Social networks predict patch discovery in a wild population of songbirds
Date
2012
Authors
Aplin, Lucy
Farine, D.R.
Morand-Ferron, J.
Sheldon, B.C.
Journal Title
Journal ISSN
Volume Title
Publisher
Royal Society of London
Abstract
Animals use social information in a wide variety of contexts. Its extensive use by individuals to locate food patches has been documented in a number of species, and various mechanisms of discovery have been identified. However, less is known about whether individuals differ in their access to, and use of, social information to find food. We measured the social network of a wild population of three sympatric tit species (family Paridae) and then recorded individual discovery of novel food patches. By using recently developed methods for network-based diffusion analysis, we show that order of arrival at new food patches was predicted by social associations. Models based only on group searching did not explain this relationship. Furthermore, network position was correlated with likelihood of patch discovery, with central individuals more likely to locate and use novel foraging patches than those with limited social connections. These results demonstrate the utility of social network analysis as a method to investigate social information use, and suggest that the greater probability of receiving social information about new foraging patches confers a benefit on more socially connected individuals.
Description
Keywords
Keywords: diffusion; patch dynamics; probability; social network; songbird; sympatry; wild population; animal; animal communication; article; feeding behavior; physiology; social behavior; songbird; statistical model; theoretical model; Animal Communication; Animal Group foraging; Local enhancement; Paridae; Scrounging; Social information; Social network theory
Citation
Collections
Source
Proceedings of the Royal Society of London Series B: Biological Sciences
Type
Journal article
Book Title
Entity type
Access Statement
License Rights
Restricted until
2037-12-31
Downloads
File
Description