Social Networks: Linking Form with Function in Animal Societies
Dates: | 16 March 2015 |
Times: | 12:00 - 13:00 |
What is it: | Seminar |
Organiser: | Faculty of Life Sciences |
Who is it for: | University staff, Current University students |
Speaker: | Professor Daniel Rubenstein |
|
Computational and Evolutionary Biology Seminar Series 2015
Animal societies develop from interactions and relationships that occur among individuals within populations. The fundamental tenet of behavioural ecology is that ecological factors shape behaviour and determine the distribution and associations
of individuals on landscapes. As a result, different social systems emerge in different habitats and under different environmental conditions. Since characterizing social systems depends on time and motion studies of individual actions and interactions that
are often bilateral, such characterizations are often coarse--?grained. If social relationships can be characterized using social networks, however, seemingly similar social organizations often reveal informative differences in terms of deep structure. Thus social network theory should be able to provide insights in to the connections between social form and function. This talk will explore how the network structures of horses, zebras and asses as well as two species of primates can provide novel insights into the functioning of animal societies with respect to the spread of memes, genes and diseases.
Speaker
Professor Daniel Rubenstein
Organisation: Princeton University
Travel and Contact Information
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Michael Smith Lecture Theatre
Michael Smith Building
Manchester