Simulation of information propagation in real-life primate networks: longevity, fecundity, fidelity |
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Authors: | Bernhard Voelkl Ronald Noë |
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Institution: | 1. Ethologie des Primates, Département Ecologie, Physiologie & Ethologie, IPHC (UMR 7178), CNRS–Université de Strasbourg, 23 rue Becquerel, 67087, Strasbourg, France 2. Faculté Psychologie, Université de Strasbourg, 12 rue Goethe, 67000, Strasbourg, France
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Abstract: | In many vertebrate species, we find temporally stable traditions of socially learned behaviors. The social structure of animal
populations is highly diverse and it has been proposed that differences in the social organization influence the patterns
of information propagation. Here, we provide results of a simulation study of information propagation on real-life social
networks of 70 primate groups comprising 30 different species. We found that models that include the social structure of a
group differ significantly from those that assume random associations of individuals. Information spreads slower in the structured
groups than in the well-mixed groups. While we found only a minor effect on the path lengths of the transmission chains, robustness
against information extinction was strongly influenced by the group structure. Interestingly, robustness against information
loss was not correlated with propagation speed but could be predicted reasonably well by relative strength assortativity—a
structural network metric. In those groups where highly pro-social individuals preferentially interact with other pro-social
individuals, information was more likely to be lost. Our results show that incorporating group structure in any social propagation
model significantly alters predictions for spreading patterns, speed, and robustness of information. |
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