Vocal coordination and conflict avoidance shape fission-fusion dynamics in white-nosed coatis

Abstract

Many social animals exhibit fission-fusion dynamics, where group members split into subgroups and come back together. Studying these dynamics can reveal how individuals weigh the costs and benefits of sociality. Most studies infer the drivers of fission-fusion dynamics by examining subgroup association patterns, yet different underlying processes can produce similar patterns. Here we take a fundamentally different approach by focusing on subgrouping events themselves, where decision-making plays out in real time. Using multi-sensor tracking collars, we collected simultaneous movement and vocalisation data from all group members within two wild white-nosed coati groups. We developed analytical tools to extract and characterise fission and fusion events, thus establishing a framework for quantifying the spatiotemporal dynamics of these events and the use of vocalisations before, during, and after them. We found that fissions typically occurred when groups were initially stationary, indicating that splitting does not result from loss of coordination while moving.Subgrouping was associated with reduced aggression, yet aggressive vocalisations did not precede splits, supporting the hypothesis that subgrouping is a pre-emptive mechanism to manage within-group conflict. Contact calls in moving subgroups increased before fissions and fusions, indicating that vocal communication is key to the coordination of these collective movement decisions.