Social network theory: new insights and issues for behavioral ecologists

Sih, Andrew; Hanser, Sean F.; McHugh, Katherine

doi:10.1007/s00265-009-0725-6

Cited by 334 publications

(286 citation statements)

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“…infection status) and group-wide processes (e.g. disease outbreaks) are influenced by the connectivity of individuals [15][16][17]. The incorporation of social network theory into models of disease dynamics has shown that the structure of the interaction network and the processes that underlies its formation can affect transmission rate [18][19][20].…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual differences in boldness influence patterns of social interactions and the transmission of cuticular bacteria among group-mates

et al. 2016

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Despite the importance of host attributes for the likelihood of associated microbial transmission, individual variation is seldom considered in studies of wildlife disease. Here, we test the influence of host phenotypes on social network structure and the likelihood of cuticular bacterial transmission from exposed individuals to susceptible group-mates using female social spiders (Stegodyphus dumicola). Based on the interactions of resting individuals of known behavioural types, we assessed whether individuals assorted according to their behavioural traits. We found that individuals preferentially interacted with individuals of unlike behavioural phenotypes. We next applied a green fluorescent protein-transformed cuticular bacterium, Pantoea sp., to individuals and allowed them to interact with an unexposed colonymate for 24 h. We found evidence for transmission of bacteria in 55% of cases. The likelihood of transmission was influenced jointly by the behavioural phenotypes of both the exposed and susceptible individuals: transmission was more likely when exposed spiders exhibited higher 'boldness' relative to their colony-mate, and when unexposed individuals were in better body condition. Indirect transmission via shared silk took place in only 15% of cases. Thus, bodily contact appears key to transmission in this system. These data represent a fundamental step towards understanding how individual traits influence larger-scale social and epidemiological dynamics.

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Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Individual differences in boldness influence patterns of social interactions and the transmission of cuticular bacteria among group-mates

et al. 2016

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“…There has been a recent upsurge in using animal social networks as tools for studying the ecology, evolution, and adaptive significance of sociality (6)(7)(8). Networks are based on interactions between individuals, and a variety of measures have been developed to quantify how connected individuals are with others in the group (9).…”

mentioning

confidence: 99%

Heritable victimization and the benefits of agonistic relationships

Lea

Blumstein²,

Wey³

et al. 2010

Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. U.S.A.

100

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Here, we present estimates of heritability and selection on network traits in a single population, allowing us to address the evolutionary potential of social behavior and the poorly understood link between sociality and fitness. To evolve, sociality must have some heritable basis, yet the heritability of social relationships is largely unknown. Recent advances in both social network analyses and quantitative genetics allow us to quantify attributes of social relationships and estimate their heritability in free-living populations. Our analyses addressed a variety of measures (in-degree, out-degree, attractiveness, expansiveness, embeddedness, and betweenness), and we hypothesized that traits reflecting relationships controlled by an individual (i.e., those that the individual initiated or were directly involved in) would be more heritable than those based largely on the behavior of conspecifics. Identifying patterns of heritability and selection among related traits may provide insight into which types of relationships are important in animal societies. As expected, we found that variation in indirect measures was largely explained by nongenetic variation. Yet, surprisingly, traits capturing initiated interactions do not possess significant additive genetic variation, whereas measures of received interactions are heritable. Measures describing initiated aggression and position in an agonistic network are under selection (0.3 < |S| < 0.4), although advantageous trait values are not inherited by offspring. It appears that agonistic relationships positively influence fitness and seemingly costly or harmful ties may, in fact, be beneficial. Our study highlights the importance of studying agonistic as well as affiliative relationships to understand fully the connections between sociality and fitness.animal model | animal social networks | yellow-bellied marmots B ehavioral ecologists have long viewed sociality and social relationships as adaptive traits shaped by evolution (1, 2). However, if we are to study the evolution of sociality and social relationships, there must be heritable variation in traits describing individual social behavior. Numerous studies have identified heritable variation in animal dispositions (3, 4), morphological characteristics, and behavioral traits (5) that may affect how individuals interact with conspecifics, yet the role of genetics in social interactions themselves is poorly understood. If traits affecting social interactions are heritable, we may expect measures of social relationships to be explained somewhat by additive genetic factors.There has been a recent upsurge in using animal social networks as tools for studying the ecology, evolution, and adaptive significance of sociality (6-8). Networks are based on interactions between individuals, and a variety of measures have been developed to quantify how connected individuals are with others in the group (9). Although studies of nonhuman species have explored the development of social networks (10) as well as the causes (11-13) and...

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“…Indeed, SNA has experienced an influx of new ideas and applications over the past decade, as well as generated a wealth of novel insights. Since it has been several years since a number of reviews on the subject Croft et al, 2008;Wey et al, 2008;Whitehead, 2008;Sih et al, 2009), we feel the time is right to revisit it and review many of its recent developments. In this way, we hope to serve as a conceptual introduction to SNA for behavioral ecologists and a source of inspiration for future research.…”

Section: Box 1 Terminology Of Social Network Analysismentioning

confidence: 99%

“…Over the past decade, SNA has become an increasingly popular technique to probe aspects of social structure and to study behavior within the larger social context in which animals are embedded Whitehead, 2008;Sih et al, 2009;Pinter-Wollman et al, 2014). It has been used in a number of taxa and applied to topics spanning the range of behavioral ecology (Wey et al, 2008;Sih et al, 2009).…”

Section: The Advent Of Modern Social Network Analysis In Nonhuman Sysmentioning

confidence: 99%

“…This ubiquity suggests that an animal's social environment will often play a critical role in influencing the development and expression of their behavior, as well as its fitness outcomes (Maynard Smith, 1982;Montiglio et al, 2013;Stamps & Groothuis, 2010). Animal social groups are often characterized by complex, dynamic, and nonrandom patterns of social relationships Sih et al, 2009;Davies et al, 2012;Alcock, 2013;Dugatkin, 2013). Therefore, in order to fully understand the evolution of social behavior, these aspects of social structure must be explicitly incorporated into models of animal behavior.…”

Section: Introductionmentioning

confidence: 99%

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Social dynamics, network structure, and information diffusion in fish shoals.

Hasenjager¹

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for always ensuring my library was well-stocked, and for fostering my enduring love of the natural world. Animal populations are often highly structured, with individuals differing in terms of whom they interact with and how frequently they do so. The resulting pattern of relationships constitutes a population's social network. In this dissertation, I examine how environmental variation can shape social networks and influence information flow within them. In Chapter I, I review the history of social network analysis in animal behavior research, and discuss recent insights generated by network approaches in behavioral ecology. I focus on the fields of: social learning, collective behavior, animal personalities, and cooperation. Animal network studies are often criticized for a lack of replication at the network level and an over-reliance on descriptive approaches in lieu of hypothesis testing. Small, shoaling fish may provide a means to address these concerns, as manipulative experiments can be conducted on replicate social groups under captive conditions. Chapters III-V examine the impacts of environmental variation on the social networks of Trinidadian guppy (Poecilia reticulata) shoals, the social dynamics from which they emerge, and information diffusion within them. In the experiments described in Chapter III, I manipulated shoal composition in terms of within-group familiarity.Mixed shoals of familiar and unfamiliar fish exhibited greater homogeneity in network vi structure relative to other groups, which likely contributed to the rapid diffusion of foraging information observed within them. In the experiments discussed in Chapter IV, Imanipulated the within-shoal mixture of personality types. In addition to impacting frequencies of partner switching and patterns of phenotypic assortment, individual-and group-level personality variation had strong effects on the initial acquisition of novel foraging information and the speed of its transmission through a group. In the experiments in Chapter V, I manipulated the ambient predation risk perceived by groups.High-risk conditions were associated with shifts in network structure consistent with attempts to minimize predation risk. High ambient risk also impeded the acquisition and subsequent transmission of foraging information, likely due to heightened neophobia and/or an increase in the perceived costs of personal sampling. I conclude in Chapter VI by considering the broader implications of my work and highlighting promising avenues for future research.vii

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Social network theory: new insights and issues for behavioral ecologists

Cited by 334 publications

References 113 publications

Individual differences in boldness influence patterns of social interactions and the transmission of cuticular bacteria among group-mates

Individual differences in boldness influence patterns of social interactions and the transmission of cuticular bacteria among group-mates

Heritable victimization and the benefits of agonistic relationships

Social dynamics, network structure, and information diffusion in fish shoals.

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