Social network dynamics in animals: combining methodological development with empirical data analysis

• Applicant: Dr. Mathias Franz
• Subject Area: Sensory and Behavioural Biology
• Term: from 2011 to 2015
• Project identifier: Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG) - Project number 203589601

The patterns of social interactions among animals (and humans) determine a multitude of important biological and social processes ranging from cooperation to the transmission of information and diseases. Social network analysis offers a comprehensive and efficient analysis of complex interaction patterns. However, currently the immense potential of this approach remains largely unexploited because state-of-the-art analyses generally ignore the dynamic nature of animal (and human) societies. Continuous structural change is one of the most central characteristic of social networks. Most apparently, these changes occur when individuals enter a social network (e.g. due to birth or immigration) or when they leave the network again (e.g. due to death or emigration). In the proposed project I will investigate social network dynamics to identify key mechanisms that drive the emergence and maintenance of social structures. To this end I will pursue two synergistic goals: the development of new methodology and the investigation of outstanding empirical questions using unique long term data on baboons. Empirical analyses will focus on two main questions: 1. Does the removal of important individuals lead to a destabilization of social network structure? 2. How do young individuals integrate in the social network of their group? To appropriately address these questions I will extend existing methods to make better use of weighted social networks and to integrate information about uncertainty in observed network structure, which is a particularly important issue when using data on wild animals. Through methodological developments and insights from empirical analyses I will contribute major advancements to the rapidly evolving field of social network analysis.

• DFG Programme: Research Fellowships
• International Connection: USA
• Host: Professorin Susan Alberts, Ph.D.