Speaker
Description
Social structure influences ecological dynamics, fitness, and evolution in animal populations. Network science provides tools to link individual interactions to emergent social organisation, which are increasingly used in behavioural ecology [1,2]. In animal societies, this approach explains how individual and relational characteristics influence the formation, stability, and evolution of social relationships [3,4]. The aim of this study is to examine how dominance rank, kinship, and demography influence social structure in rhesus macaques, focusing on the unusual social connections between the highest-and lowest-ranking individuals. We analyse the social networks of seven groups of free ranging rhesus macaques from Cayo Santiago, PR [5]. Social networks in this species are strongly assortative by dominance rank. However, we have found that systematic deviations emerge across groups and years: lowest-ranking individuals frequently connect with the highest-ranking ones and are often detected within their social communities. These associations suggest the presence of latent or historical dynamics not explained by the statistically inferred effects of rank assortativity, kinship, or demographic structure. We hypothesise that such ties reflect strategic behaviour by low-ranking individuals seeking to associate with high-ranking individuals without directly challenging the dominance hierarchy. These may ultimately contribute to the long-term success of low-ranking matrilines.
Bibliography
[1] Croft DP, Krause J, James R. Exploring animal social networks.
[2] Brask JB, Ellis S, Croft DP. Animal social networks: an introduction for complex systems scientists. Journal of Complex Networks. 2021 Apr 1;9(2):cnab001.
[3] Brask JB, Koher A, Croft DP, Lehmann S. Far-reaching consequences of trait preferences for animal social network structure and function. Behavioral Ecology. 2025 Nov 21:araf132.
[4] Brask JB, Silk M, Weiss MN. An introduction to generative network models and their use in animal sociality research. Animal Behaviour. 2025 Nov 20:123364.
[5] Testard C et al. Ecological disturbance alters the adaptive benefits of social ties. Science. 2024 Jun 21;384(6702):1330-5.
