Modelling the evolution of social structure
Although simple social structures are more common in animal societies, some taxa (mainly mammals) have complex, multi-level social systems, in which the levels reflect differential association. We develop a simulation model to explore the conditions under which multilevel social systems of this kind...
| 主要な著者: | , , |
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| フォーマット: | Journal article |
| 言語: | English |
| 出版事項: |
Public Library of Science
2016
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| _version_ | 1826303973222514688 |
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| author | Sutcliffe, A Dunbar, R Wang, D |
| author_facet | Sutcliffe, A Dunbar, R Wang, D |
| author_sort | Sutcliffe, A |
| collection | OXFORD |
| description | Although simple social structures are more common in animal societies, some taxa (mainly mammals) have complex, multi-level social systems, in which the levels reflect differential association. We develop a simulation model to explore the conditions under which multilevel social systems of this kind evolve. Our model focuses on the evolutionary trade-offs between foraging and social interaction, and explores the impact of alternative strategies for distributing social interaction, with fitness criteria for wellbeing, alliance formation, risk, stress and access to food resources that reward social strategies differentially. The results suggest that multi-level social structures characterised by a few strong relationships, more medium ties and large numbers of weak ties emerge only in a small part of the overall fitness landscape, namely where there are significant fitness benefits from wellbeing and alliance formation and there are high levels of social interaction. In contrast, ‘favour-the-few’ strategies are more competitive under a wide range of fitness conditions, including those producing homogeneous, single-level societies of the kind found in many birds and mammals. The simulations suggest that the development of complex, multi-level social structures of the kind found in many primates (including humans) depends on a capacity for high investment in social time, preferential social interaction strategies, high mortality risk and/or differential reproduction. These conditions are characteristic of only a few mammalian taxa. |
| first_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:10:48Z |
| format | Journal article |
| id | oxford-uuid:ef6cd06f-f002-4a37-bcb5-88f87f6ed9be |
| institution | University of Oxford |
| language | English |
| last_indexed | 2024-03-07T06:10:48Z |
| publishDate | 2016 |
| publisher | Public Library of Science |
| record_format | dspace |
| spelling | oxford-uuid:ef6cd06f-f002-4a37-bcb5-88f87f6ed9be2022-03-27T11:40:04ZModelling the evolution of social structureJournal articlehttp://purl.org/coar/resource_type/c_dcae04bcuuid:ef6cd06f-f002-4a37-bcb5-88f87f6ed9beEnglishSymplectic Elements at OxfordPublic Library of Science2016Sutcliffe, ADunbar, RWang, DAlthough simple social structures are more common in animal societies, some taxa (mainly mammals) have complex, multi-level social systems, in which the levels reflect differential association. We develop a simulation model to explore the conditions under which multilevel social systems of this kind evolve. Our model focuses on the evolutionary trade-offs between foraging and social interaction, and explores the impact of alternative strategies for distributing social interaction, with fitness criteria for wellbeing, alliance formation, risk, stress and access to food resources that reward social strategies differentially. The results suggest that multi-level social structures characterised by a few strong relationships, more medium ties and large numbers of weak ties emerge only in a small part of the overall fitness landscape, namely where there are significant fitness benefits from wellbeing and alliance formation and there are high levels of social interaction. In contrast, ‘favour-the-few’ strategies are more competitive under a wide range of fitness conditions, including those producing homogeneous, single-level societies of the kind found in many birds and mammals. The simulations suggest that the development of complex, multi-level social structures of the kind found in many primates (including humans) depends on a capacity for high investment in social time, preferential social interaction strategies, high mortality risk and/or differential reproduction. These conditions are characteristic of only a few mammalian taxa. |
| spellingShingle | Sutcliffe, A Dunbar, R Wang, D Modelling the evolution of social structure |
| title | Modelling the evolution of social structure |
| title_full | Modelling the evolution of social structure |
| title_fullStr | Modelling the evolution of social structure |
| title_full_unstemmed | Modelling the evolution of social structure |
| title_short | Modelling the evolution of social structure |
| title_sort | modelling the evolution of social structure |
| work_keys_str_mv | AT sutcliffea modellingtheevolutionofsocialstructure AT dunbarr modellingtheevolutionofsocialstructure AT wangd modellingtheevolutionofsocialstructure |