How animals use leveling behaviors to put alphas in their place

How animals use leveling behaviors to put alphas in their place Gaby Clark Scientific Editor Robert Egan Associate Editor Inequality is not unique to human groups and societies. Individuals with relatively little power possess a variety of behavioral strategies to counterbalance or regulate power differences. In humans, these strategies include criticism, ridicule, disobedience, or even the expulsion or execution of powerful individuals. Similar inequality-reducing behaviors, which carry comparable social costs, are also found in animal societies. "When powerful animals behave aggressively to gain better access to food or mating partners, other group members may respond with leveling behaviors," says Dr. Danai Papageorgiou, behavioral biologist and head of the Emmy Noether Research Group Maintaining the Balance of Power in Animal Societies at Humboldt University of Berlin. "Until now, leveling behavior in animal societies has rarely been examined within a unified conceptual framework." An international team of researchers—including Dr. Papageorgiou, Prof. Monique Borgerhoff Mulder, Prof. Sarah F. Brosnan, and Prof. Eli D. Strauss—has now published the first theoretical study on the concept of leveling behavior in the journal Trends in Ecology and Evolution. "We discuss a wide range of leveling behaviors across many animal societies—including birds, primates, small mammals, and even invertebrates—that may look different but function in similar ways," explains Dr. Papageorgiou. "What was particularly surprising was the strong overlap between different categories of animal leveling behavior and those known from small-scale human societies." The image of the alpha animal is incomplete The research team examines social dynamics from a new, multidimensional perspective. "In the past, research focused much more heavily on competition and dominance," says the Humboldt University scientist. Together with her colleagues, she investigates the short- and long-term costs and benefits of power for all members of a group. The researchers are also interested in how a balance of power can be maintained so that every group member benefits in one way or another. "Our research shows that the image of the alpha animal that dominates everything is incomplete," says Dr. Papageorgiou. "Power can also be constrained. Powerful individuals often pay a price for exercising power in one area by losing influence in another." Chimpanzees, macaques, and vulturine guineafowl in focus The concept of leveling originates from Christopher Boehm's studies in the 1990s on the origins of egalitarianism in hunter-gatherer societies. In both human and non-human groups, the power of individuals who exploit others can decline and may even result in their exclusion from the community. Dr. Papageorgiou's team discusses this phenomenon in chimpanzees, macaques, vulturine guineafowl, and other group-living animals. For example, dwarf mongooses have been observed withholding proximity, social support, or grooming as a form of leveling behavior. Less powerful individuals may also form coalitions to challenge dominant animals. The researchers examined such behavior in spotted hyenas, chimpanzees, mandrills, and other species. For instance, when alpha males in vulturine guineafowl monopolize clumped food resources, subordinate individuals excluded from food may initiate a group departure, prompting the alpha males to follow them. The team found that both inequality and leveling behavior are widespread in animal societies. Whether leveling occurs depends on a balance of costs and benefits. We can make predictions about the conditions under which it occurs and when it does not. Further research questions include: when does leveling behavior emerge? How important is it for maintaining group cohesion? What risks are associated with exercising power, and what risks are associated with leveling behavior? Future research To address these questions, the Emmy Noether Research Group plans to use publicly available long-term datasets in future research. Modern technologies also make it possible to employ drone video recordings and GPS movement data to analyze behavior within groups in detail. Publication details Danai Papageorgiou et al, Levelling: behaviours that constrain inequality in animal societies, Trends in Ecology & Evolution (2026). DOI: 10.1016/j.tree.2026.05.004 Journal information: Trends in Ecology and Evolution , Trends in Ecology & Evolution Key concepts animal behavioranimal trackingGreat ApesOld World monkeysCollective behaviorSocial systemsProvided by Humboldt University of Berlin