How social network structure affects decision-making inDrosophila melanogaster

Abstract

Animals use a number of different mechanisms to acquire crucial information. During social encounters, animals can pass information from one to another but, ideally, they would only use information that benefits survival and reproduction. Therefore, individuals need to be able to determine the value of the information they receive. One cue can come from the behaviour of other individuals that are already using the information. Using a previous extended dataset, we studied how individual decision-making is influenced by the behaviour of conspecifics in Drosophila melanogaster. We analysed how uninformed flies acquire and later use information about oviposition site choice they learn from informed flies. Our results suggest that uninformed flies adjust their future choices based on how coordinated the behaviours of the informed individuals they encounter are. Following social interaction, uninformed flies tended either to collectively follow the choice of the informed flies or to avoid it. Using social network analysis, we show that this selective information use seems to be based on the level of homogeneity of the social network. In particular, we found that the variance of individual centrality parameters among informed flies was lower in the case of a 'follow' outcome compared with the case of an 'avoid' outcome.

The Evolution of Social Organization: Climate Influences Variation in Drosophilid Social Networks

“…We found that social distance, which represents the typical distance at which flies communicate, displays evidence of high phylogenetic signal according to Pagel’s λin males and females and Blomberg’s K in females (Table 2). According to our data, most species tend to interact within 1-3 body lengths, and this range of interaction distance has been reported and applied by other researchers [5, 13, 28–30]. The distance at which flies socially interact is conserved within different clades of our tree, suggesting that closely related drosophilids evolved similar mechanisms for social communication (Figure 4).…”

“…Thus, we argue that the ways in which drosophilids behave and the structures of their groups have evolved, at least in part, by pressures exerted by their environments. It has been shown that how individuals organize in groups can influence their fitness and health [3–5]. Thus, understanding the influences on social organization is imperative for recognizing that disrupting these influences can impact the survival of a species.…”

“…For example, meerkat grooming networks can predict the likelihood of tuberculosis infection [3], and a finch’s position in their social network can influence how attractive they are to potential mates [4]. In Drosophila melanogaster , researchers have demonstrated that where a female lays her eggs is influenced by the structure of her social network [5]. Taken together, animal social networks can impact the health and behaviour of individual group members.…”

Social behavior and aging: A fly model

“…193,262 Flies in social groups exchange information through non-random interactions, using sensory modalities such as olfaction, 193 and touch 174 (reviewed in Reference 154). 193,262 Flies in social groups exchange information through non-random interactions, using sensory modalities such as olfaction, 193 and touch 174 (reviewed in Reference 154).…”

“…Social learning, social space (or distance), and probably sociability too, are the outcome of a complex exchange of information, taking place within social interaction networks. 193,262 Flies in social groups exchange information through non-random interactions, using sensory modalities such as olfaction, 193 and touch 174 (reviewed in Reference 154). The receipt and processing of these cues subsequently can impact where a fly settles in a group, where they lay their eggs, and whether they avoid particular odors.…”