Animal social networks are robust to changing association definitions.

IF 1.9 2区 生物学 Q3 BEHAVIORAL SCIENCES
Behavioral Ecology and Sociobiology Pub Date : 2025-01-01 Epub Date: 2025-02-06 DOI:10.1007/s00265-025-03559-7
Alex Hoi Hang Chan, Jamie Dunning, Kristina B Beck, Terry Burke, Heung Ying Janet Chik, Daniel Dunleavy, Tim Evans, André Ferreira, Babette Fourie, Simon C Griffith, Friederike Hillemann, Julia Schroeder
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引用次数: 0

Abstract

The interconnecting links between individuals in an animal social network are often defined by discrete, directed behaviours, but where these are difficult to observe, a network link (edge) may instead be defined by individuals sharing a space at the same time, which can then be used to infer a social association. The method by which these associations are defined should be informed by the biological significance of edges, and therefore often vary between studies. Identifying an appropriate measure of association remains a challenge to behavioural ecologists. Here, we use automatically recorded feeder visit data from four bird systems to compare three methods to identify a social association: (1) strict time-window, (2) co-occurrence in a group, and (3) arrival-time. We tested the similarity of the resulting networks by comparing the repeatability and sensitivity of individuals' social traits (network degree, strength, betweenness). We found that networks constructed using different methods but applying similar, ecologically relevant definitions of associations based on individuals' spatio-temporal co-occurrence, showed similar characteristics. Our findings suggest that the different methods to construct animal social networks are comparable, but result in subtle differences driven by species biology and feeder design. We urge researchers to carefully evaluate the ecological context of their study systems when making methodological decisions. Specifically, researchers in ecology and evolution should carefully consider the biological relevance of an edge in animal social networks, and the implications of adopting different definitions.

Supplementary information: The online version contains supplementary material available at 10.1007/s00265-025-03559-7.

动物社会网络对不断变化的关联定义具有很强的适应性。
动物社会网络中个体之间的相互联系通常由离散的、定向的行为来定义,但在这些行为难以观察的地方,网络连接(边缘)可能由同时共享空间的个体来定义,然后可以用来推断社会关联。定义这些关联的方法应该根据边缘的生物学意义来确定,因此在不同的研究中常常会有所不同。对行为生态学家来说,确定一种适当的关联度量仍然是一个挑战。在此,我们使用4种鸟类系统自动记录的喂食器访问数据,比较了3种识别社会关联的方法:(1)严格的时间窗口,(2)在一个群体中共同出现,(3)到达时间。我们通过比较个体社会特征(网络度、强度、中间性)的可重复性和敏感性来测试所产生的网络的相似性。我们发现,使用不同方法构建的网络,在基于个体时空共现的基础上,应用了相似的、生态相关的关联定义,表现出相似的特征。我们的研究结果表明,构建动物社会网络的不同方法具有可比性,但由于物种生物学和喂食器设计的驱动,导致了微妙的差异。我们敦促研究人员在做出方法学决定时仔细评估其研究系统的生态环境。具体来说,生态学和进化研究人员应该仔细考虑动物社会网络中优势的生物学相关性,以及采用不同定义的含义。补充信息:在线版本包含补充资料,可在10.1007/s00265-025-03559-7获得。
本文章由计算机程序翻译,如有差异,请以英文原文为准。
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来源期刊
CiteScore
3.90
自引率
8.70%
发文量
146
审稿时长
3 months
期刊介绍: The journal publishes reviews, original contributions and commentaries dealing with quantitative empirical and theoretical studies in the analysis of animal behavior at the level of the individual, group, population, community, and species.
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