Animal social networks

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 novel text 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 brings together researchers from a wide range of disciplines with the aim of providing both an overview of the power of the network approach for understanding patterns and process in animal populations, as well as outlining how current methodological constraints and challenges can be overcome. This book is principally aimed at graduate level students and researchers in the fields of ecology, zoology, animal behaviour, and evolutionary biology but will also be of interest to social scientists.

Section 1. Introduction to Animal Social Networks -- 1. General introduction / Jens Krause, Richard James, Daniel W. Franks, and Darren P. Croft -- 2. A networks primer / Richard James -- Section 2. Patterns and Processes in Animal Social Networks / Darren P. Croft -- 3. Assortment in social networks and the evolution of cooperation / Darren P. Croft, Mathew Edenbrow, and Safi K. Darden -- 4. Mating behavior : sexual networks and sexual selection / Grant C. McDonald and Tommaso Pizzari -- 5. Quantifying diffusion in social networks : a Bayesian approach / Glenna Nightingale, Neeltje J. Boogert, Kevin N. Laland, and Will Hoppitt -- 6. Personality and social network analysis in animals / Alexander D.M. Wilson and Jens Krause -- 7. Temporal changes in dominance networks and other behaviour sequences / David B. McDonald and Michael E. Dillon -- 8. Group movement and animal social networks Nikolai W.F. Bode, A. Jamie Wood, and Daniel W. Franks -- 9. Communication and social networks / Peter K. McGregor and Andrew G. Horn -- 10. Disease transmission in animal social networks / Julian A. Drewe and Sarah E. Perkins -- 11. Social networks and animal welfare / Brianne A. Beisner and Brenda …