Stability in foraging associations is linked to stability in communal use of burrows in degus

Abstract Sociality involves inter-individual interactions mostly (but not exclusively) within groups, establishing associations in different contexts, such as foraging and refuge use. Social foragers may experience flexible changes in individual composition of short-term foraging groups, yet experience longer-term stability in other contexts, implying that dynamics in one context influence those in other contexts. We addressed whether individual identity- or kinship based foraging associations influence the intensity of current and long-term burrow use associations in Octodon degus, a communally rearing rodent. We further examined whether stability across social foraging and communal burrow use contexts result in reproductive benefits. We used live-trapping, telemetry, genetic tools, and behavioral observations based on individual focal follows to quantify social associations during foraging and burrow use. We found that foraging associations during mating positively linked to associations in burrow use during mating and offspring rearing, and that kinship within foraging associations during mating had an influence primarily on females. Critically, there was a positive effect of stability in foraging based associations on burrow use associations during mating (ie, the extent to which individuals foraged with familiar vs. unfamiliar burrow-mates during mating) on stability in burrow use associations from mating to offspring rearing. These findings were generally consistent with the hypothesis that short-term associations during social foraging represent a social context in which individuals can maintain associations that extended to other context, such as burrow sharing and communal care of offspring.