close
Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
. 2015 Jul;18(7):687-95.
doi: 10.1111/ele.12447. Epub 2015 May 14.

Topological effects of network structure on long-term social network dynamics in a wild mammal

Amiyaal Ilany  1   2 , Andrew S Booms  3 , Kay E Holekamp  3
Affiliations

Topological effects of network structure on long-term social network dynamics in a wild mammal

Amiyaal Ilany et al. Ecol Lett. 2015 Jul.

Abstract

Social structure influences ecological processes such as dispersal and invasion, and affects survival and reproductive success. Recent studies have used static snapshots of social networks, thus neglecting their temporal dynamics, and focused primarily on a limited number of variables that might be affecting social structure. Here, instead we modelled effects of multiple predictors of social network dynamics in the spotted hyena, using observational data collected during 20 years of continuous field research in Kenya. We tested the hypothesis that the current state of the social network affects its long-term dynamics. We employed stochastic agent-based models that allowed us to estimate the contribution of multiple factors to network changes. After controlling for environmental and individual effects, we found that network density and individual centrality affected network dynamics, but that social bond transitivity consistently had the strongest effects. Our results emphasise the significance of structural properties of networks in shaping social dynamics.

Keywords: Cooperation; network dynamics; social network; spotted hyena.

PubMed Disclaimer

Figures

Figure 1
Figure 1
The distribution of changes in association index strength (see Methods for definition) across consecutive years, in decades 1 (a) and 2 (b). Only cases where both hyenas were present in two consecutive years were included.
Figure 2
Figure 2
Parameter estimates and 95% confidence intervals for stochastic agent-based models of social network dynamics in a large spotted hyena group over two decades. Empty and filled points represent decade 1 (1989–1998) and decade 2 (2002–2011), respectively. Coefficients represent the change in log-odds of the probability of forming a strong social bond depending on a given factor (e.g. there is a higher probability of forming a bond if it will close a triad in the network or if it will connect genetically related individuals). Parameter estimates are presented only if the parameter was part of the best model for a given decade. See Table 1 for parameter details and Table S1 for full model results.
Figure 3
Figure 3
Parameter estimates and 95% confidence intervals for stochastic agent-based models of the social network dynamics of females (a) and males (b) in a spotted hyena clan over two decades. Empty and filled points represent decade 1 (1989–1998) and decade 2 (2002–2011), respectively. Coefficients represent the change in log-odds of the probability of a strong social bond depending on a given factor (e.g. there is higher probability of forming a bond if it will close a triad in the network or if it will connect genetically related individuals). Parameter estimates are presented only if the parameter was part of the best model for a given decade. In the female networks, relatedness was not part of the selected models. In the male networks, social rank and social rank assortativity were not part of the selected models. See Tables S2 and S3 for full model results.
Figure 4
Figure 4
A modification of Hinde’s (1976) classic framework of social structure. Our data show how the social structure that is the summary of social relationships in turn affects the temporal dynamics of these relationships (black arrow). These topological effects limit the influence of environmental variables and individual traits.
See this image and copyright information in PMC

References

    1. Apicella CL, Marlowe FW, Fowler JH, Christakis NA. Social networks and cooperation in hunter-gatherers. Nature. 2012;481:497–501. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Atton N, Galef BJ, Hoppitt W, Webster MM, Laland KN. Familiarity affects social network structure and discovery of prey patch locations in foraging stickleback shoals. Proc. Biol. Sci. 2014;281:20140579. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Barabási A-L, Albert R. Emergence of scaling in random networks. Science. 1999;286:509–512. - PubMed
    1. Barocas A, Ilany A, Koren L, Kam M, Geffen E. Variance in centrality within rock hyrax social networks predicts adult longevity. PLoS ONE. 2011;6:e22375. - PMC - PubMed
    1. Bierbach D, Oster S, Jourdan J, Arias-Rodriguez L, Krause J, Wilson AM, et al. Social network analysis resolves temporal dynamics of male dominance relationships. Behav. Ecol. Sociobiol. 2014;68:935–945.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources