Calibrating the data logger…
Spatial proximity and conspecific interactions can shape social organization and social structure within animal groups, but that may or may not mean that one’s nearest neighbor and closest social partner are the same individual. Individual behaviors towards conspecifics can indicate social structure within an animal group; however, determining the extent to which spatial interaction networks reflect social organization and social structure will improve understanding of social systems. Multilayer networks offer a method to test this and can examine an individual’s varying roles within their social environment. While spatial and behavioral interaction networks have been studied in other species, those studies examined social interactions with home range overlap, foraging, and mating behavior. Yellow-bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventer) behavioral and spatial networks have been extensively studied, but little is known about whether, and to what degree, these networks are similar. We studied the concordance between spatial and behavioral networks, focusing on marmot social interactions and their burrow-sharing networks. We found the largest correlation between the spatial network and the affiliative network with smaller correlations between affiliative and agonistic networks and the spatial and agonistic network. We found that centrality was highest in the multilayer network for degree and strength, and for individual networks, highest in the spatial network. Group size and predation pressure had negligible effects on spatial and affiliative network correlation. Across the overall system, yearlings were most central, and for the agonistic network, males and adults independently were most central. Through this study, there is a clearer understanding of the network and individual dynamics in yellow-bellied marmots, which will further advance comprehension of social dynamics of complex societies.
Items connected by shared entities, co-authorship, citations, or semantic similarity.