Network reaction norms: taking into account network position and network plasticity in response to environmental change

Recent studies have highlighted the link between consistent inter-individual differences in behaviour and consistency in social network position. There is also evidence that network structures can show temporal dynamics, suggesting that consistency in social network position across time does not preclude some form of plasticity in response to environmental variation. To better consider variation in network position and plasticity simultaneously we introduce the network reaction norm (NRN) approach. As an illustrative example, we used behavioural data on chacma baboons, collected over a period of seven years, to construct a time series of networks, using a moving window. Applying an NRN approach with these data, we found that most of the variation in network centrality could be explained by inter-individual differences in mean centrality. There was also evidence, however, for individual differences in network plasticity. These differences suggest that environmental conditions may influence which individuals are most central, i.e., they lead to an individual x environment interaction. We suggest that expanding from measures of repeatability in social networks to network reaction norms can provide a more temporally nuanced way to investigate social phenotypes within groups, and lead to a better understanding of the development and maintenance of individual variation in social behaviour.