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Hartman CRA, Wilkinson GS, Razik I, Hamilton IM, Hobson EA, Carter GG. Hierarchically embedded scales of movement shape the social networks of vampire bats. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232880. [PMID: 38654645 PMCID: PMC11040254 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2880] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/19/2023] [Accepted: 03/25/2024] [Indexed: 04/26/2024] Open
Abstract
Social structure can emerge from hierarchically embedded scales of movement, where movement at one scale is constrained within a larger scale (e.g. among branches, trees, forests). In most studies of animal social networks, some scales of movement are not observed, and the relative importance of the observed scales of movement is unclear. Here, we asked: how does individual variation in movement, at multiple nested spatial scales, influence each individual's social connectedness? Using existing data from common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus), we created an agent-based model of how three nested scales of movement-among roosts, clusters and grooming partners-each influence a bat's grooming network centrality. In each of 10 simulations, virtual bats lacking social and spatial preferences moved at each scale at empirically derived rates that were either fixed or individually variable and either independent or correlated across scales. We found that numbers of partners groomed per bat were driven more by within-roost movements than by roost switching, highlighting that co-roosting networks do not fully capture bat social structure. Simulations revealed how individual variation in movement at nested spatial scales can cause false discovery and misidentification of preferred social relationships. Our model provides several insights into how nonsocial factors shape social networks.
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Affiliation(s)
- C. Raven A. Hartman
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | | | - Imran Razik
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Ian M. Hamilton
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Department of Mathematics, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
| | - Elizabeth A. Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH 45221, USA
| | - Gerald G. Carter
- Department of Evolution, Ecology, and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University, Columbus, OH 43210, USA
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute, Balboa, Ancón, Apartado Postal 0843-03092, Panama
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Hasenjager MJ, Franks VR, Leadbeater E. From dyads to collectives: a review of honeybee signalling. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03218-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
AbstractThe societies of honeybees (Apis spp.) are microcosms of divided labour where the fitness interests of individuals are so closely aligned that, in some contexts, the colony behaves as an entity in itself. Self-organization at this extraordinary level requires sophisticated communication networks, so it is not surprising that the celebrated waggle dance, by which bees share information about locations outside the hive, evolved here. Yet bees within the colony respond to several other lesser-known signalling systems, including the tremble dance, the stop signal and the shaking signal, whose roles in coordinating worker behaviour are not yet fully understood. Here, we firstly bring together the large but disparate historical body of work that has investigated the “meaning” of such signals for individual bees, before going on to discuss how network-based approaches can show how such signals function as a complex system to control the collective foraging effort of these remarkable social insect societies.
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Bonnell TR, Henzi SP, Barrett L. Using network synchrony to identify drivers of social dynamics. Proc Biol Sci 2022; 289:20220537. [PMID: 35765841 PMCID: PMC9240667 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2022.0537] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Social animals frequently show dynamic social network patterns, the consequences of which are felt at the individual and group level. It is often difficult, however, to identify what drivers are responsible for changes in these networks. We suggest that patterns of network synchronization across multiple social groups can be used to better understand the relative contributions of extrinsic and intrinsic drivers. When groups are socially separated, but share similar physical environments, the extent to which network measures across multiple groups covary (i.e. network synchrony) can provide an estimate of the relative roles of extrinsic and intrinsic drivers. As a case example, we use allogrooming data from three adjacent vervet monkey groups to generate dynamic social networks. We found that network strength was strongly synchronized across the three groups, pointing to shared extrinsic environmental conditions as the driver. We also found low to moderate levels of synchrony in network modularity, suggesting that intrinsic social processes may be more important in driving changes in subgroup formation in this population. We conclude that patterns of network synchronization can help guide future research in identifying the proximate mechanisms behind observed social dynamics in animal groups.
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Affiliation(s)
- Tyler R. Bonnell
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - S. Peter Henzi
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
| | - Louise Barrett
- Department of Psychology, University of Lethbridge, Lethbridge, Alberta, Canada,Applied Behavioural Ecology and Ecosystems Research Unit, University of South Africa, Pretoria, 0002, South Africa
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Dragić N, Keynan O, Ilany A. Multilayer social networks reveal the social complexity of a cooperatively breeding bird. iScience 2021; 24:103336. [PMID: 34820604 PMCID: PMC8602051 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2021.103336] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/01/2021] [Revised: 07/12/2021] [Accepted: 10/21/2021] [Indexed: 01/12/2023] Open
Abstract
The social environment of individuals affects various evolutionary and ecological processes. Their social environment is affected by individual and environmental traits. We assessed the effects of these traits on nodes and dyads in six layers of networks of Arabian babblers, representing different interaction types. Additionally, we tested how traits affect social niches in the multilayer networks using the t-distributed stochastic neighbor embedding (tSNE) dimensionality reduction algorithm. The effect of group size and season was similar across network layers, but individual traits had different effects on different layers. Additionally, we documented assortativity with respect to individual traits in the dominance display and allopreening networks. The joint analysis of all six layers revealed that most traits did not affect individuals' social niches. However, older individuals occupied fewer social niches than younger ones. Our results suggest that multilayer social networks are an important tool for understanding the complex social systems of cooperative breeders and intragroup interactions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Nikola Dragić
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
| | - Oded Keynan
- Dead Sea and Arava Science Center, Central Arava Branch, Hatzeva 86815, Israel
| | - Amiyaal Ilany
- Faculty of Life Sciences, Bar Ilan University, Ramat Gan 5290002, Israel
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Holzner A, Balasubramaniam KN, Weiß BM, Ruppert N, Widdig A. Oil palm cultivation critically affects sociality in a threatened Malaysian primate. Sci Rep 2021; 11:10353. [PMID: 33990658 PMCID: PMC8121792 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-021-89783-3] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2020] [Accepted: 04/30/2021] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Human-induced habitat alterations globally threaten animal populations, often evoking complex behavioural responses in wildlife. This may be particularly dramatic when negatively affecting social behaviour, which fundamentally determines individual fitness and offspring survival in group-living animals. Here, we provide first evidence for significant behavioural modifications in sociality of southern pig-tailed macaques visiting Malaysian oil palm plantations in search of food despite elevated predation risk. Specifically, we found critical reductions of key positive social interactions but higher rates of aggression in the plantation interior compared to the plantation edge (i.e. plantation areas bordering the forest) and the forest. At the plantation edge, affiliation even increased compared to the forest, while central positions in the macaques' social network structure shifted from high-ranking adult females and immatures to low-ranking individuals. Further, plantations also affected mother-infant relationships, with macaque mothers being more protective in the open plantation environment. We suggest that although primates can temporarily persist in human-altered habitats, their ability to permanently adapt requires the presence of close-by forest and comes with a trade-off in sociality, potentially hampering individual fitness and infant survival. Studies like ours remain critical for understanding species' adaptability to anthropogenic landscapes, which may ultimately contribute to facilitating their coexistence with humans and preserving biodiversity.
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Affiliation(s)
- Anna Holzner
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia
| | - Krishna N Balasubramaniam
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, 95616, USA
| | - Brigitte M Weiß
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany
| | - Nadine Ruppert
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, 11800, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.
- Malaysian Primatological Society, 09000, Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia.
| | - Anja Widdig
- Department of Human Behaviour, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- Behavioural Ecology Research Group, Institute of Biology, University of Leipzig, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
- German Center for Integrative Biodiversity Research, 04103, Leipzig, Germany.
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Hasenjager MJ, Silk M, Fisher DN. Multilayer network analysis: new opportunities and challenges for studying animal social systems. Curr Zool 2021; 67:45-48. [PMID: 33654489 PMCID: PMC7901768 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoab006] [Citation(s) in RCA: 6] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/13/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Matthew J Hasenjager
- Department of Biological Sciences, Royal Holloway, University of London, Egham, UK
| | - Matthew Silk
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - David N Fisher
- School of Biological Sciences, University of Aberdeen, Aberdeen, UK
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Canteloup C, Puga-Gonzalez I, Sueur C, van de Waal E. The consistency of individual centrality across time and networks in wild vervet monkeys. Am J Primatol 2021; 83:e23232. [PMID: 33464611 DOI: 10.1002/ajp.23232] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/27/2020] [Revised: 12/14/2020] [Accepted: 12/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/28/2022]
Abstract
Previous primate social network studies largely limited their focus to grooming and/or aggression networks, particularly among adult females. In addition, the consistency of individuals' network centrality across time and/or different networks has received little attention, despite this being critical for a global understanding of dynamic social structure. Here, we analyzed the grooming, aggression, and play social networks of a group of 26-28 wild vervet monkeys (Chlorocebus pygerythrus), including adults and juveniles, over two periods of 6 months. We collected data on grooming, play, and aggression using focal animal sampling with instantaneous recording and ad libitum sampling. We examined whether individuals' network centralities were consistent over the two periods and across networks, as well as the effect of age, sex, and dominance rank on three individual centrality metrics in each network and within each study period. We found that individuals were quite consistent in their network position from 1 year to the next despite changes in group composition. However, their network centralities were not correlated across networks, except for Strength and weighted Eigenvector centrality between grooming and aggression networks. We also found that in the aggression network, high-rankers showed the highest centrality in most network metrics (e.g., Degree, Strength, and Eigenvector centrality) and compared to males, females were most central in 2017 but not in 2018. In the grooming network, high-ranking females had the highest Eigenvector centrality, whereas in the play network, juvenile males had the highest Eigenvector centrality. Our findings corroborate previous findings on vervet monkeys. In addition, they show that individuals' network centralities may vary among networks and over time; thus highlighting the effect of sociodemographics and behaviors' functions on the group level dynamics of social behavior.
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Affiliation(s)
- Charlotte Canteloup
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa.,UMR 7206 Eco-Anthropologie, CNRS, MNHN, Université de Paris, Paris, France
| | - Ivan Puga-Gonzalez
- Institute for Global Development and Planning, University of Agder, Kristiansand, Norway.,Center for Modeling Social Systems at NORCE, Kristiansand, Norway
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC, UMR 7178, Strasbourg, France.,Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
| | - Erica van de Waal
- Department of Ecology and Evolution, University of Lausanne, Lausanne, Switzerland.,Inkawu Vervet Project, Mawana Game Reserve, KwaZulu Natal, South Africa
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