@article{5d2ca402c9134df381c5be20c02ab974,
title = "Rhesus macaques build new social connections after a natural disaster",
abstract = "Climate change is increasing the frequency and intensity of weather-related disasters such as hurricanes, wildfires, floods, and droughts. Understanding resilience and vulnerability to these intense stressors and their aftermath could reveal adaptations to extreme environmental change. In 2017, Puerto Rico suffered its worst natural disaster, Hurricane Maria, which left 3,000 dead and provoked a mental health crisis. Cayo Santiago island, home to a population of rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), was devastated by the same storm. We compared social networks of two groups of macaques before and after the hurricane and found an increase in affiliative social connections, driven largely by monkeys most socially isolated before Hurricane Maria. Further analysis revealed monkeys invested in building new relationships rather than strengthening existing ones. Social adaptations to environmental instability might predispose rhesus macaques to success in rapidly changing anthropogenic environments.",
keywords = "Cayo Santiago, Hurricane Maria, Macaca mulatta, Puerto Rico, Rhesus macaques, natural disaster, social network, social support",
author = "Camille Testard and Larson, {Sam M.} and Watowich, {Marina M.} and Kaplinsky, {Cassandre H.} and Antonia Bernau and Matthew Faulder and Marshall, {Harry H.} and Julia Lehmann and Angelina Ruiz-Lambides and Higham, {James P.} and Montague, {Michael J.} and Noah Snyder-Mackler and Platt, {Michael L.} and Brent, {Lauren J.N.}",
note = "Funding Information: We thank our colleagues for their important roles in data collection on Cayo Santiago, especially Josu{\'e} Negr{\'o}n, Daniel Phillips, and the Caribbean Primate Research Center staff. We thank S{\'e}bastien Tremblay, Andre Pereira, Michael Weiss, Sam Ellis, Erin Siracusa, and the Social Network Club at Exeter{\textquoteright}s Centre for Research in Animal Behavior for insightful comments that enriched our analyses and discussion of the results. Finally, we also thank C{\'e}dric Sueur and four anonymous reviewers for their thoughtful comments on the manuscript. Support for this research was provided by the Bruce McEwen Career Development Fellowship and the Animal Models for the Social Dimensions of Health and Aging Research Network ( NIH/NIA R24 AG065172 ), the National Institutes of Health ( R01MH118203 , U01MH121260 , R01MH096875 , P40OD012217 , R01AG060931 , and R00AG051764 ), a RAPID award from the National Science Foundation ( 1800558 ) and a Royal Society Research Grant ( RGS/R1/191182 ). Cayo Santiago is supported by grant 8-P40 OD012217-25 from the National Center for Research Resources (NCRR) and the Office of Research Infrastructure Programs (ORIP) of the National Institutes of Health. Publisher Copyright: {\textcopyright} 2021",
year = "2021",
month = jun,
day = "7",
doi = "10.1016/j.cub.2021.03.029",
language = "English (US)",
volume = "31",
pages = "2299--2309.e7",
journal = "Current Biology",
issn = "0960-9822",
publisher = "Cell Press",
number = "11",
}