Group size and modularity interact to shape the spread of infection and information through animal societies

Evans, Julian C.; Hodgson, David J.; Boogert, Neeltje J.; Silk, Matthew J.

doi:10.1007/s00265-021-03102-4

Cited by 14 publications

(16 citation statements)

References 83 publications

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“…Network structure can respond to changing conditions in the nest: modularity in the ant Lasius niger increased when colonies become infected with a pathogen [85]. In larger social groups, increased network modularity reduced disease transmission [86,87] but the extent to which genetic diversity might amplify this effect has not been tested.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ontogeny of selection on genetic diversity in harvester ants

Wiernasz

Cole

2022

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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Selection may favour traits throughout an individual's lifetime or at a particular life stage. In many species of social insects, established colonies that are more genetically diverse outperform less diverse colonies with respect to a variety of traits that contribute to fitness, but whether selection favours high diversity in small colonies is unknown. We tested the hypothesis that selection favours genetically diverse colonies during the juvenile period using a multi-year field experiment with the harvester ant, Pogonomyrmex occidentalis . We used controlled matings to generate colonies that varied in genetic diversity and transplanted them into the field. We monitored their survival for seven (the 2015 cohort, n = 149) and six (the 2016 cohort, n = 157) years. Genetically more diverse colonies had greater survival, resulting in significant viability selection. However, in both cohorts survival was not influenced by genetic diversity until colonies were three years old. We suggest that changes in their internal organization enabled colonies to use the benefits of multiple genotypes, and discuss possible mechanisms that can generate this pattern.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

The ontogeny of selection on genetic diversity in harvester ants

Wiernasz

Cole

2022

Proc. R. Soc. B.

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“…Socially induced changes in behaviour can spread through a population and social networks provide the pathways along which behaviour can spread ( Hasenjager et al, 2021 ). Research increasingly shows how the structure of social networks and individual sociality can together influence information flow ( Aplin et al, 2012 ; Evans et al, 2021 ; Kulahci et al, 2016 ; Romano et al, 2018 ; Voelkl and Noë, 2008 ). However, information can spread via various social learning mechanisms ( Cantor et al, 2021 ; Evans et al, 2021 ; Firth, 2020 ; Nunn et al, 2009 ) and we know surprisingly little about how the relationship between sociality and information flow depends on the social learning mechanisms at play.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…In sociology, research increasingly demonstrates that the spread of various behaviours, from innovations, to health, and political movements ( Guilbeault et al, 2018 ), follow diverse and more complex learning rules compared to the assumptions of many disease models ( Centola and Macy, 2007 ). In contrast, research in animal systems has rarely explored how the diffusion dynamics of behaviours may be altered by learning rules (but see Nunn et al, 2009 ; Cantor et al, 2021 ; Evans et al, 2020 ; Evans et al, 2021 ), which is somewhat surprising given that previous studies have revealed several social learning strategies in animals that suggest a range of different underlying social learning mechanisms ( Hoppitt and Laland, 2013 ; Kendal et al, 2018 ). For instance, an increasingly reported learning mechanism is conformist learning in which individuals disproportionally adopt the behaviour performed by the majority of their social connections (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Examining and comparing the transmission pathways of behaviours that follow different learning mechanisms in wild animals is challenging. Therefore, research investigating the relationship between social structure and information flow often simulates behavioural spread ( Cantor et al, 2021 ; Evans et al, 2021 ; Evans et al, 2020 ; Nunn et al, 2009 ; Voelkl and Noë, 2008 ). For instance, studies compared the transmission speed (number or proportion of individuals informed at a given timestep) of simple versus conformity learning ( Evans et al, 2021 ; Evans et al, 2020 ) or ‘prestige’ (subordinates copy dominants) versus conformity learning ( Nunn et al, 2009 ).…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Therefore, research investigating the relationship between social structure and information flow often simulates behavioural spread ( Cantor et al, 2021 ; Evans et al, 2021 ; Evans et al, 2020 ; Nunn et al, 2009 ; Voelkl and Noë, 2008 ). For instance, studies compared the transmission speed (number or proportion of individuals informed at a given timestep) of simple versus conformity learning ( Evans et al, 2021 ; Evans et al, 2020 ) or ‘prestige’ (subordinates copy dominants) versus conformity learning ( Nunn et al, 2009 ). While these studies show that on the population level, different learning mechanisms, together with the social network structure, can fundamentally impact the diffusion dynamics (e.g.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

See 2 more Smart Citations

Social learning mechanisms shape transmission pathways through replicate local social networks of wild birds

Beck¹,

Sheldon²,

Firth³

2023

eLife

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The emergence and spread of novel behaviours via social learning can lead to rapid population-level changes whereby the social connections between individuals shape information flow. However, behaviours can spread via different mechanisms and little is known about how information flow depends on the underlying learning rule individuals employ. Here, comparing four different learning mechanisms, we simulated behavioural spread on replicate empirical social networks of wild great tits and explored the relationship between individual sociality and the order of behavioural acquisition. Our results reveal that, for learning rules dependent on the sum and strength of social connections to informed individuals, social connectivity was related to the order of acquisition, with individuals with increased social connectivity and reduced social clustering adopting new behaviours faster. However, when behavioural adoption depends on the ratio of an individuals’ social connections to informed versus uninformed individuals, social connectivity was not related to the order of acquisition. Finally, we show how specific learning mechanisms may limit behavioural spread within networks. These findings have important implications for understanding whether and how behaviours are likely to spread across social systems, the relationship between individuals’ sociality and behavioural acquisition, and therefore for the costs and benefits of sociality.

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