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Pair Bond

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  • First Online:
Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior

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Alternative Words or Phrases

Pair-bond

Definition

A selective and enduring relationship between two unrelated adults that can be characterized by affiliative interactions, spatial proximity, distress to separation, aggression toward unfamiliar individuals, and/or sexual fidelity.

Introduction

Animals from a broad array of taxa, ranging from parakeets to humans, form stable, lasting associations known as pair bonds. While pair bonds have been observed across the animal kingdom, most information about this phenomenon originates from studies of voles, birds, and primates. These taxa have provided key insights about the mechanisms responsible for the formation and maintenance of pair bonds. Additionally, this research has been critical for understanding the ecological and evolutionary processes associated with pair bonds.

Social Versus Sexual Pair Bonds

Animals that form pair bonds interact socially as well as sexually. However, sexual exclusivity is quite rare for many species (Lukas and...

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References

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Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Biological Sciences, Clemson University, Clemson, SC, 29634, USA

    Brett M. Frye

Authors
  1. Brett M. Frye
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Corresponding author

Correspondence to Brett M. Frye .

Editor information

Editors and Affiliations

  1. Oakland University , Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Jennifer Vonk

  2. Department of Psychology, Oakland University Department of Psychology, Rochester, Michigan, USA

    Todd Shackelford

Section Editor information

  1. Laboratory of Comparative Ethology, Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development, 529, 20837, Poolesville, MD, USA

    Annika Paukner

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© 2017 Springer International Publishing AG

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Frye, B.M. (2017). Pair Bond. In: Vonk, J., Shackelford, T. (eds) Encyclopedia of Animal Cognition and Behavior. Springer, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1916-1

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-47829-6_1916-1

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  • Publisher Name: Springer, Cham

  • Print ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

  • Online ISBN: 978-3-319-47829-6

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