The influence of social structure on the propagation of social information in artificial primate groups: A graph-based simulation approach

Voelkl, Bernhard; Noë, Ronald

doi:10.1016/j.jtbi.2008.02.002

Cited by 68 publications

(80 citation statements)

References 52 publications

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“…Such an influence of social relationships has been demonstrated for many social behaviours (Sueur and Petit, 2008b;Thierry et al, 2004), information transfer (Voelkl and Noë, 2008) and even permanent group fission (Van Horn et al, 2007). A study in chacma baboons (Papio hamadryas ursinus) reported that social relationships influenced fission events: fission was more likely to occur in groups where social ties were weak (King et al, 2008).…”

Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Short-term group fission processes in macaques: a social networking approach

Sueur

Petit

Deneubourg³

2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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SUMMARYLiving in groups necessarily involves a certain amount of within-group competition for food. Group members may have different motivations, implying the reaching of a consensus to stay cohesive. In some cases individuals fail to reach a common decision and the group splits; this can be temporary, as seen in fission-fusion dynamics, or even irreversible. Most studies on fission-fusion dynamics published to date have focused on the influence of environmental constraints on sub-grouping patterns, but little is known about how social relationships affect individual choices for sub-groups. In this study, we used an agent-based model to understand the mechanisms underlying group fission in two semi-free-ranging groups of macaques: one group of Tonkean macaques (Macaca tonkeana) and one of rhesus macaques (M. mulatta). The results showed that sub-grouping patterns were mainly influenced by affiliative relationships. Moreover, the species-specific social style appeared to affect the probability of choosing a particular sub-group. In the tolerant Tonkean macaques, mechanisms underlying sub-grouping patterns resembled anonymous mimetism, while in the nepotistic rhesus macaques, kinship influenced the mechanisms underlying group fissions. As previous studies have shown, fission-fusion society may be a way to avoid social conflicts induced either by food or by social competition. Supplementary material available online at

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Section: Discussionmentioning

confidence: 93%

Short-term group fission processes in macaques: a social networking approach

Sueur

Petit

Deneubourg³

2010

Journal of Experimental Biology

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“…At the dyadic level, individuals can reliably predict the behaviour of the other. At the group level, affiliative relationships underpin various patterns of social life such as coalitions, collective movements or information transmission (Chepko- Sade & Sade 1979;Silk et al 2004;Sueur & Petit 2008;Voelkl & Noë 2008). Coalitions allow individuals to win in social competition or to gain support in collective decisions by recruiting mates and kin (Chapais 1995); moreover, some key individuals can favour the spread of information or disease by their central position in social networks (Sueur et al 2011).…”

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confidence: 99%

A comparative network analysis of social style in macaques

et al. 2011

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In group-living species, individuals gain significant advantages from establishing an extensive network of social relationships. This results in complex organizations that are difficult to quantify in a comprehensive manner. In this respect, network analyses are an ideal means to pinpoint the overall properties of social structures, and the place of each individual within these structures. We used network measurements to investigate cross-species variations in the social style of macaques, and studied 12 groups from four species. Two species (Macaca mulatta, Macaca fuscata) were characterized by a relatively weak social tolerance, a steep gradient of dominance and a strong preference for kin. The other two species (Macaca nigra, Macaca tonkeana) were known to display higher levels of tolerance, relaxed dominance and low kinship bias. We used a centrality index based on eigenvector centrality to show that in a comparison of intolerant and tolerant species, top-ranking individuals were more central than other group members in the former species than the latter. We also found that networks had higher modularity in intolerant species, indicating that kinrelated partners interacted more frequently in subgroups of these species than in those of tolerant species. Consistently, the matrix of body contacts was more strongly correlated with the kinship matrix in intolerant species. This study demonstrates the efficiency of network methodology in detecting fine and overall contrasts in social structures, and also reveals novel dimensions in the social style of macaques.Crown

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“…Social structure may also influence the biology of individuals or populations, for example by affecting individual fitness, gene flow or spatial distribution (Whitehead, 1997). In addition, the rate of transmission of information or diseases depends on the social structure of a population (Fenner, Godfrey, & Bull, 2011;Hamede, Bashford, McCallum, & Jones, 2009;Voelkl & No€ e, 2008;Wey et al, 2008).…”

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confidence: 99%