Related Experiment Video
Updated: Sep 30, 2025

Conditions Affecting Social Space in Drosophila melanogaster
Published on: November 5, 2015
Group composition of individual personalities alters social network structure in experimental populations of forked
Phoebe A Cook1, Olivia M Baker1, Robin A Costello1
1Department of Biology and Mountain Lake Biological Station, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, VA 22904, USA.
Abstract:
Social network structure is a critical group character that mediates the flow of information, pathogens and resources among individuals in a population, yet little is known about what shapes social structures. In this study, we experimentally tested whether social network structure depends on the personalities of individual group members. Replicate groups of forked fungus beetles (Bolitotherus cornutus) were engineered to include only members previously assessed as either more social or less social. We found that individuals expressed consistent personalities across social contexts, exhibiting repeatable numbers of interactions and numbers of partners. Groups composed of more social individuals formed networks with higher interaction rates, higher tie density, higher global clustering and shorter average shortest paths than those composed of less social individuals. We highlight group composition of personalities as a source of variance in group traits and a potential mechanism by which networks could evolve.
More Related Videos
06:58Author Spotlight: Evaluation of Entomopathogenic Fungi in Wild Monochamus alternatus Populations for Biocontrol Applications in Forest Wood Borers
Published on: September 29, 2023
07:00Microbiota of Attine Ants' Gardens: Visualizing a Microbial Landscape by Scanning Electron Microscopy
Published on: October 4, 2024
Related Concept Videos
Mutation, Gene Flow, and Genetic Drift
Relationship Formation
Impact of Groups on Individuals
Deindividuation
Impact of Individuals on Individuals
Overview of Fungi