scholarly journals Offspring social network structure predicts fitness in families

2012 ◽  
Vol 279 (1749) ◽  
pp. 4914-4922 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nick J. Royle ◽  
Thomas W. Pike ◽  
Philipp Heeb ◽  
Heinz Richner ◽  
Mathias Kölliker

Social structures such as families emerge as outcomes of behavioural interactions among individuals, and can evolve over time if families with particular types of social structures tend to leave more individuals in subsequent generations. The social behaviour of interacting individuals is typically analysed as a series of multiple dyadic (pair-wise) interactions, rather than a network of interactions among multiple individuals. However, in species where parents feed dependant young, interactions within families nearly always involve more than two individuals simultaneously. Such social networks of interactions at least partly reflect conflicts of interest over the provision of costly parental investment. Consequently, variation in family network structure reflects variation in how conflicts of interest are resolved among family members. Despite its importance in understanding the evolution of emergent properties of social organization such as family life and cooperation, nothing is currently known about how selection acts on the structure of social networks. Here, we show that the social network structure of broods of begging nestling great tits Parus major predicts fitness in families. Although selection at the level of the individual favours large nestlings, selection at the level of the kin-group primarily favours families that resolve conflicts most effectively.

Author(s):  
Katja Walentowitz ◽  
Daniel Beimborn

Business/IT alignment is a major source of business value generated from IT and social structures at the interface between a firm’s business and IT units are of vital importance to business/IT alignment. Yet, there is a substantial gap in understanding the nature of these social structures. Based on a literature review comprising all related articles published in the AIS Senior Scholars’ Basket journals between January 2000 and August 2011, this paper identifies antecedents of alignment related to social network structure. These are translated into formal SNA concepts. The identification and formalization of social network structures allow IT governance to implement social engineering mechanisms influencing the social network structure, thus improving business/IT alignment and IT value. Examples for such translated arguments are high degree centrality of CIOs vis-à-vis other executives and strong ties in terms of cross-domain knowledge between CIOs and other executives. Finally, important avenues for future research are highlighted.


2019 ◽  
Vol 40 (05) ◽  
pp. 359-369
Author(s):  
Charles Ellis ◽  
Rhiannon Phillips ◽  
Tina Hill ◽  
Patrick M. Briley

AbstractThe aim of this study was to profile the social networks of young adult stroke survivors with aphasia. A case series approach using four persons with aphasia (PWA) younger than 50 years was utilized. Semistructured interviews were completed with the PWA and their primary caregiver/family to explore the most salient relationships in the PWA's social network. PWAs in this study exhibited very small social networks with the most salient relationships consisting of immediate family members. Mothers were the primary caregiver for the two most impaired PWA. Prestroke friendships were dissolved or reduced at the onset of aphasia. The most impaired PWAs spent most of their days in isolation without a consistent communication partner. This study suggests young adult stroke survivors with aphasia have significant changes in their social network structure after stroke, but it is unclear if the observed change in social network structure is more related to age or level of communication impairment.


2015 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amiyaal Ilany ◽  
Erol Akcay

AbstractThe social network structure of animal populations has major implications for survival, reproductive success, sexual selection, and pathogen transmission of individuals. But as of yet, no general theory of social network structure exists that can explain the diversity of social networks observed in nature, and serve as a null model for detecting species and population-specific factors. Here we propose a simple and generally applicable model of social network structure. We consider the emergence of network structure as a result of social inheritance, in which newborns are likely to bond with maternal contacts, and via forming bonds randomly. We compare model output to data from several species, showing that it can generate networks with properties such as those observed in real social systems. Our model demonstrates that important observed properties of social networks, including heritability of network position or assortative associations, can be understood as consequences of social inheritance.


Stroke ◽  
2021 ◽  
Vol 52 (Suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Bernadette Boden-Albala ◽  
Eric T Roberts ◽  
Sara Stern-Nezer ◽  
Emily Goldmann ◽  
Nina Parikh ◽  
...  

Background: The risk of recurrence of stroke has been found to be modifiable through changes in health behavior and reducing key risk factors such as hypertension. Evidence suggests social networks can influence health behaviors and health outcomes; however, there is a lack of literature on the relationship between stroke survivor’s social network and secondary prevention efforts. In this study, we assessed the association between social network structure and systolic blood pressure (SBP) reduction at one-year post stroke. Methods: Using data from the DESERVE (Discharge Educational Strategies for Reduction of Vascular Events) trial, we assessed the social networks of 552 participants who have had a mild/moderate stroke or transient ischemic attack (TIA). At baseline enrollment, participants were asked to identify up to 5 persons, or “alters,” with whom they discuss important matters, such as health. The data on the alters were then classified into structural and functional characteristics. The combination of the number of alters and the amount of alters that met the “optimal” level for each characteristic were used to determine the characteristics of the social network. We used linear regression models to quantify the SBP change on social network characteristics adjusting for age, gender, race-ethnicity, education, marital status, and prior stroke history. Results: Stronger social networks were associated with greater SBP reduction. The overall mean SBP reduction at 12-month follow-up was 5.6 (±24.5) mmHg. On fully adjusted models having 3-5 alters compared to none (mean SBP reduction of 11.4 mmHg, p = 0.01) and having a family and friend network compared to a family-only network (mean SBP reduction of 7.6 mmHg, p = 0.01) were significantly associated with a larger SBP reduction. Conclusion: Social networks may play an important role in blood pressure reduction in patients post stroke. Future interventions should involve social networks to help reduce vascular risk and enhance secondary prevention efforts.


2019 ◽  
Vol 31 (1) ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Daizaburo Shizuka ◽  
Allison E Johnson

Abstract Demographic processes play a key role in shaping the patterns of social relations among individuals in a population. Social network analysis is a powerful quantitative tool for assessing the social structure formed by associations between individuals. However, demographic processes are rarely accounted for in such analyses. Here, we summarize how the structure of animal social networks is shaped by the joint effects of social behavior and turnover of individuals and suggest how a deeper understanding of these processes can open new, exciting avenues for research. Death or dispersal can have the direct effect of removing an individual and all its social connections, and can also have indirect effects, spurring changes in the distribution of social connections between remaining individuals. Recruitment and integration of juveniles and immigrant into existing social networks are critical to the emergence and persistence of social network structure. Together, these behavioral responses to loss and gain of social partners may impact how societies respond to seasonal or catastrophic turnover events. The fitness consequences of social position (e.g., survival and reproductive rates) may also create feedback between the social network structure and demography. Understanding how social structure changes in response to turnover of individuals requires further integration between long-term field studies and network modeling methods. These efforts will likely yield new insights into the connections between social networks and life history, ecological change, and evolutionary dynamics.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Gergő Tóth ◽  
Johannes Wachs ◽  
Riccardo Di Clemente ◽  
Ákos Jakobi ◽  
Bence Ságvári ◽  
...  

AbstractSocial networks amplify inequalities by fundamental mechanisms of social tie formation such as homophily and triadic closure. These forces sharpen social segregation, which is reflected in fragmented social network structure. Geographical impediments such as distance and physical or administrative boundaries also reinforce social segregation. Yet, less is known about the joint relationships between social network structure, urban geography, and inequality. In this paper we analyze an online social network and find that the fragmentation of social networks is significantly higher in towns in which residential neighborhoods are divided by physical barriers such as rivers and railroads. Towns in which neighborhoods are relatively distant from the center of town and amenities are spatially concentrated are also more socially segregated. Using a two-stage model, we show that these urban geography features have significant relationships with income inequality via social network fragmentation. In other words, the geographic features of a place can compound economic inequalities via social networks.


2016 ◽  
Vol 113 (43) ◽  
pp. 12114-12119 ◽  
Author(s):  
Luke Glowacki ◽  
Alexander Isakov ◽  
Richard W. Wrangham ◽  
Rose McDermott ◽  
James H. Fowler ◽  
...  

Intergroup violence is common among humans worldwide. To assess how within-group social dynamics contribute to risky, between-group conflict, we conducted a 3-y longitudinal study of the formation of raiding parties among the Nyangatom, a group of East African nomadic pastoralists currently engaged in small-scale warfare. We also mapped the social network structure of potential male raiders. Here, we show that the initiation of raids depends on the presence of specific leaders who tend to participate in many raids, to have more friends, and to occupy more central positions in the network. However, despite the different structural position of raid leaders, raid participants are recruited from the whole population, not just from the direct friends of leaders. An individual’s decision to participate in a raid is strongly associated with the individual’s social network position in relation to other participants. Moreover, nonleaders have a larger total impact on raid participation than leaders, despite leaders’ greater connectivity. Thus, we find that leaders matter more for raid initiation than participant mobilization. Social networks may play a role in supporting risky collective action, amplify the emergence of raiding parties, and hence facilitate intergroup violence in small-scale societies.


2019 ◽  
Vol 158 ◽  
pp. 97-105 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amandine Ramos ◽  
Lola Manizan ◽  
Esther Rodriguez ◽  
Yvonne J.M. Kemp ◽  
Cédric Sueur

IEEE Access ◽  
2017 ◽  
Vol 5 ◽  
pp. 12031-12040 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jiangtao Ma ◽  
Yaqiong Qiao ◽  
Guangwu Hu ◽  
Yongzhong Huang ◽  
Meng Wang ◽  
...  

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