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Chaverri G, Sagot M, Stynoski JL, Araya-Salas M, Araya-Ajoy Y, Nagy M, Knörnschild M, Chaves-Ramírez S, Rose N, Sánchez-Chavarría M, Jiménez-Torres Y, Ulloa-Sanabria D, Solís-Hernández H, Carter GG. Calling to the collective: contact calling rates within groups of disc-winged bats do not vary by kinship or association. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2024; 379:20230195. [PMID: 38768198 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2023.0195] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/21/2023] [Accepted: 02/23/2024] [Indexed: 05/22/2024] Open
Abstract
Many group-living animals coordinate social behaviours using contact calls, which can be produced for all group members or targeted at specific individuals. In the disc-winged bat, Thyroptera tricolor, group members use 'inquiry' and 'response' calls to coordinate daily movements into new roosts (furled leaves). Rates of both calls show consistent among-individual variation, but causes of within-individual variation remain unknown. Here, we tested whether disc-winged bats produce more contact calls towards group members with higher kinship or association. In 446 experimental trials, we recorded 139 random within-group pairs of one flying bat (producing inquiry calls for roost searching) and one roosting bat (producing response calls for roost advertising). Using generalized linear mixed-effect models (GLMM), we assessed how response and inquiry calling rates varied by sender, receiver, genetic kinship and co-roosting association rate. Calling rates varied consistently across senders but not by receiver. Response calling was influenced by inquiry calling rates, but neither calling rate was higher when the interacting pair had higher kinship or association. Rather than dyadic calling rates indicating within-group relationships, our findings are consistent with the hypothesis that bats produce contact calls to maintain contact with any or all individuals within a group while collectively searching for a new roost site. This article is part of the theme issue 'The power of sound: unravelling how acoustic communication shapes group dynamics'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gloriana Chaverri
- Sede del Sur, Universidad de Costa Rica , 60701, Costa Rica
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute , 0843-03092, Panama
| | - Maria Sagot
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Oswego , Oswego, NY 13126, USA
| | - Jennifer L Stynoski
- Instituto Clodomiro Picado, Universidad de Costa Rica , Coronado, San José 11103, Costa Rica
| | - Marcelo Araya-Salas
- Centro de Investigación en Neurociencias, Universidad de Costa Rica , San Pedro, San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
- Escuela de Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica , , San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Yimen Araya-Ajoy
- Department of Biology, Centre for Biodiversity Dynamics (CBD), Norwegian University of Science and Technology (NTNU) , , N-7491, Norway
| | - Martina Nagy
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science , Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Mirjam Knörnschild
- Museum für Naturkunde, Leibniz-Institute for Evolution and Biodiversity Science , Berlin 10115, Germany
| | - Silvia Chaves-Ramírez
- Programa de Posgrado en Biología, Universidad de Costa Rica , , San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | - Nicole Rose
- Department of Biological Sciences, State University of New York at Oswego , Oswego, NY 13126, USA
| | - Mariela Sánchez-Chavarría
- Programa de Posgrado en Gestión Integrada de Áreas Costeras Tropicales, Universidad de Costa Rica , , San José 11501-2060, Costa Rica
| | | | | | | | - Gerald G Carter
- Smithsonian Tropical Research Institute , 0843-03092, Panama
- Department of Evolution, Ecology and Organismal Biology, The Ohio State University , Columbus, OH 43210, USA
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2
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Paulet J, Molina A, Beltzung B, Suzumura T, Yamamoto S, Sueur C. Deep learning for automatic facial detection and recognition in Japanese macaques: illuminating social networks. Primates 2024; 65:265-279. [PMID: 38758427 DOI: 10.1007/s10329-024-01137-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/15/2024] [Accepted: 05/07/2024] [Indexed: 05/18/2024]
Abstract
Individual identification plays a pivotal role in ecology and ethology, notably as a tool for complex social structures understanding. However, traditional identification methods often involve invasive physical tags and can prove both disruptive for animals and time-intensive for researchers. In recent years, the integration of deep learning in research has offered new methodological perspectives through the automatisation of complex tasks. Harnessing object detection and recognition technologies is increasingly used by researchers to achieve identification on video footage. This study represents a preliminary exploration into the development of a non-invasive tool for face detection and individual identification of Japanese macaques (Macaca fuscata) through deep learning. The ultimate goal of this research is, using identification done on the dataset, to automatically generate a social network representation of the studied population. The current main results are promising: (i) the creation of a Japanese macaques' face detector (Faster-RCNN model), reaching an accuracy of 82.2% and (ii) the creation of an individual recogniser for the Kōjima Island macaque population (YOLOv8n model), reaching an accuracy of 83%. We also created a Kōjima population social network by traditional methods, based on co-occurrences on videos. Thus, we provide a benchmark against which the automatically generated network will be assessed for reliability. These preliminary results are a testament to the potential of this approach to provide the scientific community with a tool for tracking individuals and social network studies in Japanese macaques.
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Affiliation(s)
- Julien Paulet
- Université Jean Monnet, Saint-Etienne, France
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Axel Molina
- Ecole Normale Supérieure, Université PCL, Paris, France
| | | | | | - Shinya Yamamoto
- Wildlife Research Center, Kyoto University, Kyoto, Japan
- Kyoto University Institute for Advanced Study, Kyoto, Japan
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Université de Strasbourg, IPHC UMR7178, CNRS, Strasbourg, France.
- ANTHROPO-LAB, ETHICS EA 7446, Université Catholique de Lille, Lille, France.
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France.
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3
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Westra E, Fitzpatrick S, Brosnan SF, Gruber T, Hobaiter C, Hopper LM, Kelly D, Krupenye C, Luncz LV, Theriault J, Andrews K. In search of animal normativity: a framework for studying social norms in non-human animals. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2024; 99:1058-1074. [PMID: 38268182 PMCID: PMC11078603 DOI: 10.1111/brv.13056] [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: 08/09/2023] [Revised: 01/13/2024] [Accepted: 01/16/2024] [Indexed: 01/26/2024]
Abstract
Social norms - rules governing which behaviours are deemed appropriate or inappropriate within a given community - are typically taken to be uniquely human. Recently, this position has been challenged by a number of philosophers, cognitive scientists, and ethologists, who have suggested that social norms may also be found in certain non-human animal communities. Such claims have elicited considerable scepticism from norm cognition researchers, who doubt that any non-human animals possess the psychological capacities necessary for normative cognition. However, there is little agreement among these researchers about what these psychological prerequisites are. This makes empirical study of animal social norms difficult, since it is not clear what we are looking for and thus what should count as behavioural evidence for the presence (or absence) of social norms in animals. To break this impasse, we offer an approach that moves beyond contested psychological criteria for social norms. This approach is inspired by the animal culture research program, which has made a similar shift away from heavily psychological definitions of 'culture' to become organised around a cluster of more empirically tractable concepts of culture. Here, we propose an analogous set of constructs built around the core notion of a normative regularity, which we define as a socially maintained pattern of behavioural conformity within a community. We suggest methods for studying potential normative regularities in wild and captive primates. We also discuss the broader scientific and philosophical implications of this research program with respect to questions of human uniqueness, animal welfare and conservation.
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Affiliation(s)
- Evan Westra
- Department of Philosophy, Purdue University, 100 N. University Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47905, USA
| | - Simon Fitzpatrick
- Department of Philosophy, John Carroll University, 1 John Carroll Boulevard, University Heights, Ohio 44118, USA
| | - Sarah F. Brosnan
- Departments of Psychology & Philosophy, Neuroscience Institute, Center for Behavioral Neuroscience, and the Language Research Center, Georgia State University, Georgia State University, Dept of Psychology, PO Box 5010, Atlanta, GA 30302-5010 USA
| | - Thibaud Gruber
- Faculty of Psychology and Educational Sciences, and Swiss Center for Affective Sciences, Campus Biotech - University of Geneva, Chemin des Mines 9, 1202 Geneva, Switzerland
| | - Catherine Hobaiter
- School of Psychology and Neuroscience, University of St Andrews, St Mary’s Quad, South St, Fife KY16 9JP, Scotland
| | - Lydia M. Hopper
- Department of Molecular and Comparative Pathobiology, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, 720 Rutland Ave, Baltimore, Maryland, 21205, USA
| | - Daniel Kelly
- Department of Philosophy, Purdue University, 100 N. University Street, West Lafayette, IN, 47905, USA
| | - Christopher Krupenye
- Department of Psychological & Brain Sciences, Johns Hopkins University, 3400 N. Charles St, Baltimore, MD 21218, USA
| | - Lydia V. Luncz
- Technological Primates Research Group, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Deutscher Platz 6, 04103 Leipzig, Germany
| | - Jordan Theriault
- Department of Radiology, Athinoula A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, Suite 2301, 149 Thirteenth Street, Charlestown, MA 02129, USA
| | - Kristin Andrews
- Department of Philosophy, York University, S448 Ross Building, 4700 Keele Street, Toronto, ON M3J 1P3, Canada
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4
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Conteddu K, English HM, Byrne AW, Amin B, Griffin LL, Kaur P, Morera-Pujol V, Murphy KJ, Salter-Townshend M, Smith AF, Ciuti S. A scoping review on bovine tuberculosis highlights the need for novel data streams and analytical approaches to curb zoonotic diseases. Vet Res 2024; 55:64. [PMID: 38773649 PMCID: PMC11110237 DOI: 10.1186/s13567-024-01314-w] [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: 05/09/2023] [Accepted: 03/20/2024] [Indexed: 05/24/2024] Open
Abstract
Zoonotic diseases represent a significant societal challenge in terms of their health and economic impacts. One Health approaches to managing zoonotic diseases are becoming more prevalent, but require novel thinking, tools and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Bovine tuberculosis (bTB) is one example of a costly One Health challenge with a complex epidemiology involving humans, domestic animals, wildlife and environmental factors, which require sophisticated collaborative approaches. We undertook a scoping review of multi-host bTB epidemiology to identify trends in species publication focus, methodologies, and One Health approaches. We aimed to identify knowledge gaps where novel research could provide insights to inform control policy, for bTB and other zoonoses. The review included 532 articles. We found different levels of research attention across episystems, with a significant proportion of the literature focusing on the badger-cattle-TB episystem, with far less attention given to tropical multi-host episystems. We found a limited number of studies focusing on management solutions and their efficacy, with very few studies looking at modelling exit strategies. Only a small number of studies looked at the effect of human disturbances on the spread of bTB involving wildlife hosts. Most of the studies we reviewed focused on the effect of badger vaccination and culling on bTB dynamics with few looking at how roads, human perturbations and habitat change may affect wildlife movement and disease spread. Finally, we observed a lack of studies considering the effect of weather variables on bTB spread, which is particularly relevant when studying zoonoses under climate change scenarios. Significant technological and methodological advances have been applied to bTB episystems, providing explicit insights into its spread and maintenance across populations. We identified a prominent bias towards certain species and locations. Generating more high-quality empirical data on wildlife host distribution and abundance, high-resolution individual behaviours and greater use of mathematical models and simulations are key areas for future research. Integrating data sources across disciplines, and a "virtuous cycle" of well-designed empirical data collection linked with mathematical and simulation modelling could provide additional gains for policy-makers and managers, enabling optimised bTB management with broader insights for other zoonoses.
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Affiliation(s)
- Kimberly Conteddu
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland.
| | - Holly M English
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Andrew W Byrne
- Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine, One Health Scientific Support Unit, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Bawan Amin
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Laura L Griffin
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Prabhleen Kaur
- School of Mathematics and Statistics, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Virginia Morera-Pujol
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | - Kilian J Murphy
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
| | | | - Adam F Smith
- Department of Wildlife Ecology and Management, Faculty of Environment and Natural Resources, University of Freiburg, Freiburg, Germany
- The Frankfurt Zoological Society, Frankfurt, Germany
- Department of National Park Monitoring and Animal Management, Bavarian Forest National Park, Grafenau, Germany
| | - Simone Ciuti
- Laboratory of Wildlife Ecology and Behaviour, School of Biology and Environmental Science, University College Dublin, Dublin, Ireland
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5
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Bushby EV, Thomas M, Vázquez-Diosdado JA, Occhiuto F, Kaler J. Early detection of bovine respiratory disease in pre-weaned dairy calves using sensor based feeding, movement, and social behavioural data. Sci Rep 2024; 14:9737. [PMID: 38679647 PMCID: PMC11056383 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-024-58206-4] [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: 09/28/2023] [Accepted: 03/26/2024] [Indexed: 05/01/2024] Open
Abstract
Previous research shows that feeding and activity behaviours in combination with machine learning algorithms has the potential to predict the onset of bovine respiratory disease (BRD). This study used 229 novel and previously researched feeding, movement, and social behavioural features with machine learning classification algorithms to predict BRD events in pre-weaned calves. Data for 172 group housed calves were collected using automatic milk feeding machines and ultrawideband location sensors. Health assessments were carried out twice weekly using a modified Wisconsin scoring system and calves were classified as sick if they had a Wisconsin score of five or above and/or a rectal temperature of 39.5 °C or higher. A gradient boosting machine classification algorithm produced moderate to high performance: accuracy (0.773), precision (0.776), sensitivity (0.625), specificity (0.872), and F1-score (0.689). The most important 30 features were 40% feeding, 50% movement, and 10% social behavioural features. Movement behaviours, specifically the distance walked per day, were most important for model prediction, whereas feeding and social features aided in the model's prediction minimally. These results highlighting the predictive potential in this area but the need for further improvement before behavioural changes can be used to reliably predict the onset of BRD in pre-weaned calves.
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Affiliation(s)
- Emily V Bushby
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Matthew Thomas
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Jorge A Vázquez-Diosdado
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Francesca Occhiuto
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK
| | - Jasmeet Kaler
- School of Veterinary Medicine and Science, Sutton Bonington Campus, University of Nottingham, Leicestershire, LE12 5RD, UK.
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6
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Sadoughi B, Mundry R, Schülke O, Ostner J. Social network shrinking is explained by active and passive effects but not increasing selectivity with age in wild macaques. Proc Biol Sci 2024; 291:20232736. [PMID: 38471563 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2023.2736] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/05/2023] [Accepted: 02/13/2024] [Indexed: 03/14/2024] Open
Abstract
Evidence of social disengagement, network narrowing and social selectivity with advancing age in several non-human animals challenges our understanding of the causes of social ageing. Natural animal populations are needed to test whether social ageing and selectivity occur under natural predation and extrinsic mortality pressures, and longitudinal studies are particularly valuable to disentangle the contribution of within-individual ageing from the demographic processes that shape social ageing at the population level. Data on wild Assamese macaques (Macaca assamensis) were collected between 2013 and 2020 at the Phu Khieo Wildlife Sanctuary, Thailand. We investigated the social behaviour of 61 adult females observed for 13 270 h to test several mechanistic hypotheses of social ageing and evaluated the consistency between patterns from mixed-longitudinal and within-individual analyses. With advancing age, females reduced the size of their social network, which could not be explained by an overall increase in the time spent alone, but by an age-related decline in mostly active, but also passive, behaviour, best demonstrated by within-individual analyses. A selective tendency to approach preferred partners was maintained into old age but did not increase. Our results contribute to our understanding of the driver of social ageing in natural animal populations and suggest that social disengagement and selectivity follow independent trajectories during ageing.
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Affiliation(s)
- Baptiste Sadoughi
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Center for Evolution and Medicine, Arizona State University, Tempe, AZ 85281, USA
| | - Roger Mundry
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Cognitive Ethology Laboratory, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Department for Primate Cognition, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Oliver Schülke
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
| | - Julia Ostner
- Department of Behavioral Ecology, Georg-August-Universität Göttingen, Johann-Friedrich-Blumenbach Institute for Zoology and Anthropology, Kellnerweg 6, D-37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Research Group Primate Social Evolution, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
- Leibniz ScienceCampus Primate Cognition, German Primate Center, Leibniz Institute for Primate Research, Kellnerweg 4, 37077 Göttingen, Germany
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7
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Marina H, Ren K, Hansson I, Fikse F, Nielsen PP, Rönnegård L. New insight into social relationships in dairy cows and how time of birth, parity, and relatedness affect spatial interactions later in life. J Dairy Sci 2024; 107:1110-1123. [PMID: 37709047 DOI: 10.3168/jds.2023-23483] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/13/2023] [Accepted: 08/15/2023] [Indexed: 09/16/2023]
Abstract
Social interactions between cows play a fundamental role in the daily activities of dairy cattle. Real-time location systems provide on a continuous and automated basis information about the position of individual cows inside barns, offering a valuable opportunity to monitor dyadic social contacts. Understanding dyadic social interactions could be applied to enhance the stability of the social structure promoting animal welfare and to model disease transmission in dairy cattle. This study aimed to identify the effect of different cow characteristics on the likelihood of the formation and persistence of social contacts in dairy cattle. The individual position of the lactating cows was automatically collected once per second for 2 wk, using an ultra-wideband system on a Swedish commercial farm consisting of almost 200 dairy cows inside a freestall barn. Social networks were constructed using the position data of 149 cows with available information on all characteristics during the study period. Social contacts were considered as a binary variable indicating whether a cow pair was within 2.5 m of each other for at least 10 min per day. The role of cow characteristics in social networks was studied by applying separable temporal exponential random graph models. Our results revealed that cows of the same parity interacted more consistently, as well as those born within 7 d of each other or closely related by pedigree. The repeatability of the topological parameters indicated a consistent short-term stability of the individual animal roles within the social network structure. Additional research is required to elucidate the underlying mechanisms governing the long-term evolution of social contacts among dairy cattle and to investigate the relationship between these networks and the transmission of diseases in the dairy cattle population.
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Affiliation(s)
- H Marina
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7023, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden.
| | - K Ren
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7023, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - I Hansson
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7023, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - F Fikse
- Växa, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Ulls väg 26, SE-756 51 Uppsala, Sweden
| | - P P Nielsen
- RISE Research Institute of Sweden, Division of Bioeconomy and Health, Department of Agriculture and Food, RISE Ideon, SE-223 70 Lund, Sweden
| | - L Rönnegård
- Department of Animal Breeding and Genetics, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7023, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden; School of Technology and Business Studies, Dalarna University, SE-791 88 Falun, Sweden; The Beijer Laboratory for Animal Science, Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences, Box 7024, SE-750 07 Uppsala, Sweden
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8
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Kaburu SSK, Balasubramaniam KN, Marty PR, Beisner B, Fuji K, Bliss-Moreau E, McCowan B. Effect of behavioural sampling methods on local and global social network metrics: a case-study of three macaque species. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:231001. [PMID: 38077223 PMCID: PMC10698479 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.231001] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/13/2023] [Accepted: 11/13/2023] [Indexed: 01/11/2024]
Abstract
Social network analysis (SNA) is a powerful, quantitative tool to measure animals' direct and indirect social connectedness in the context of social groups. However, the extent to which behavioural sampling methods influence SNA metrics remains unclear. To fill this gap, here we compare network indices of grooming, huddling, and aggression calculated from data collected from three macaque species through two sampling methods: focal animal sampling (FAS) and all-occurrences behaviour sampling (ABS). We found that measures of direct connectedness (degree centrality, and network density) were correlated between FAS and ABS for all social behaviours. Eigenvector and betweenness centralities were correlated for grooming and aggression networks across all species. By contrast, for huddling, we found a correlation only for betweenness centrality while eigenvector centralities were correlated only for the tolerant bonnet macaque but not so for the despotic rhesus macaque. Grooming and huddling network modularity and centralization were correlated between FAS and ABS for all but three of the eight groups. By contrast, for aggression network, we found a correlation for network centralization but not modularity between the sampling methodologies. We discuss how our findings provide researchers with new guidelines regarding choosing the appropriate sampling method to estimate social network metrics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Stefano S. K. Kaburu
- School of Animal Rural & Environmental Sciences, Nottingham Trent University, Southwell NG25 0QF, UK
| | - Krishna N. Balasubramaniam
- School of Life Sciences, Faculty of Science and Engineering, Anglia Ruskin University, Cambridge CB1 1PT, UK
| | | | - Brianne Beisner
- Animal Resources Division, Emory National Primate Research Center, Emory University, 16 Atlanta, GA 30329, USA
| | - Kevin Fuji
- Department of Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis CA 95616, USA
| | - Eliza Bliss-Moreau
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis CA 95616, USA
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis CA 95616, USA
| | - Brenda McCowan
- Department of Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California, Davis CA 95616, USA
- California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis CA 95616, USA
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9
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Gilbertson MLJ, Hart SN, VanderWaal K, Onorato D, Cunningham M, VandeWoude S, Craft ME. Seasonal changes in network connectivity and consequences for pathogen transmission in a solitary carnivore. Sci Rep 2023; 13:17802. [PMID: 37853051 PMCID: PMC10584909 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-44815-y] [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: 04/22/2023] [Accepted: 10/12/2023] [Indexed: 10/20/2023] Open
Abstract
Seasonal variation in habitat use and animal behavior can alter host contact patterns with potential consequences for pathogen transmission dynamics. The endangered Florida panther (Puma concolor coryi) has experienced significant pathogen-induced mortality and continues to be at risk of future epidemics. Prior research has found increased panther movement in Florida's dry versus wet seasons, which may affect panther population connectivity and seasonally increase potential pathogen transmission. Our objective was to determine if Florida panthers are more spatially connected in dry seasons relative to wet seasons, and test if identified connectivity differences resulted in divergent predicted epidemic dynamics. We leveraged extensive panther telemetry data to construct seasonal panther home range overlap networks over an 11 year period. We tested for differences in network connectivity, and used observed network characteristics to simulate transmission of a broad range of pathogens through dry and wet season networks. We found that panthers were more spatially connected in dry seasons than wet seasons. Further, these differences resulted in a trend toward larger and longer pathogen outbreaks when epidemics were initiated in the dry season. Our results demonstrate that seasonal variation in behavioral patterns-even among largely solitary species-can have substantial impacts on epidemic dynamics.
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Affiliation(s)
- Marie L J Gilbertson
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA.
- Wisconsin Cooperative Wildlife Research Unit, Department of Forest and Wildlife Ecology, University of Wisconsin-Madison, Madison, WI, 53706, USA.
| | - S Niamh Hart
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Kimberly VanderWaal
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
| | - Dave Onorato
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Naples, FL, 34114, USA
| | - Mark Cunningham
- Fish and Wildlife Research Institute, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, Gainesville, FL, 32601, USA
| | - Sue VandeWoude
- Department of Microbiology, Immunology, and Pathology, Colorado State University, Fort Collins, CO, 80523, USA
| | - Meggan E Craft
- Department of Veterinary Population Medicine, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
- Department of Ecology, Evolution and Behavior, University of Minnesota, St Paul, MN, 55108, USA
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10
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Ogino M, Maldonado-Chaparro AA, Aplin LM, Farine DR. Group-level differences in social network structure remain repeatable after accounting for environmental drivers. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230340. [PMID: 37476518 PMCID: PMC10354494 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230340] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 03/18/2023] [Accepted: 06/28/2023] [Indexed: 07/22/2023]
Abstract
Individuals show consistent between-individual behavioural variation when they interact with conspecifics or heterospecifics. Such patterns might underlie emergent group-specific behavioural patterns and between-group behavioural differences. However, little is known about (i) how social and non-social drivers (external drivers) shape group-level social structures and (ii) whether animal groups show consistent between-group differences in social structure after accounting for external drivers. We used automated tracking to quantify daily social interactions and association networks in 12 colonies of zebra finches (Taeniopygia guttata). We quantified the effects of five external drivers (group size, group composition, ecological factors, physical environments and methodological differences) on daily interaction and association networks and tested whether colonies expressed consistent differences in day-to-day network structure after controlling for these drivers. Overall, we found that external drivers contribute significantly to network structure. However, even after accounting for the contribution of external drivers, there remained significant support for consistent between-group differences in both interaction (repeatability R: up to 0.493) and association (repeatability R: up to 0.736) network structures. Our study demonstrates how group-level differences in social behaviour can be partitioned into different drivers of variation, with consistent contributions from both social and non-social factors.
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Affiliation(s)
- Mina Ogino
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz 78467, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland
| | - Adriana A. Maldonado-Chaparro
- Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz 78467, Germany
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Natural Sciences, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota, Cra 26 # 63B – 48, Colombia
| | - Lucy M. Aplin
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Cognitive and Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell 78315, Germany
| | - Damien R. Farine
- Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz 78464, Germany
- Department of Collective Behavior, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz 78467, Germany
- Department of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, University of Zurich, Zurich 8006, Switzerland
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11
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Puspitarani GA, Fuchs R, Fuchs K, Ladinig A, Desvars-Larrive A. Network analysis of pig movement data as an epidemiological tool: an Austrian case study. Sci Rep 2023; 13:9623. [PMID: 37316653 PMCID: PMC10267221 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-36596-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/23/2023] [Accepted: 06/06/2023] [Indexed: 06/16/2023] Open
Abstract
Animal movements represent a major risk for the spread of infectious diseases in the domestic swine population. In this study, we adopted methods from social network analysis to explore pig trades in Austria. We used a dataset of daily records of swine movements covering the period 2015-2021. We analyzed the topology of the network and its structural changes over time, including seasonal and long-term variations in the pig production activities. Finally, we studied the temporal dynamics of the network community structure. Our findings show that the Austrian pig production was dominated by small-sized farms while spatial farm density was heterogeneous. The network exhibited a scale-free topology but was very sparse, suggesting a moderate impact of infectious disease outbreaks. However, two regions (Upper Austria and Styria) may present a higher structural vulnerability. The network also showed very high assortativity between holdings from the same federal state. Dynamic community detection revealed a stable behavior of the clusters. Yet trade communities did not correspond to sub-national administrative divisions and may be an alternative zoning approach to managing infectious diseases. Knowledge about the topology, contact patterns, and temporal dynamics of the pig trade network can support optimized risk-based disease control and surveillance strategies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gavrila A Puspitarani
- Unit of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria.
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Josefstaedter Strasse 39, 1080, Vienna, Austria.
| | - Reinhard Fuchs
- Department for Data, Statistics and Risk Assessment, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Zinzendorfgasse 27/1, 8010, Graz, Austria
- Institute of Systems Sciences, Innovation and Sustainability Research, University of Graz, Merangasse 18/1, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Klemens Fuchs
- Department for Data, Statistics and Risk Assessment, Austrian Agency for Health and Food Safety (AGES), Zinzendorfgasse 27/1, 8010, Graz, Austria
| | - Andrea Ladinig
- University Clinic for Swine, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
| | - Amélie Desvars-Larrive
- Unit of Veterinary Public Health and Epidemiology, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Veterinaerplatz 1, 1210, Vienna, Austria
- Complexity Science Hub Vienna, Josefstaedter Strasse 39, 1080, Vienna, Austria
- VetFarm, University of Veterinary Medicine Vienna, Kremesberg 13, 2563, Pottenstein, Austria
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12
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Díaz S, Sánchez S, Fidalgo A. Social Network Changes in Cotton-Top Tamarins ( Saguinus oedipus) after the Birth of New Infants. Animals (Basel) 2023; 13:1758. [PMID: 37889666 PMCID: PMC10252032 DOI: 10.3390/ani13111758] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/21/2023] [Revised: 05/15/2023] [Accepted: 05/22/2023] [Indexed: 10/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Cotton-top tamarins (Saguinus oedipus) are characterized by a system of cooperative breeding where helpers, in addition to the reproductive pair, contribute to infant care. Grooming interactions between individuals play an important role in establishing social relationships, creating an interconnected social network in the group. We used social network analysis to investigate the social structure of two groups of cotton-top tamarins with different sizes and compositions and study whether they remain stable after the birth of new infants. We also investigated the possible correlation between the time spent carrying infants and an increase in the grooming centrality. We found that group A (n = 13) had a stable grooming network that showed consistent stability after the birth, although group B (n = 8 and no adult helpers) changed its grooming network and showed a lower density after the birth. Infant carrying was not correlated with increased grooming centrality after the birth. These findings highlight the usefulness of social network analysis in the study of group structure in cooperatively breeding primates and suggest that the birth of offspring has a greater impact on the stability of groups without adult helpers.
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Affiliation(s)
- Sergio Díaz
- Departamento de Psicología Biológica y de la Salud, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, 28049 Madrid, Spain
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13
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Roatti V, Cowlishaw G, Huchard E, Carter A. Social network inheritance and differentiation in wild baboons. ROYAL SOCIETY OPEN SCIENCE 2023; 10:230219. [PMID: 37234491 PMCID: PMC10206475 DOI: 10.1098/rsos.230219] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/24/2023] [Accepted: 04/26/2023] [Indexed: 05/28/2023]
Abstract
Immatures' social development may be fundamental to understand important biological processes, such as social information transmission through groups, that can vary with age and sex. Our aim was to determine how social networks change with age and differ between sexes in wild immature baboons, group-living primates that readily learn socially. Our results show that immature baboons inherited their mothers' networks and differentiated from them as they aged, increasing their association with partners of similar age and the same sex. Males were less bonded to their matriline and became more peripheral with age compared to females. Our results may pave the way to further studies testing a new hypothetical framework: in female-philopatric societies, social information transmission may be constrained at the matrilineal level by age- and sex-driven social clustering.
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Affiliation(s)
- Vittoria Roatti
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
- Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Guy Cowlishaw
- Zoological Society of London, Institute of Zoology, London NW1 4RY, UK
| | - Elise Huchard
- Institut des Sciences de l'Evolution de Montpellier, CNRS, University of Montpellier, 34095 Montpellier Cedex 5, France
| | - Alecia Carter
- Anthropology Department, University College London, London WC1E 6BT, UK
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14
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Familiarity, age, weaning and health status impact social proximity networks in dairy calves. Sci Rep 2023; 13:2275. [PMID: 36754990 PMCID: PMC9908884 DOI: 10.1038/s41598-023-29309-1] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/27/2022] [Accepted: 02/02/2023] [Indexed: 02/10/2023] Open
Abstract
Social network analysis in dairy calves has not been widely studied, with previous studies limited by the short study duration, and low number of animals and replicates. In this study, we investigated social proximity interactions of 79 Holstein-Friesian calves from 5 cohorts for up to 76 days. Networks were computed using 4-day aggregated associations obtained from ultrawideband location sensor technology, at 1 Hz sampling rate. The effect of age, familiarity, health, and weaning status on the social proximity networks of dairy calves was assessed. Networks were poorly correlated (non-stable) between the different 4-day periods, in the majority of them calves associated heterogeneously, and individuals assorted based on previous familiarity for the whole duration of the study. Age significantly increased association strength, social time and eigenvector centrality and significantly decreased closeness and coefficient of variation in association (CV). Sick calves had a significantly lower strength, social time, centrality and CV, and significantly higher closeness compared to the healthy calves. During and after weaning, calves had significantly lower closeness and CV, and significantly higher association strength, social time, and eigenvector centrality. These results indicate that age, familiarity, weaning, and sickness have a significant impact on the variation of social proximity interaction of calves.
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15
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Egan ME, Pepin KM, Fischer JW, Hygnstrom SE, VerCauteren KC, Bastille‐Rousseau G. Social network analysis of white‐tailed deer scraping behavior: Implications for disease transmission. Ecosphere 2023. [DOI: 10.1002/ecs2.4434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/22/2023] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Michael E. Egan
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois USA
- School of Biological Sciences Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois USA
| | - Kim M. Pepin
- National Wildlife Research Center United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Service Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Justin W. Fischer
- National Wildlife Research Center United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Service Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Scott E. Hygnstrom
- Wisconsin Center for Wildlife College of Natural Resources, University of Wisconsin‐Stevens Point Stevens Point Wisconsin USA
| | - Kurt C. VerCauteren
- National Wildlife Research Center United States Department of Agriculture, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services, Wildlife Service Fort Collins Colorado USA
| | - Guillaume Bastille‐Rousseau
- Cooperative Wildlife Research Laboratory Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois USA
- School of Biological Sciences Southern Illinois University Carbondale Illinois USA
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16
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Socioconnectomics: Connectomics Should Be Extended to Societies to Better Understand Evolutionary Processes. SCI 2023. [DOI: 10.3390/sci5010005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 02/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Connectomics, which is the network study of connectomes or maps of the nervous system of an organism, should be applied and expanded to human and animal societies, resulting in the birth of the domain of socioconnectomics compared to neuroconnectomics. This new network study framework would open up new perspectives in evolutionary biology and add new elements to theories, such as the social and cultural brain hypotheses. Answering questions about network topology, specialization, and their connections with functionality at one level (i.e., neural or societal) may help in understanding the evolutionary trajectories of these patterns at the other level. Expanding connectomics to societies should be done in comparison and combination with multilevel network studies and the possibility of multiorganization selection processes. The study of neuroconnectomes and socioconnectomes in animals, from simpler to more advanced ones, could lead to a better understanding of social network evolution and the feedback between social complexity and brain complexity.
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17
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Huh KY, Yu KS, Song I. Analysis of the distribution of trial sites in South Korea using social network analysis. Transl Clin Pharmacol 2023; 31:1-12. [PMID: 37034125 PMCID: PMC10079509 DOI: 10.12793/tcp.2023.31.e2] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/12/2023] [Revised: 03/05/2023] [Accepted: 03/12/2023] [Indexed: 04/03/2023] Open
Abstract
Location of trial sites can be a potential source of study bias. Considering that clinical trials have been mostly conducted in urban areas, the distribution of trial sites need to be evaluated. We analyzed clinical trial approval data using social network analysis to quantitatively assess the site-by-site connections. The approval list of clinical trials from the Ministry of Food and Drug Safety database between 2014 and 2021 was analyzed. The number of clinical trials per trial site was counted according to the approval year and study phase and evaluated for distribution using empirical cumulative distribution function plots. Trial sites and conducts of a clinical trial were mapped into nodes and edges in the social network analysis, and basic network parameters were obtained. The clinical trials were concentrated at several trial sites. Forty-nine to 60.6% of phase 1 and up to 30% of the other study phases of clinical trials were at the top 5 trial sites. The annual distribution of the number of clinical trials per site was comparable across the study period. Connections among the trial sites in the metropolitan area were prominent. Graph size and density were higher in phase 3 trials than in the other phases. We demonstrated that the conduct of clinical trials was concentrated in the Seoul Metropolitan Area in both number of trials and connections using social network analysis.
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Affiliation(s)
- Ki Young Huh
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital, Seoul 03080, Korea
| | - Kyung-Sang Yu
- Department of Clinical Pharmacology and Therapeutics, Seoul National University College of Medicine and Hospital, Seoul 03080, Korea
| | - Ildae Song
- Department of Pharmaceutical Science and Technology, Kyungsung University, Busan 48434, Korea
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18
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Nyirenda VR, Phiri D, Chomba C. Identifying multiple wildlife species-crop interactions using network analysis. J Nat Conserv 2023. [DOI: 10.1016/j.jnc.2022.126329] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/04/2023]
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Early Trauma Leaves No Social Signature in Sanctuary-Housed Chimpanzees ( Pan troglodytes). Animals (Basel) 2022; 13:ani13010049. [PMID: 36611659 PMCID: PMC9817851 DOI: 10.3390/ani13010049] [Citation(s) in RCA: 4] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 10/04/2022] [Revised: 12/16/2022] [Accepted: 12/16/2022] [Indexed: 12/25/2022] Open
Abstract
Negative early experiences can have detrimental effects on social functioning in later life, both in humans as well as in other socially-living animals. In zoo-housed chimpanzees, recent evidence suggests that there may be a lingering signature of early trauma on individuals' social interaction tendencies as measured by social proximity and grooming. Here, we address whether a similar effect would be observable in chimpanzees living under semi-wild conditions in an African sanctuary. By analysing party size, close proximity and social grooming, we show that in this specific sanctuary, chimpanzees that suffered early trauma (n = 42) were socially indistinguishable from chimpanzees who were born and raised by their mothers in the sanctuary (n = 36). Our findings indicate that chimpanzees may not be irreversibly affected by early social trauma, possibly owing to rehabilitation in stable social groups in a semi-natural environment. Beyond identifying sanctuaries as valuable rehabilitation centres for orphaned chimpanzees, this study demonstrates a remarkable social flexibility in one of our closest living relatives.
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20
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Costa RFP, Romano V, Pereira AS, Hart JDA, MacIntosh A, Hayashi M. Mountain gorillas benefit from social distancing too: Close proximity from tourists affects gorillas' sociality. CONSERVATION SCIENCE AND PRACTICE 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/csp2.12859] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/14/2022] Open
Affiliation(s)
- Raquel F. P. Costa
- Research Department Japan Monkey Center Inuyama Aichi Japan
- Primate Cognition Research Group, Centre for Philosophy of Science of the University of Lisbon Lisbon Portugal
| | - Valéria Romano
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
- IMBE, Aix Marseille Univ., Avignon Univ., CNRS, IRD Marseille France
| | - André S. Pereira
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter Exeter UK
- Research Centre for Anthropology and Health, Department of Life Sciences University of Coimbra Coimbra Portugal
| | - Jordan D. A. Hart
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter Exeter UK
| | - Andrew MacIntosh
- Inuyama Campus, Kyoto University Wildlife Research Center Inuyama Japan
- Institute for Liberal Arts and Sciences, Kyoto University Kyoto Japan
| | - Misato Hayashi
- Research Department Japan Monkey Center Inuyama Aichi Japan
- Chubu Gakuin University Kakamigahara Japan
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21
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Lewis KE, Price E, Croft DP, Langford J, Ozella L, Cattuto C, Green LE. Social behaviour and transmission of lameness in a flock of ewes and lambs. Front Vet Sci 2022; 9:1027020. [PMID: 36532333 PMCID: PMC9753574 DOI: 10.3389/fvets.2022.1027020] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 08/24/2022] [Accepted: 11/17/2022] [Indexed: 09/23/2023] Open
Abstract
INTRODUCTION Sheep have heterogenous social connections that influence transmission of some infectious diseases. Footrot is one of the top five globally important diseases of sheep, it is caused by Dichelobacter nodosus and transmits between sheep when infectious feet contaminate surfaces, e.g., pasture. Surfaces remain infectious for a few minutes to a few days, depending on surface moisture levels. Susceptible sheep in close social contact with infectious sheep might be at risk of becoming infected because they are likely to step onto infectious footprints, particularly dams and lambs, as they cluster together. METHODS High resolution proximity sensors were deployed on 40 ewes and their 54 lambs aged 5-27 days, in a flock with endemic footrot in Devon, UK for 13 days. Sheep locomotion was scored daily by using a 0-6 integer scale. Sheep were defined lame when their locomotion score (LS) was ≥2, and a case of lameness was defined as LS ≥2 for ≥2 days. RESULTS Thirty-two sheep (19 ewes, 9 single, and 4 twin lambs) became lame during the study, while 14 (5 ewes, 5 single, and 4 twin lambs) were lame initially. These 46 sheep were from 29 family groups, 14 families had >1 lame sheep, and transmission from ewes to lambs was bidirectional. At least 15% of new cases of footrot were from within family transmission; the occurrence of lameness was higher in single than twin lambs. At least 4% of transmission was due to close contact across the flock. Most close contact occurred within families. Single and twin lambs spent 1.5 and 0.9 hours/day with their dams, respectively, and twin lambs spent 3.7 hours/day together. Non-family sheep spent only 0.03 hours/day in contact. Lame single lambs and ewes spent less time with non-family sheep, and lame twin lambs spent less time with family sheep. DISCUSSION We conclude that most transmission of lameness is not attributable to close contact. However, in ewes with young lambs, some transmission occurs within families and is likely due to time spent in close contact, since single lambs spent more time with their dam than twin lambs and were more likely to become lame.
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Affiliation(s)
- Katharine E. Lewis
- School of Life Sciences, University of Warwick, Coventry, United Kingdom
| | - Emily Price
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Darren P. Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
| | - Joss Langford
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, United Kingdom
- Activinsights Ltd, Cambridge, United Kingdom
| | - Laura Ozella
- Department of Veterinary Science, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Ciro Cattuto
- Institute for Scientific Interchange (ISI) Foundation, Turin, Italy
- Department of Computer Science, University of Turin, Turin, Italy
| | - Laura E. Green
- Institute of Microbiology and Infection, University of Birmingham, Birmingham, United Kingdom
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22
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Hart JDA, Weiss MN, Brent LJN, Franks DW. Common permutation methods in animal social network analysis do not control for non-independence. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022; 76:151. [PMID: 36325506 PMCID: PMC9617964 DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03254-x] [Citation(s) in RCA: 7] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/23/2022] [Revised: 10/04/2022] [Accepted: 10/10/2022] [Indexed: 11/02/2022]
Abstract
The non-independence of social network data is a cause for concern among behavioural ecologists conducting social network analysis. This has led to the adoption of several permutation-based methods for testing common hypotheses. One of the most common types of analysis is nodal regression, where the relationships between node-level network metrics and nodal covariates are analysed using a permutation technique known as node-label permutations. We show that, contrary to accepted wisdom, node-label permutations do not automatically account for the non-independences assumed to exist in network data, because regression-based permutation tests still assume exchangeability of residuals. The same assumption also applies to the quadratic assignment procedure (QAP), a permutation-based method often used for conducting dyadic regression. We highlight that node-label permutations produce the same p-values as equivalent parametric regression models, but that in the presence of non-independence, parametric regression models can also produce accurate effect size estimates. We also note that QAP only controls for a specific type of non-independence between edges that are connected to the same nodes, and that appropriate parametric regression models are also able to account for this type of non-independence. Based on this, we suggest that standard parametric models could be used in the place of permutation-based methods. Moving away from permutation-based methods could have several benefits, including reducing over-reliance on p-values, generating more reliable effect size estimates, and facilitating the adoption of causal inference methods and alternative types of statistical analysis. Supplementary Information The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00265-022-03254-x.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jordan D. A. Hart
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Michael N. Weiss
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
- Center for Whale Research, Friday Harbour, WA USA
| | - Lauren J. N. Brent
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Daniel W. Franks
- Departments of Biology and Computer Science, University of York, York, UK
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23
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Bles O, Deneubourg JL, Sueur C, Nicolis SC. A Data-Driven Simulation of the Trophallactic Network and Intranidal Food Flow Dissemination in Ants. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:2963. [PMID: 36359087 PMCID: PMC9655576 DOI: 10.3390/ani12212963] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/19/2022] [Revised: 10/24/2022] [Accepted: 10/25/2022] [Indexed: 09/29/2023] Open
Abstract
Food sharing can occur in both social and non-social species, but it is crucial in eusocial species, in which only some group members collect food. This food collection and the intranidal (i.e., inside the nest) food distribution through trophallactic (i.e., mouth-to-mouth) exchanges are fundamental in eusocial insects. However, the behavioural rules underlying the regulation and the dynamics of food intake and the resulting networks of exchange are poorly understood. In this study, we provide new insights into the behavioural rules underlying the structure of trophallactic networks and food dissemination dynamics within the colony. We build a simple data-driven model that implements interindividual variability and the division of labour to investigate the processes of food accumulation/dissemination inside the nest, both at the individual and collective levels. We also test the alternative hypotheses (no variability and no division of labour). The division of labour, combined with inter-individual variability, leads to predictions of the food dynamics and exchange networks that run, contrary to the other models. Our results suggest a link between the interindividual heterogeneity of the trophallactic behaviours, the food flow dynamics and the network of trophallactic events. Our results show that a slight level of heterogeneity in the number of trophallactic events is enough to generate the properties of the experimental networks and seems to be crucial for the creation of efficient trophallactic networks. Despite the relative simplicity of the model rules, efficient trophallactic networks may emerge as the networks observed in ants, leading to a better understanding of the evolution of self-organisation in such societies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Olivier Bles
- Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)—CP 231, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Jean-Louis Deneubourg
- Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)—CP 231, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Université de Strasbourg, CNRS (Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique), IPHC (Institut Pluridisciplinaire Hubert Curien), UMR 7178, 67000 Strasbourg, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, 75005 Paris, France
| | - Stamatios C. Nicolis
- Center for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)—CP 231, Université Libre de Bruxelles (ULB), B-1050 Bruxelles, Belgium
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24
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Sanz CM, Strait D, Eyana Ayina C, Massamba JM, Ebombi TF, Ndassoba Kialiema S, Ngoteni D, Mbebouti G, Koni Boue DR, Brogan S, Funkhouser JA, Morgan DB. Interspecific interactions between sympatric apes. iScience 2022; 25:105059. [PMID: 36147956 PMCID: PMC9485909 DOI: 10.1016/j.isci.2022.105059] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 04/12/2022] [Revised: 06/10/2022] [Accepted: 08/26/2022] [Indexed: 11/29/2022] Open
Abstract
Gorillas reside in sympatry with chimpanzees over the majority of their range. Compiling all known reports of overlap between apes and augmenting these with observations made over twenty years in the Ndoki Forest, we examine the potential predation-related, foraging, and social contexts of interspecific associations between gorillas and chimpanzees. We reveal a greater diversity of interactions than previously recognized, which range from play to lethal aggression. Furthermore, there are indications that interactions between ape species may serve multiple functions. Interactions between gorillas and chimpanzees were most common during foraging activities, but they also overlapped in several other contexts. From a social perspective, we provide evidence of consistent relationships between particular chimpanzee-gorilla dyads. In addition to providing new insights into extant primate community dynamics, the diversity of interactions between apes points to an entirely new field of study in early human origins as early hominins also likely had opportunities to associate. First evidence of social relationships between chimpanzees and gorillas is reported Social ties between chimpanzees and gorillas persisted over years and across contexts Ape species engaged in a wide range of interactions, from play to aggression Coexisting great apes may inform us about interactions between some early hominins
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Affiliation(s)
- Crickette M Sanz
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA.,Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - David Strait
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA.,Palaeo-Research Institute, University of Johannesburg, Auckland Park, Gauteng, South Africa
| | - Crepin Eyana Ayina
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Jean Marie Massamba
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Thierry Fabrice Ebombi
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | | | - Delon Ngoteni
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Gaeton Mbebouti
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | | | - Sean Brogan
- Wildlife Conservation Society, Congo Program, B.P. 14537, Brazzaville, Republic of Congo
| | - Jake A Funkhouser
- Department of Anthropology, Washington University in Saint Louis, 1 Brookings Drive, Saint Louis, MO 63130, USA
| | - David B Morgan
- Fisher Center for the Study and Conservation of Apes, Lincoln Park Zoo, 2001 N. Clark Street, Chicago, IL 60614, USA
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Disturbance Ecology Meets Bovine Tuberculosis (bTB) Epidemiology: A Before-and-After Study on the Association between Forest Clearfelling and bTB Herd Risk in Cattle Herds. Pathogens 2022; 11:pathogens11070807. [PMID: 35890051 PMCID: PMC9321662 DOI: 10.3390/pathogens11070807] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 05/25/2022] [Revised: 07/12/2022] [Accepted: 07/14/2022] [Indexed: 02/01/2023] Open
Abstract
Disturbance ecology refers to the study of discrete processes that disrupt the structure or dynamics of an ecosystem. Such processes can, therefore, affect wildlife species ecology, including those that are important pathogen hosts. We report on an observational before-and-after study on the association between forest clearfelling and bovine tuberculosis (bTB) herd risk in cattle herds, an episystem where badgers (Meles meles) are the primary wildlife spillover host. The study design compared herd bTB breakdown risk for a period of 1 year prior to and after exposure to clearfelling across Ireland at sites cut in 2015–2017. The percent of herds positive rose from 3.47% prior to clearfelling to 4.08% after exposure. After controlling for confounders (e.g., herd size, herd type), we found that cattle herds significantly increased their odds of experiencing a bTB breakdown by 1.2-times (95%CIs: 1.07–1.36) up to 1 year after a clearfell risk period. Disturbance ecology of wildlife reservoirs is an understudied area with regards to shared endemic pathogens. Epidemiological observational studies are the first step in building an evidence base to assess the impact of such disturbance events; however, such studies are limited in inferring the mechanism for any changes in risk observed. The current cohort study suggested an association between clearfelling and bTB risk, which we speculate could relate to wildlife disturbance affecting pathogen spillback to cattle, though the study design precludes causal inference. Further studies are required. However, ultimately, integration of epidemiology with wildlife ecology will be important for understanding the underlying mechanisms involved, and to derive suitable effective management proposals, if required.
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Brambilla A, von Hardenberg A, Canedoli C, Brivio F, Sueur C, Stanley CR. Long term analysis of social structure: evidence of age‐based consistent associations in male Alpine ibex. OIKOS 2022. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.09511] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/01/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Alice Brambilla
- Dept of Evolutionary Biology and Environmental Studies, Univ. of Zurich Zurich Switzerland
- Alpine Wildlife Research Center, Gran Paradiso National Park Torino Italy
| | - Achaz von Hardenberg
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Chester Chester UK
| | - Claudia Canedoli
- Dept of Earth and Environmental Sciences, Univ. of Milano Bicocca Milano Italy
| | | | - Cédric Sueur
- Univ. de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
- Inst. Universitaire de France, Saint‐Michel 103 Paris France
| | - Christina R. Stanley
- Conservation Biology Research Group, Dept of Biological Sciences, Univ. of Chester Chester UK
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Abstract
Changes in network position and behavioral interactions have been linked with infectious disease in social animals. Here, we investigate the effects of an experimental disease challenge on social network centrality of group-housed Holstein bull dairy calves. Within group-housed pens (6/group) calves were randomly assigned to either a previously developed challenge model, involving inoculation with Mannheimia haemolytia (n = 12 calves; 3 calves/group) or a control involving only saline (n = 12 calves; 3 calves/group). Continuous behavioral data were recorded from video on pre-treatment baseline day and for 24 h following inoculation to describe social lying frequency and duration and all active social contact between calves. Mixed-model analysis revealed that changes in network position were related to the challenge. Compared to controls, challenged calves had reduced centrality and connectedness, baseline to challenge day. On challenge day, challenged calves were less central in the directed social contact networks (lower degree, strength and eigenvector centrality), and initiated contact (higher out-degree) with more penmates, compared to healthy calves. This finding suggests that giving rather than receiving affiliative social contact may be more beneficial for challenged calves. This is the first study demonstrating that changes in social network position coincide with an experimental challenge of a respiratory pathogen in calves.
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Alblehai F. Can avatar homophily influence flow and exploratory behaviour of online users? EDUCATION AND INFORMATION TECHNOLOGIES 2022; 27:12363-12379. [PMID: 35668904 PMCID: PMC9143712 DOI: 10.1007/s10639-022-11111-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Figures] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/14/2022] [Accepted: 05/13/2022] [Indexed: 06/15/2023]
Abstract
Virtual learning environments have been recognized as an area of particular importance by which educators can use to improve desirable learning behaviours. Investigating the impact of different virtual environments on learners' behaviours has become the centre of attention of researchers, especially during COVID-19. The homophily effect of avatar-identity on individuals' perceptions of an environment can be a key for understanding their learning behaviours. This study examined the relationship between key constructs related to avatar homophily (background and attitude) and learners' flow and exploratory behaviour. An online survey was distributed to 157 students (93 males and 64 females with age ranging from 19 to 21 years) who took part in an online learning activity using an avatar-mediated environment (Second Life). The results showed that users' flow experience can be influenced by the function of perceived background and attitude homophily in an avatar-mediated environment. Flow experience was found to mediate the relationship between avatar homophily and learners' exploratory behaviour. This study offers a conceptual understanding of the relationship between homophily and individual's flow state.
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Affiliation(s)
- Fahad Alblehai
- Computer Science Department, Community College, King Saud University, Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
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Senigaglia V, Christiansen F, Bejder L, Sprogis K, Cantor M. Human food provisioning impacts the social environment, home range and fitness of a marine top predator. Anim Behav 2022. [DOI: 10.1016/j.anbehav.2022.02.005] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 12/26/2022]
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Glucocorticoids of European Bison in Relation to Their Status: Age, Dominance, Social Centrality and Leadership. Animals (Basel) 2022; 12:ani12070849. [PMID: 35405836 PMCID: PMC8996974 DOI: 10.3390/ani12070849] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 02/14/2022] [Revised: 03/18/2022] [Accepted: 03/24/2022] [Indexed: 02/04/2023] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary This study quantified glucocorticoids in faeces of wild European bison and correlated it to different aspects of social status (leadership, age as a proxy of experience, dominance, social centrality) in order to better understand social mechanisms in this endangered species. Measurement of faecal glucocorticoid metabolites could thus be a valuable tool to follow and improve the adaptation and the welfare of herds in the semi-wild and in captivity by long-term following states of animals and changing conditions, according to them. Abstract Stress is the body’s response to cope with the environment and generally better survive unless too much chronic stress persists. While some studies suggest that it would be more stressful to be the dominant individual of the group, others support the opposite hypothesis. Several variables can actually affect this relationship, or even cancel it. This study therefore aims to make the link between social status and the basal level of stress of 14 wild European bison (Bison bonasus, L. 1758) living together. We collected faeces and measured the faecal glucocorticoid metabolites (FGM). We showed that FGM is linked to different variables of social status of European bison, specifically age, dominance rank, eigenvector centrality but also to interactions between the variables. Preferential leaders in bison, i.e., the older and more dominant individuals which are more central ones, are less stressed compared to other group members. Measurement of such variables could thus be a valuable tool to follow and improve the conservation of species by collecting data on FGM and other social variables and adapt group composition or environmental conditions (e.g., supplement in food) according to the FGM concentration of herd individuals.
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Quantifying within-group variation in sociality—covariation among metrics and patterns across primate groups and species. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2022. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-022-03133-5] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/07/2023]
Abstract
Abstract
It has long been recognized that the patterning of social interactions within a group can give rise to a social structure that holds very different places for different individuals. Such within-group variation in sociality correlates with fitness proxies in fish, birds, and mammals. Broader integration of this research has been hampered by the lack of agreement on how to integrate information from a plethora of dyadic interactions into individual-level metrics. As a step towards standardization, we collected comparative data on affinitive and affiliative interactions from multiple groups each of five species of primates to assess whether the same aspects of sociality are measured by different metrics and indices. We calculated 16 different sociality metrics used in previous research and thought to represent three different sociality concepts. We assessed covariation of metrics within groups and then summarized covariation patterns across all 15 study groups, which varied in size from 5 to 41 adults. With some methodological and conceptual caveats, we found that the number of weak ties individuals formed within their groups represented a dimension of sociality that was largely independent from the overall number of ties as well as from the number and strength of the strong ties they formed. Metrics quantifying indirect connectedness exhibited strong covariation with strong tie metrics and thus failed to capture a third aspect of sociality. Future research linking affiliation and affinity to fitness or other individual level outcomes should quantify inter-individual variation in three aspects: the overall number of ties, the number of weak ties, and the number or strength of strong ties individuals form, after taking into account effects of social network density.
Significance statement
In recent years, long-term studies of individually known animals have revealed strong correlations between individual social bonds and social integration, on the one hand, and reproductive success and survival on the other hand, suggesting strong natural selection on affiliative and affinitive behavior within groups. It proved difficult to generalize from these studies because they all measured sociality in slightly different ways. Analyzing covariation between 16 previously used metrics identified only three rather independent dimensions of variation. Thus, different studies have tapped into the same biological phenomenon. How individuals are weakly connected within their group needs further attention.
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Romano V, Lozano S, Fernández-López de Pablo J. Reconstructing social networks of Late Glacial and Holocene hunter-gatherers to understand cultural evolution. Philos Trans R Soc Lond B Biol Sci 2022; 377:20200318. [PMID: 34894739 PMCID: PMC8666909 DOI: 10.1098/rstb.2020.0318] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.5] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/17/2021] [Accepted: 09/08/2021] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Culture is increasingly being framed as a driver of human phenotypes and behaviour. Yet very little is known about variations in the patterns of past social interactions between humans in cultural evolution. The archaeological record, combined with modern evolutionary and analytical approaches, provides a unique opportunity to investigate broad-scale patterns of cultural change. Prompted by evidence that a population's social connectivity influences cultural variability, in this article, we revisit traditional approaches used to infer cultural evolutionary processes from the archaeological data. We then propose that frameworks considering multi-scalar interactions (from individuals to populations) over time and space have the potential to advance knowledge in cultural evolutionary theory. We describe how social network analysis can be applied to analyse diachronic structural changes and test cultural transmission hypotheses using the archaeological record (here specifically from the Marine Isotope Stage 3 ca 57-29 ka onwards). We argue that the reconstruction of prehistoric networks offers a timely opportunity to test the interplay between social connectivity and culture and ultimately helps to disentangle evolutionary mechanisms in the archaeological record. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue 'The emergence of collective knowledge and cumulative culture in animals, humans and machines'.
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Affiliation(s)
- Valéria Romano
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico (INAPH), Universidad de Alicante, Edificio Institutos Universitarios, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
| | - Sergi Lozano
- Departament d'Història Econòmica, Institucions, Política i Economia Mundial, Universitat de Barcelona, Avinguda Diagonal 690, 08034 Barcelona, Spain
- Universitat de Barcelona Institute of Complex Systems (UBICS), Universitat de Barcelona, Martí Franqués 1, 08028 Barcelona, Spain
| | - Javier Fernández-López de Pablo
- Instituto Universitario de Investigación en Arqueología y Patrimonio Histórico (INAPH), Universidad de Alicante, Edificio Institutos Universitarios, 03690 San Vicente del Raspeig, Alicante, Spain
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34
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Torfs JRR, Eens M, Laméris DW, Staes N. Respiratory Disease Risk of Zoo-Housed Bonobos Is Associated with Sex and Betweenness Centrality in the Proximity Network. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:3597. [PMID: 34944372 PMCID: PMC8698162 DOI: 10.3390/ani11123597] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/04/2021] [Revised: 12/16/2021] [Accepted: 12/17/2021] [Indexed: 12/24/2022] Open
Abstract
Infectious diseases can be considered a threat to animal welfare and are commonly spread through both direct and indirect social interactions with conspecifics. This is especially true for species with complex social lives, like primates. While several studies have investigated the impact of sociality on disease risk in primates, only a handful have focused on respiratory disease, despite it being a major cause of morbidity and mortality in both wild and captive populations and thus an important threat to primate welfare. Therefore, we examined the role of social-network position on the occurrence of respiratory disease symptoms during one winter season in a relatively large group of 20 zoo-housed bonobos with managed fission-fusion dynamics. We found that within the proximity network, symptoms were more likely to occur in individuals with higher betweenness centrality, which are individuals that form bridges between different parts of the network. Symptoms were also more likely to occur in males than in females, independent of their social-network position. Taken together, these results highlight a combined role of close proximity and sex in increased risk of attracting respiratory disease, two factors that can be taken into account for further welfare management of the species.
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Affiliation(s)
- Jonas R. R. Torfs
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.E.); (D.W.L.); (N.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Marcel Eens
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.E.); (D.W.L.); (N.S.)
| | - Daan W. Laméris
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.E.); (D.W.L.); (N.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
| | - Nicky Staes
- Behavioral Ecology and Ecophysiology Group, Department of Biology, University of Antwerp, Universiteitsplein 1, 2610 Wilrijk, Belgium; (M.E.); (D.W.L.); (N.S.)
- Centre for Research and Conservation, Royal Zoological Society of Antwerp, Koningin Astridplein 26, 2018 Antwerp, Belgium
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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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Romano V, Sueur C, MacIntosh AJJ. The tradeoff between information and pathogen transmission in animal societies. OIKOS 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/oik.08290] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 01/29/2023]
Affiliation(s)
- Valéria Romano
- Univ. de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
- Primate Research Inst., Kyoto Univ. Inuyama Japan
| | - Cédric Sueur
- Univ. de Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178 Strasbourg France
- Inst. Univ. de France Paris France
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Dominance hierarchy and social network in a captive group of white-lipped peccary males: what happens after the alpha male leaves? Acta Ethol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s10211-021-00386-7] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/20/2022]
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Balasubramaniam KN, Beisner BA, McCowan B, Bloomsmith MA. Female social structure influences, and is influenced by, male introduction and integration success among captive rhesus macaques ( Macaca mulatta). BEHAVIOUR 2021; 158:1007-1042. [PMID: 36176722 PMCID: PMC9518721 DOI: 10.1163/1568539x-bja10109] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/30/2023]
Abstract
Animal social structure is influenced by multiple socioecological factors. Of these, the links between changes to group demography through the arrival of new individuals and residents' social structure remain unclear. Across seven groups of captive rhesus macaques (Macaca mulatta), we examine how male introductions may be influenced by, and in-turn influence, aspects of female social structure. GLMMs revealed that males integrated more successfully into groups in which females showed more 'despotic' social structures, i.e., higher aggression rates, steeper dominance hierarchies, and greater rank-skew in allogrooming network connectedness. Yet during periods that followed males' social integration, females increased their social tolerance (decreased aggression and shallower hierarchies) and group cohesivity (less clustered allogrooming networks), but retained their tendencies to groom dominants. Our findings, independent of group size and matrilineal relatedness, help better understand how dispersal/immigration may influence social structure, and how assessing changes to social structure may inform macaque welfare and management.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna N. Balasubramaniam
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis CA 95616, USA
| | - Brianne A. Beisner
- Department of Animal Resources, Yerkes National Primate Research Center Field Station, Emory University, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, USA
| | - Brenda McCowan
- Department of Population Health and Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine, University of California at Davis, Davis CA 95616, USA
| | - Mollie A. Bloomsmith
- Department of Animal Resources, Yerkes National Primate Research Center Field Station, Emory University, Lawrenceville, GA 30043, USA
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Giraud G, Sosa S, Hambuckers A, Deleuze S, Wandia IN, Huynen MC, Poncin P, Brotcorne F. Effect of Infant Presence on Social Networks of Sterilized and Intact Wild Female Balinese Macaques ( Macaca fascicularis). Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:2538. [PMID: 34573504 PMCID: PMC8466756 DOI: 10.3390/ani11092538] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/30/2021] [Revised: 08/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/26/2021] [Indexed: 11/17/2022] Open
Abstract
Contraception is increasingly used to control wild animal populations. However, as reproductive condition influences social interactions in primates, the absence of new offspring could influence the females' social integration. We studied two groups of wild macaques (Macaca fascicularis) including females recently sterilized in the Ubud Monkey Forest, Indonesia. We used social network analysis to examine female grooming and proximity networks and investigated the role of infant presence on social centrality and group connectivity, while controlling for the fertility status (sterilized N = 14, intact N = 34). We compared the ego networks of females experiencing different nursing conditions (young infant (YI) vs. old infant (OI) vs. non-nursing (NN) females). YI females were less central in the grooming network than other females while being more central in proximity networks, suggesting they could keep proximity within the group to protect their infant from hazards, while decreasing direct grooming interactions, involving potential risks such as kidnapping. The centrality of sterilized and intact females was similar, except for the proximity network where sterilized females had more partners and a better group connectivity. These results confirm the influence of nursing condition in female macaque social networks and did not show any negative short-term effects of sterilization on social integration.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gwennan Giraud
- Research Unit SPHERES, Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Liège, 4020 Liège, Belgium; (A.H.); (M.-C.H.); (F.B.)
| | - Sebastian Sosa
- Department of Ecology, Physiology and Ethology, University of Strasbourg, CNRS, IPHC UMR 7178, 67200 Strasbourg, France;
| | - Alain Hambuckers
- Research Unit SPHERES, Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Liège, 4020 Liège, Belgium; (A.H.); (M.-C.H.); (F.B.)
| | - Stefan Deleuze
- Research Unit FARAH, Equine and Companion Animal Reproduction Pathologies Clinic, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, University of Liège, Sart-Tilman, 4130 Liège, Belgium;
| | - I Nengah Wandia
- Primate Division of Natural Resources and Environment Research Center, Faculty of Veterinary Medicine, Universitas Udayana, Denpasar 80361, Bali, Indonesia;
| | - Marie-Claude Huynen
- Research Unit SPHERES, Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Liège, 4020 Liège, Belgium; (A.H.); (M.-C.H.); (F.B.)
| | - Pascal Poncin
- Research Unit FOCUS, Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Liège, 4020 Liège, Belgium;
| | - Fany Brotcorne
- Research Unit SPHERES, Department of Biology, Ecology and Evolution, Faculty of Sciences, University of Liège, 4020 Liège, Belgium; (A.H.); (M.-C.H.); (F.B.)
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Balasubramaniam KN, Kaburu SSK, Marty PR, Beisner BA, Bliss-Moreau E, Arlet ME, Ruppert N, Ismail A, Anuar Mohd Sah S, Mohan L, Rattan S, Kodandaramaiah U, McCowan B. Implementing social network analysis to understand the socioecology of wildlife co-occurrence and joint interactions with humans in anthropogenic environments. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:2819-2833. [PMID: 34453852 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13584] [Citation(s) in RCA: 2] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/24/2021] [Accepted: 08/23/2021] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
Human population expansion into wildlife habitats has increased interest in the behavioural ecology of human-wildlife interactions. To date, however, the socioecological factors that determine whether, when or where wild animals take risks by interacting with humans and anthropogenic factors still remains unclear. We adopt a comparative approach to address this gap, using social network analysis (SNA). SNA, increasingly implemented to determine human impact on wildlife ecology, can be a powerful tool to understand how animal socioecology influences the spatiotemporal distribution of human-wildlife interactions. For 10 groups of rhesus, long-tailed and bonnet macaques (Macaca spp.) living in anthropogenically impacted environments in Asia, we collected data on human-macaque interactions, animal demographics, and macaque-macaque agonistic and affiliative social interactions. We constructed 'human co-interaction networks' based on associations between macaques that interacted with humans within the same time and spatial locations, and social networks based on macaque-macaque allogrooming behaviour, affiliative behaviours of short duration (agonistic support, lip-smacking, silent bare-teeth displays and non-sexual mounting) and proximity. Pre-network permutation tests revealed that, within all macaque groups, specific individuals jointly took risks by repeatedly, consistently co-interacting with humans within and across time and space. GLMMs revealed that macaques' tendencies to co-interact with humans was positively predicted by their tendencies to engage in short-duration affiliative interactions and tolerance of conspecifics, although the latter varied across species (bonnets>rhesus>long-tailed). Male macaques were more likely to co-interact with humans than females. Neither macaques' grooming relationships nor their dominance ranks predicted their tendencies to co-interact with humans. Our findings suggest that, in challenging anthropogenic environments, less (compared to more) time-consuming forms of affiliation, and additionally greater social tolerance in less ecologically flexible species with a shorter history of exposure to humans, may be key to animals' joint propensities to take risks to gain access to resources. For males, greater exploratory tendencies and less energetically demanding long-term life-history strategies (compared to females) may also influence such joint risk-taking. From conservation and public health perspectives, wildlife connectedness within such co-interaction networks may inform interventions to mitigate zoonosis, and move human-wildlife interactions from conflict towards coexistence.
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Affiliation(s)
- Krishna N Balasubramaniam
- Department of Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Stefano S K Kaburu
- Department of Biomedical Science and Physiology, Faculty of Science and Engineering, University of Wolverhampton, Wolverhampton, UK
| | - Pascal R Marty
- Department of Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA.,Zoo Zürich, Zürich, Switzerland
| | - Brianne A Beisner
- Department of Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA.,Animal Resources Division, Yerkes National Primate Research Center, Emory University, Atlanta, GA, USA
| | - Eliza Bliss-Moreau
- Department of Psychology, University of California, Davis, CA, USA.,California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
| | - Malgorzata E Arlet
- Institute of Human Biology and Evolution, Faculty of Biology, Adam Mickiewicz University, Poznan, Poland
| | - Nadine Ruppert
- School of Biological Sciences, Universiti Sains Malaysia, Pulau Pinang, Malaysia.,Malaysian Primatological Society, Kulim, Kedah, Malaysia
| | - Ahmad Ismail
- Department of Biology, Faculty of Science, Universiti Putra Malaysia, Selangor, Malaysia
| | | | - Lalith Mohan
- Himachal Pradesh Forest Department, Shimla, India
| | | | - Ullasa Kodandaramaiah
- IISER-TVM Centre for Research and Education in Ecology and Evolution (ICREEE), School of Biology, Indian Institute of Science Education and Research Thiruvananthapuram, Vithura, Thiruvananthapuram, India
| | - Brenda McCowan
- Department of Population Health & Reproduction, School of Veterinary Medicine (SVM), University of California at Davis, Davis, CA, USA.,California National Primate Research Center, University of California, Davis, CA, USA
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42
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Hobson EA, Silk MJ, Fefferman NH, Larremore DB, Rombach P, Shai S, Pinter-Wollman N. A guide to choosing and implementing reference models for social network analysis. Biol Rev Camb Philos Soc 2021; 96:2716-2734. [PMID: 34216192 PMCID: PMC9292850 DOI: 10.1111/brv.12775] [Citation(s) in RCA: 19] [Impact Index Per Article: 6.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 09/02/2020] [Revised: 06/23/2021] [Accepted: 06/25/2021] [Indexed: 11/29/2022]
Abstract
Analysing social networks is challenging. Key features of relational data require the use of non-standard statistical methods such as developing system-specific null, or reference, models that randomize one or more components of the observed data. Here we review a variety of randomization procedures that generate reference models for social network analysis. Reference models provide an expectation for hypothesis testing when analysing network data. We outline the key stages in producing an effective reference model and detail four approaches for generating reference distributions: permutation, resampling, sampling from a distribution, and generative models. We highlight when each type of approach would be appropriate and note potential pitfalls for researchers to avoid. Throughout, we illustrate our points with examples from a simulated social system. Our aim is to provide social network researchers with a deeper understanding of analytical approaches to enhance their confidence when tailoring reference models to specific research questions.
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Affiliation(s)
- Elizabeth A Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, 318 College Drive, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, U.S.A
| | - Matthew J Silk
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter Penryn Campus, Treliever Road, Penryn, Cornwall, TR10 9FE, U.K
| | - Nina H Fefferman
- Departments of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology & Mathematics, University of Tennessee, 569 Dabney Hall, Knoxville, TN, 37996, U.S.A
| | - Daniel B Larremore
- Department of Computer Science, University of Colorado Boulder, 1111 Engineering Drive, Boulder, CO, 80309, U.S.A.,BioFrontiers Institute, University of Colorado Boulder, 3415 Colorado Ave,, Boulder, CO, 80303, U.S.A
| | - Puck Rombach
- Department of Mathematics & Statistics, University of Vermont, 82 University Place, Burlington, VT, 05405, U.S.A
| | - Saray Shai
- Department of Mathematics and Computer Science, Wesleyan University, Science Tower 655, 265 Church Street, Middletown, CT, 06459, U.S.A
| | - Noa Pinter-Wollman
- Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, University of California, Los Angeles, 612 Charles E. Young Drive South, Los Angeles, CA, 90095, U.S.A
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43
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Poulin R, Filion A. Evolution of social behaviour in an infectious world: comparative analysis of social network structure versus parasite richness. Behav Ecol Sociobiol 2021. [DOI: 10.1007/s00265-021-03039-8] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 10/21/2022]
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44
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Weiss MN, Franks DW, Giles DA, Youngstrom S, Wasser SK, Balcomb KC, Ellifrit DK, Domenici P, Cant MA, Ellis S, Nielsen MLK, Grimes C, Croft DP. Age and sex influence social interactions, but not associations, within a killer whale pod. Proc Biol Sci 2021; 288:20210617. [PMID: 34130498 DOI: 10.1098/rspb.2021.0617] [Citation(s) in RCA: 14] [Impact Index Per Article: 4.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/12/2022] Open
Abstract
Social structure is a fundamental aspect of animal populations. In order to understand the function and evolution of animal societies, it is important to quantify how individual attributes, such as age and sex, shape social relationships. Detecting these influences in wild populations under natural conditions can be challenging, especially when social interactions are difficult to observe and broad-scale measures of association are used as a proxy. In this study, we use unoccupied aerial systems to observe association, synchronous surfacing, and physical contact within a pod of southern resident killer whales (Orcinus orca). We show that interactions do not occur randomly between associated individuals, and that interaction types are not interchangeable. While age and sex did not detectably influence association network structure, both interaction networks showed significant social homophily by age and sex, and centrality within the contact network was higher among females and young individuals. These results suggest killer whales exhibit interesting parallels in social bond formation and social life histories with primates and other terrestrial social mammals, and demonstrate how important patterns can be missed when using associations as a proxy for interactions in animal social network studies.
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Affiliation(s)
- Michael N Weiss
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK.,Center for Whale Research, Friday Harbour, WA, USA
| | - Daniel W Franks
- Department of Biology and Department of Computer Science, University of York, York, UK
| | - Deborah A Giles
- Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Sadie Youngstrom
- Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | - Samuel K Wasser
- Center for Conservation Biology, Department of Biology, University of Washington, Seattle, WA, USA
| | | | | | | | - Michael A Cant
- Centre for Ecology and Conservation, University of Exeter, Penryn, UK
| | - Samuel Ellis
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Mia L K Nielsen
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Charli Grimes
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
| | - Darren P Croft
- Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter, UK
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45
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Panaccio M, Ferrari C, Bassano B, Stanley CR, von Hardenberg A. Social network analysis of small social groups: Application of a hurdle GLMM approach in the Alpine marmot (
Marmota marmota
). Ethology 2021. [DOI: 10.1111/eth.13151] [Citation(s) in RCA: 0] [Impact Index Per Article: 0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/30/2022]
Affiliation(s)
- Matteo Panaccio
- Dipartimento di Biologia e Biotecnologie University of Pavia Pavia Italy
| | - Caterina Ferrari
- Dipartimento di Scienze della Vita e Biologia dei Sistemi University of Turin Torino Italy
- Alpine Wildlife Research Centre Gran Paradiso National Park Valsavarenche (AO) Italy
| | - Bruno Bassano
- Alpine Wildlife Research Centre Gran Paradiso National Park Valsavarenche (AO) Italy
| | - Christina R. Stanley
- Department of Biological Sciences Conservation Biology Research Group University of Chester Chester UK
| | - Achaz von Hardenberg
- Department of Biological Sciences Conservation Biology Research Group University of Chester Chester UK
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46
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Quque M, Bles O, Bénard A, Héraud A, Meunier B, Criscuolo F, Deneubourg JL, Sueur C. Hierarchical networks of food exchange in the black garden ant Lasius niger. INSECT SCIENCE 2021; 28:825-838. [PMID: 32306510 DOI: 10.1111/1744-7917.12792] [Citation(s) in RCA: 5] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [MESH Headings] [Track Full Text] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 12/15/2019] [Revised: 04/05/2020] [Accepted: 04/07/2020] [Indexed: 06/11/2023]
Abstract
In most eusocial insects, the division of labor results in relatively few individuals foraging for the entire colony. Thus, the survival of the colony depends on its efficiency in meeting the nutritional needs of all its members. Here, we characterize the network topology of a eusocial insect to understand the role and centrality of each caste in this network during the process of food dissemination. We constructed trophallaxis networks from 34 food-exchange experiments in black garden ants (Lasius niger). We tested the influence of brood and colony size on (i) global indices at the network level (i.e., efficiency, resilience, centralization, and modularity) and (ii) individual values (i.e., degree, strength, betweenness, and the clustering coefficient). Network resilience, the ratio between global efficiency and centralization, was stable with colony size but increased in the presence of broods, presumably in response to the nutritional needs of larvae. Individual metrics highlighted the major role of foragers in food dissemination. In addition, a hierarchical clustering analysis suggested that some domestics acted as intermediaries between foragers and other domestics. Networks appeared to be hierarchical rather than random or centralized exclusively around foragers. Finally, our results suggested that networks emerging from social insect interactions can improve group performance and thus colony fitness.
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Affiliation(s)
- Martin Quque
- CNRS, IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, UMR718, France
| | - Olivier Bles
- Centre for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)-CP 231, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Bruxelles, Belgium
| | | | - Amélie Héraud
- CNRS, IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, UMR718, France
| | | | | | - Jean-Louis Deneubourg
- Centre for Nonlinear Phenomena and Complex Systems (Cenoli)-CP 231, Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB), Bruxelles, Belgium
| | - Cédric Sueur
- CNRS, IPHC, Université de Strasbourg, Strasbourg, UMR718, France
- Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France
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47
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Albery GF, Morris A, Morris S, Pemberton JM, Clutton-Brock TH, Nussey DH, Firth JA. Multiple spatial behaviours govern social network positions in a wild ungulate. Ecol Lett 2021; 24:676-686. [PMID: 33583128 DOI: 10.1111/ele.13684] [Citation(s) in RCA: 26] [Impact Index Per Article: 8.7] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/09/2020] [Revised: 12/22/2020] [Accepted: 12/23/2020] [Indexed: 01/19/2023]
Abstract
The structure of wild animal social systems depends on a complex combination of intrinsic and extrinsic drivers. Population structuring and spatial behaviour are key determinants of individuals' observed social behaviour, but quantifying these spatial components alongside multiple other drivers remains difficult due to data scarcity and analytical complexity. We used a 43-year dataset detailing a wild red deer population to investigate how individuals' spatial behaviours drive social network positioning, while simultaneously assessing other potential contributing factors. Using Integrated Nested Laplace Approximation (INLA) multi-matrix animal models, we demonstrate that social network positions are shaped by two-dimensional landscape locations, pairwise space sharing, individual range size, and spatial and temporal variation in population density, alongside smaller but detectable impacts of a selection of individual-level phenotypic traits. These results indicate strong, multifaceted spatiotemporal structuring in this society, emphasising the importance of considering multiple spatial components when investigating the causes and consequences of sociality.
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Affiliation(s)
- Gregory F Albery
- Department of Biology, Georgetown University, Washington, DC, USA.,Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Alison Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Sean Morris
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | | | - Tim H Clutton-Brock
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK.,Department of Zoology, University of Cambridge, Cambridge, UK
| | - Daniel H Nussey
- Institute of Evolutionary Biology, University of Edinburgh, Edinburgh, UK
| | - Josh A Firth
- Department of Zoology, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK.,Merton College, University of Oxford, Oxford, UK
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48
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Social Network Analysis in Farm Animals: Sensor-Based Approaches. Animals (Basel) 2021; 11:ani11020434. [PMID: 33567488 PMCID: PMC7914829 DOI: 10.3390/ani11020434] [Citation(s) in RCA: 3] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 01/20/2021] [Revised: 02/01/2021] [Accepted: 02/03/2021] [Indexed: 12/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Simple Summary Social behaviour of farm animals significantly impacts management interventions in the livestock sector and, thereby, animal welfare. Evaluation and monitoring of social networks between farm animals help not only to understand the bonding and agonistic behaviours among individuals but also the interactions between the animals and the animal caretaker. The interrelationship between social and environmental conditions, and the subtle changes in the behaviours of farm animals can be understood and precisely measured only by using sensing technologies. This review aims to highlight the use of sensing technologies in the investigation of social network analysis of farm animals. Abstract Natural social systems within animal groups are an essential aspect of agricultural optimization and livestock management strategy. Assessing elements of animal behaviour under domesticated conditions in comparison to natural behaviours found in wild settings has the potential to address issues of animal welfare effectively, such as focusing on reproduction and production success. This review discusses and evaluates to what extent social network analysis (SNA) can be incorporated with sensor-based data collection methods, and what impact the results may have concerning welfare assessment and future farm management processes. The effectiveness and critical features of automated sensor-based technologies deployed in farms include tools for measuring animal social group interactions and the monitoring and recording of farm animal behaviour using SNA. Comparative analyses between the quality of sensor-collected data and traditional observational methods provide an enhanced understanding of the behavioural dynamics of farm animals. The effectiveness of sensor-based approaches in data collection for farm animal behaviour measurement offers unique opportunities for social network research. Sensor-enabled data in livestock SNA addresses the biological aspects of animal behaviour via remote real-time data collection, and the results both directly and indirectly influence welfare assessments, and farm management processes. Finally, we conclude with potential implications of SNA on modern animal farming for improvement of animal welfare.
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49
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van der Marel A, Prasher S, Carminito C, O'Connell CL, Phillips A, Kluever BM, Hobson EA. A framework to evaluate whether to pool or separate behaviors in a multilayer network. Curr Zool 2021; 67:101-111. [PMID: 33654494 PMCID: PMC7901760 DOI: 10.1093/cz/zoaa077] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 06/27/2020] [Accepted: 12/11/2020] [Indexed: 11/24/2022] Open
Abstract
A multilayer network approach combines different network layers, which are connected by interlayer edges, to create a single mathematical object. These networks can contain a variety of information types and represent different aspects of a system. However, the process for selecting which information to include is not always straightforward. Using data on 2 agonistic behaviors in a captive population of monk parakeets (Myiopsitta monachus), we developed a framework for investigating how pooling or splitting behaviors at the scale of dyadic relationships (between 2 individuals) affects individual- and group-level social properties. We designed 2 reference models to test whether randomizing the number of interactions across behavior types results in similar structural patterns as the observed data. Although the behaviors were correlated, the first reference model suggests that the 2 behaviors convey different information about some social properties and should therefore not be pooled. However, once we controlled for data sparsity, we found that the observed measures corresponded with those from the second reference model. Hence, our initial result may have been due to the unequal frequencies of each behavior. Overall, our findings support pooling the 2 behaviors. Awareness of how selected measurements can be affected by data properties is warranted, but nonetheless our framework disentangles these efforts and as a result can be used for myriad types of behaviors and questions. This framework will help researchers make informed and data-driven decisions about which behaviors to pool or separate, prior to using the data in subsequent multilayer network analyses.
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Affiliation(s)
| | - Sanjay Prasher
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
| | - Chelsea Carminito
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
| | - Claire L O'Connell
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
| | - Alexa Phillips
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
| | - Bryan M Kluever
- United States Department of Agriculture, Wildlife Services, National Wildlife Research Center, Florida Field Station, Gainesville, FL, 32641, USA
| | - Elizabeth A Hobson
- Department of Biological Sciences, University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, OH, 45221, USA
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50
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Vander Wal E. Social environment: Trait, context and agent for selection in a meta-population. J Anim Ecol 2021; 90:4-7. [PMID: 33427327 DOI: 10.1111/1365-2656.13400] [Citation(s) in RCA: 1] [Impact Index Per Article: 0.3] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 11/18/2020] [Accepted: 11/27/2020] [Indexed: 11/28/2022]
Abstract
In Focus: Formica, V., Donald, H., Marti, H., Irgebay, Z., Brodie III, E. Social network position experiences more variable selection than weaponry in wild subpopulations of forked fungus beetles. Journal of Animal Ecology, 90, 168-182, https://doi.org/10.1111/1365-2656.13322. That social network traits can exhibit consistent-individual differences among individuals and confer a fitness benefit or cost is increasingly well-established. However, how selection-natural or sexual-affects those social traits and at what scale remains an open question. In this Special Feature, Formica and colleagues employ a meta-population of forked fungus beetles to test and contrast whether sexual selection on social network traits contrasted to morphological traits occurs at the local (soft) or global (hard) scales. The authors demonstrate that morphological traits are largely under hard directional positive selection, whereas social traits are under soft and variable selection. The findings are compelling and raise interesting discussion of multi-level selection and the evolution of social traits in a meta-population.
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Affiliation(s)
- Eric Vander Wal
- Biology, Memorial University of Newfoundland, St. John's, NL, Canada
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