Differences in post-conflict behaviour in wolves and dog-admixed wolves

Abstract

Several species rely on mechanisms to resolve conflicts and reduce their negative consequences, including reconciliation and third-party affiliation (i.e. post-conflict affiliative interactions between victims and aggressors, and between victims and third parties, respectively). Here, we studied reconciliation and third-party affiliation in two groups of wolves (n = 20) and three groups of wolves introgressed with dogs (i.e. second- or later-generation backcrosses of wolf-dog hybrids to wolves; n = 13), in captivity. We conducted behavioural observations of post-conflict affiliative interactions using continuous focal sampling for 2 minutes following an aggression, and during matched-control periods. Our results showed that both admixed and non-admixed wolves engaged in post-conflict affiliation consistent with reconciliation and third-party affiliation. Although we found no evidence that admixed wolves showed lower reconciliation or third-party affiliation than non-admixed wolves, social factors had different modulatory effects in admixed and non-admixed wolves. In particular, stronger social bonds promoted post-conflict affiliation in non-admixed wolves, whereas greater rank distance was associated with higher post-conflict affiliation in admixed wolves. Moreover, post-conflict affiliation was more likely following high-intensity aggression in both admixed and non-admixed wolves, and after unidirectional conflicts in the latter. These findings indicate that dog introgression may influence post-conflict behaviour in wolves and suggest that, while both admixed and non-admixed wolves engage in post-conflict affiliation, the mechanisms underlying them may partially differ.