Animal Social Networks
Jens Krause, Richard James, Daniel W. Franks, and Darren P. Croft
Abstract
The scientific study of networks — computer, social, and biological — has received an enormous amount of interest in recent years. However, the network approach has been applied to the field of animal behaviour relatively late compared to many other biological disciplines. Understanding social network structure is of great importance for biologists since the structural characteristics of any network will affect its constituent members and influence a range of diverse behaviours. These include finding and choosing a sexual partner, developing and maintaining cooperative relationships, and engag ... More
The scientific study of networks — computer, social, and biological — has received an enormous amount of interest in recent years. However, the network approach has been applied to the field of animal behaviour relatively late compared to many other biological disciplines. Understanding social network structure is of great importance for biologists since the structural characteristics of any network will affect its constituent members and influence a range of diverse behaviours. These include finding and choosing a sexual partner, developing and maintaining cooperative relationships, and engaging in foraging and anti-predator behavior. This book provides an overview of the insights that network analysis has provided into major biological processes, and how it has enhanced our understanding of the social organisation of several important taxonomic groups. It provides an overview of the power of the network approach which is useful for understanding patterns and process in animal populations. It also outlines how current methodological constraints and challenges can be overcome.
Keywords:
networks,
animal behaviour,
social network structure,
sexual partner,
cooperative relationships,
network analysis,
social organisation,
network approach
Bibliographic Information
| Print publication date: 2015 |
Print ISBN-13: 9780199679041 |
| Published to Oxford Scholarship Online: January 2015 |
DOI:10.1093/acprof:oso/9780199679041.001.0001 |
Authors
Affiliations are at time of print publication.
Jens Krause, editor
Professor of Fish Biology and Ecology, Humboldt University & IGB
Richard James, editor
Senior Lecturer, University of Bath
Daniel W. Franks, editor
Lecturer in Complex Systems, University of York
Darren P. Croft, editor
Senior Lecturer in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter
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