A guide to null models for animal social network analysis

Farine, Dan

doi:10.1111/2041-210x.12772

Cited by 352 publications

(424 citation statements)

References 36 publications

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“…There are other types of models which may offer more power with less data, such as exponential random graph models (Silk & Fisher, ), and structured randomization tests (Croft, Madden, Franks, & James, ), especially those that incorporate appropriate null models (Strickland et al, ; Farine, ). However, there has not yet been a comparison of these modelling approaches that has focused on inference about relatedness, especially when incorporating parameter resolution.…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality and quantity of genetic relatedness data affect the analysis of social structure

Foroughirad

Levengood

Mann

et al. 2019

Molecular Ecology Resources

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Kinship plays a fundamental role in the evolution of social systems and is considered a key driver of group living. To understand the role of kinship in the formation and maintenance of social bonds, accurate measures of genetic relatedness are critical. Genotype‐by‐sequencing technologies are rapidly advancing the accuracy and precision of genetic relatedness estimates for wild populations. The ability to assign kinship from genetic data varies depending on a species’ or population's mating system and pattern of dispersal, and empirical data from longitudinal studies are crucial to validate these methods. We use data from a long‐term behavioural study of a polygynandrous, bisexually philopatric marine mammal to measure accuracy and precision of parentage and genetic relatedness estimation against a known partial pedigree. We show that with moderate but obtainable sample sizes of approximately 4,235 SNPs and 272 individuals, highly accurate parentage assignments and genetic relatedness coefficients can be obtained. Additionally, we subsample our data to quantify how data availability affects relatedness estimation and kinship assignment. Lastly, we conduct a social network analysis to investigate the extent to which accuracy and precision of relatedness estimation improve statistical power to detect an effect of relatedness on social structure. Our results provide practical guidance for minimum sample sizes and sequencing depth for future studies, as well as thresholds for post hoc interpretation of previous analyses.

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Quality and quantity of genetic relatedness data affect the analysis of social structure

Foroughirad

Levengood

Mann

et al. 2019

Molecular Ecology Resources

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“…We have demonstrated how the latest techniques in generating null models against which to test our hypotheses can be used to account for spatial and temporal factors, enabling the identification of true patterns of social preference. Studies of social behaviour which do not account for environmental factors in null models must be interpreted with caution, since social processes have not been isolated from the influence of external variables (Farine, ).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 99%

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) social networks in areas of contrasting human activity and lion density

Raw

Cuthill

2019

Ethology

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The adaptive value of close social bonds and social networks has been demonstrated in a variety of vertebrate taxa. While the effect of predators on populations is well established, disturbance by humans is increasingly being identified as affecting the behaviour and reproductive success of animals and can have significant impacts on their survival. We used a concurrent analysis of two adjacent giraffe Giraffa camelopardalis populations in Kenya to determine whether human activities and high predation affected their social networks. One study site was a premier tourist destination with a high volume of human activity in the form of tourist traffic and lodge infrastructure, alongside a high density of lions which preferentially prey on giraffe calves; the other was a private wildlife conservancy with minimal human activity and no lion population. Giraffes in both networks showed preferred associations and avoidances of other individuals, which were independent of space use. Bond strength was lower in the population exposed to high levels of human activity and lions, and the network had lower density and clustering, and shorter path lengths, suggesting that it was more fragmented. We suggest that human activity and predator density may influence the patterns of social interactions in giraffes and highlight the importance of understanding the impact of tourism and management on the survival and success of wild animal populations.

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“…We considered a predictor to influence the hazard if the 95% confidence interval of its parameter estimate did not include zero (Nakagawa & Cuthill, ). Because bond strength‐partner consistency classifications were based on dyadic data, we additionally examined their influence on the hazard according to permutation tests, comparing observed effects of strength–consistency class to a null model based on 1000 random node permutations of annual DSI matrices (Croft, Madden, Franks, & James, ; Farine, ). We chose node permutations to test the null hypothesis based on the possibility that females could maintain any position within a social group's annual network.…”

Section: Methodsmentioning

confidence: 99%

Stronger social bonds do not always predict greater longevity in a gregarious primate

Thompson

Cords

2018

Ecology and Evolution

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In group‐living species, individuals often have preferred affiliative social partners, with whom ties or bonds can confer advantages that correspond with greater fitness. For example, in adult female baboons and juvenile horses, individuals with stronger or more social ties experience greater survival. We used detailed behavioral and life history records to explore the relationship between tie quality and survival in a gregarious monkey (Cercopithecus mitis stuhlmanni), while controlling for dominance rank, group size, and life history strategy. We used Cox proportional hazards regressions to model the cumulative (multi‐year) and current (single‐year) relationships of social ties and the hazard of mortality in 83 wild adult females of known age, observed 2–8 years each (437 subject‐years) in eight social groups. The strength of bonds with close partners was associated with increased mortality risk under certain conditions: Females that had strong bonds with close partners that were inconsistent over multiple years had a higher risk of mortality than females adopting any other social strategy. Within a given year, females had a higher risk of death if they were strongly bonded with partners that changed from the previous year versus with partners that remained consistent. Dominance rank, number of adult female groupmates, and age at first reproduction did not predict the risk of death. This study demonstrates that costs and benefits of strong social bonds can be context‐dependent, relating to the consistency of social partners over time.

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A guide to null models for animal social network analysis

Cited by 352 publications

References 36 publications

Quality and quantity of genetic relatedness data affect the analysis of social structure

Quality and quantity of genetic relatedness data affect the analysis of social structure

Giraffe (Giraffa camelopardalis) social networks in areas of contrasting human activity and lion density

Stronger social bonds do not always predict greater longevity in a gregarious primate

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