How can social network analysis improve the study of primate behavior?
Abstract When living in a group, individuals have to make trade-offs, and compromise, in order to balance the advantages and disadvantages of group life. Strategies that enable individuals to achieve this typically affect inter-individual interactions resulting in nonrandom associations. Studying the patterns of this assortativity using social network analyses can allow us to explore how […]
Ecological correlates of pygmy chimpanzee social structure
1 The fission-fusion nature of pygmy, or bonobo chimpanzee (Pan paniscus) social organization allows an examination of the influence of ecological and social factors on party size and composition. 2 Party size varies with the size of the food patch. The estimated amount of food removed proved a useful measure for smaller patches. Party size […]
To pair or not to pair: Sources of social variability with white-faced saki monkeys (Pithecia pithecia) as a case study
Intraspecific variability in social systems is gaining increased recognition in primatology. Many primate species display variability in pair-living social organizations through incorporating extra adults into the group. While numerous models exist to explain primate pair-living, our tools to assess how and why variation in this trait occurs are currently limited. Here I outline an approach […]