Department of Zoology, Stockholm University, Stockholm, Sweden.
Department of Psychology, Essex University, Colchester, UK.
Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci. 2022 May 23;377(1851):20210137. doi: 10.1098/rstb.2021.0137. Epub 2022 Apr 4.
Across vertebrate species, intergroup conflict confronts individuals with a tension between group interests best served by participation in conflict and personal interest best served by not participating. Here, we identify the neurohormone oxytocin as pivotal to the neurobiological regulation of this tension in distinctly different group-living vertebrates, including fishes, birds, rodents, non-human primates and humans. In the context of intergroup conflict, a review of emerging work on pro-sociality suggests that oxytocin and its fish and birds homologues, isotocin and mesotocin, respectively, can elicit participation in group conflict and aggression. This is because it amplifies (i) concern for the interests of genetically related or culturally similar 'in-group' others and (ii) willingness to defend against outside intruders and enemy conspecifics. Across a range of social vertebrates, oxytocin can induce aggressive behaviour to 'tend-and-defend' the in-group during intergroup contests. This article is part of the theme issue 'Intergroup conflict across taxa'.
在脊椎动物物种中，群体间的冲突使个体面临一种紧张局势，即参与冲突最符合群体利益，而不参与冲突最符合个人利益。在这里，我们确定神经激素催产素是调节这种紧张关系的关键，这种调节存在于明显不同的群居脊椎动物中，包括鱼类、鸟类、啮齿动物、非人类灵长类动物和人类。在群体间冲突的背景下，对亲社会行为的新兴研究进行综述后发现，催产素及其鱼类和鸟类同源物，分别为加压素和中脑加压素，可以促使个体参与群体冲突和攻击。这是因为它放大了（i）对遗传上相关或文化上相似的“内群体”他人利益的关注，以及（ii）抵御外来入侵者和敌对同类的意愿。在一系列社会脊椎动物中，催产素可以诱导攻击行为，以便在群体间竞争中“照料和防御”内群体。本文是主题为“跨分类群的群体间冲突”的一部分。
