris)</i> maximum running speed
Social behavior and space-use of ground-dwelling squirrel species with different levels of sociality
Parasite infection and host dynamics in a naturally fluctuating rodent population
Detecting between-individual differences in hind-foot length in populations of wild animals
Home-range size and exploratory excursions of adult, male yellow-bellied marmots
Energy allocation by yellow-bellied marmots
Adaptive strategies and diversity in marmots
VoxNet: an interactive, rapidly-deployable acoustic monitoring platform
The evolution of functionally referential alarm communication: multiple adaptations; multiple constraints
Inter- and intraspecific variation in the acoustic habitats of three marmot species
The behavioral influence of nonlinear sound in Lincoln's Sparrow
Oxytocin experiments shed light on mechanisms shaping prosocial and antisocial behaviors in non-human mammals
White-Crowned Sparrow respond to the alarm calls of local species but do not discriminate among them
Social transmission of a novel foraging trait in yellow-bellied marmots
Avian Risk Assessment: Effects of perching height and detectability
Evidence for fine scale adjustments in circadian rhythms in yellow-bellied marmots according to burrow location, photoperiod, and local ambient temperature
Do female yellow-bellied marmots adjust the sex ratios of their offspring?
The Effects of Distance From a Yellow-Bellied Marmot Burrow on Plant Diversity
Social dynamics of juvenile marmots: role of kinship and individual variability
Phylogeny and patterns of energy conservation in marmots
Prey responses to predator’s sounds: a review and empirical study.
Immune system activation affects song and territorial defense
How does relative refuge angle influence escape behavior: an empirical test with yellow-bellied marmot.
A trait-based approach to the evolution of complex coalitions in male mammals
The effect of body size and habitat on the evolution of alarm vocalizations in rodents.
Detection, prevalence and phylogenetic relationships of <i>Demodex</i> spp and further skin prostigmata mites (Acari, Arachnida) in wild and domestic mammals
Structure and location of burrows of yellow-bellied marmot
Obituary: Kenneth Barclay Armitage (1925—2022)
Wild marmots’ social networks reveal controversial evolutionary theory in action
Pre-dispersal seed predation by <i>Hylema</i> (Delia) sp. (Diptera: Anthomyiidae): mechanisms and consequences of oviposition choice
Female choice in true bugs (Homoptera: Miridae)
Automated wildlife monitoring using self-configuring sensor networks deployed in natural habitats
Cannibalism among yellow-bellied marmots
Natural security: a darwinian approach to a dangerous world
Invasive <i>Linaria vulgaris</i>, disturbance, and diversity: associations at multiple spatial scales in Colorado
Do birds differentiate between white noise and deterministic chaos?
Social mating system and sex-biased dispersal in mammals and birds: a phylogenetic analysis.
Holarctic marmots as a factor of biodiversity
Testing predictions of the coexistence of golden-mantled ground squirrels, <i>Spermophilus lateralis</i>, and least chipmunks, <i>Tamias minimus</i>, in meadows with various distances from cover
Tradeoffs between mounting an immune response and territorial singing behavior in mountain white-crowned sparrows
The effect of human pressure on the flight initiation of montane breeding birds throughout the summer breeding season
Adaptive strategies and diversity in marmots
Can breeding bird density influence vocal individuality in bird song?
Distance to a road is associated with reproductive success and physiological stress response in a migratory landbird
Golden-Mantled Ground Squirrel (<i> Spermophilus lateralis </i>) and Yellow-Bellied Marmot ( <i> Marmota flaviventris </i>) Intraspecific and Interspecific Perch Use and Interaction Dynamics in Gothic, Colorado
Holarctic marmots as a factor of biodiversity
Holarctic marmots as a factor of biodiversity
The value of dihydrogen monoxide to a jumping mouse: habitat use and preference in <i>Zapus princeps</i>.
Multisensory perception in uncertain environments
A test of the nonlinearity hypothesis: Is noise any different than deterministic chaos?
Cumulative adversity and survival in the wild
Patterns of ectoparasite prevalence in the mountain white-crowned sparrow, <i></i>Zonotrichia leucophrys oriantha<i></i>
Do mule deer respond to the sounds of their predators?
Foraging behavior of parasitized and non-parasitized voles during new moon and full moon events
Lateralized Function Without Lateralization
Behavioral correlates of innovation success in facultatively social marmots (<i>Marmota flaviventer</i>)
Vigilance in the golden-mantled ground squirrel (<i>Spermophilus lateralis</i>): effect of age and distance to human-created structures
Optimal multisensory integration
Olfactory predator discrimination abilities of yellow-bellied marmots <i>(Marmota flaviventris)</i>
The effects of adult removal on dispersal of yearling yellow-bellied marmots
Food selectivity by yellow-bellied marmots
Do birds differentiate white noise and deterministic chaos? A playback experiment.
Archiving primary data: solutions for long-term studies.
Road impacts on the Baca National Wildlife Refuge, Colorado, with emphasis on effects to surface- and shallow ground-water hydrology - A literature review
METHODS: Validating an immunoassay to measure fecal glucocorticoid metabolites in yellow-bellied marmots
How demographic factors affect ground squirrel susceptibility to motor vehicle collisions
Hematological values for free-ranging yellow-bellied marmots
The annual cycle and fat storage in two populations of golden-mantled ground squirrels
Can rarefaction be used to estimate song repertoire size in birds?
Food habits of two sympatric Colorado sciurids
The effect of wing wear on the flight metabolic rate of the mormon fritillary butterfly (<i>Speyeria mormonia</i>)
Are juvenile female golden mantle ground squirrels dispersing from their natal burrow due to high-stress levels?
Effects of intra-peritoneal transmitter implants on yellow-bellied marmots
<i> Firmicutes </i> and <i> Bacteroidetes </i> explain mass gain variation in an obligate hibernator
Investigation of Inbreeding Depression in <i>Boechera stricta</i> Fitness
Caloric content of Rocky Mountain subalpine and Alpine Plants
Is the hepatitis virus absent from yellow-bellied marmots?
Detectability, philopatry, and the distribution of dispersal distances in vertebrates
Scent-marking in the yellow-bellied marmot <i>Marmota flaviventris</i>
Water budgets of montane-mesic and lowland-xeric populations of yellow-bellied marmots
Long-distance dispersal to the mining frontier in late 19th century Colorado
Skiing for science
Harvest rates and escape speeds in two coexisting species of montane ground squirrels
Heart rates of free-ranging yellow-bellied marmots
Techniques for immobilizing and bleeding marmots and woodrats
Duplication and population dynamics shape historic patterns of selection and genetic variation at the major histocompatibility complex in rodents
Problems in the use of genetic similarity to show relatedness
The effects of kidney structure and the annual cycle on water requirements in golden-mantled ground squirrels and chipmunks
Interment behavior in the yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris)
Thermoregulation and water requirements in semiarid and montane populations of the least chipmunk, Eutamias minimus. III. Acclimatization at a high ambient temperature
Enzyme polymorphism and metabolism
Enzyme polymorphism and biosystematics: the hypothesis of selective neutrality
Dataset (27) →
Data from: Individual life histories: Neither slow nor fast, just diverse
The slow-fast continuum is known to structure variation in life-history strategies across species. Within populations, it is also assumed to structure...
Demographic consequences of changes in environmental periodicity
The fate of natural populations is mediated by complex interactions among vital rates, which can vary within and among years. While the effects of ran...
Marmot capture history data and growing season length data
Seasonal environmental conditions shape the behavior and life history of virtually all organisms. Climate change is modifying these seasonal environme...
Data from: Strong social relationships are associated with decreased longevity in a facultatively social mammal
Humans in strong social relationships are more likely to live longer because social relationships may buffer stressors and thus have protective effect...
Data from: A cost of being amicable in a hibernating marmot
Amicable social interactions can enhance fitness in many species, have negligible consequences for some, and reduce fitness in others. For yellow-bell...
R code for Demographic consequences of changing environmental periodicity
These R scripts contain the code to replicate the analyses performed in Demographic consequences of changing environmental periodicity , Ecology. Vita...
Data from: Cumulative reproductive costs on current reproduction in a wild polytocous mammal
The cumulative cost of reproduction hypothesis predicts that reproductive costs accumulate over an individual’s reproductive lifespan. While short-ter...
Marmot mass gain rates relate to their group’s social structure
Mass gain is an important fitness correlate for survival in highly seasonal species. While many physiological, genetic, life history, and environmenta...
Data from: Age, state, environment and season dependence of senescence in body mass
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Life history consequences of climate change in hibernating mammals: A review
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Show 17 more datasets
Relatedness matrix
This data file contains a matrix of genetic kinship for the 43 individual marmots analyzed in this study. Kinship was calculated as pair-wise relatedn...
Social Behavior and Population Dynamics of Yellow-bellied Marmots 1965 and Continuing after 2001.
<p>These data continue and expand upon data collected by Kenneth B. Armitage titled, " Social Behavior and Population Dynamics of Yellow-bellied Marmo...
Maternal survival costs in an asocial mammal: Data and analysis
Maternal characteristics, social dynamics, and environmental factors can all influence reproduction and survival as well as shape trade-offs that mi...
Trait data for the 43 individuals/RNA samples
This data file contains trait information concerning the 43 individual marmots, or their blood samples (one per individual), analyzed in this study. M...
Pedigree
Pruned pedigree including only individuals with docility data and their ancestors.
Gothic (CO) Euphydryas gillettii vital rates 1981-1985, 2002-2004
Data were collected during July-September in 1981 through 1985 and during June-September 2002 through 2004. Mark-release-recapture was done for adult ...
Supplementary material from "The social microbiome: gut microbiome diversity and abundance are negatively associated with sociality in a wild mammal"
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Data from: No evidence of inbreeding avoidance despite demonstrated survival costs in a polygynous rodent
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Docility data
Data including docility scores, trial number (scaled), day of the year (scaled), time of the day (0: AM; 1:PM), age (0:juveniles, 1: yearlings; 2:adul...
Genetic basis of between-individual and within-individual variance of docility
Between-individual variation in phenotypes within a population is the basis of evolution. However, evolutionary and behavioural ecologists have mainly...
marmot_ipm_transientLTRE: First release
Code as implemented in the paper "Transient LTRE analysis reveals the demographic and trait mediated processes that buffer population growth"
MariaPaniw/Comparative-demography-project: comp_demo_scale_up
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Humpback chub (Gila cypha) capture histories and growth data for two areas in the Colorado River network from 2009-2022 and 2017-2022
These data were compiled for a manuscript entitled 'Vital rates of a burgeoning population of Humpback Chub in western Grand Canyon. Objective(s) of o...
Supplementary material from "Emergent social structure is typically not associated with survival in a facultatively social mammal"
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Supplementary material from "Multilevel selection on individual and group social behaviour in the wild"
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igraph for R: R interface of the igraph library for graph theory and network analysis
Testing Tweak tests that use the graph package.
Data and Code for "Detecting context-dependence in the expression of life history tradeoffs"
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