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Winner-loser effects improve social network efficiency between competitors with equal resource holding power.
M Hermanussen1, M Dammhahn2, C Scheffler3
1, Eckernförde-Altenhof, Germany.
Scientific Reports
|September 2, 2023
Summary
State-dependent feedback, like the winner-loser effect, drives the self-organization of animal dominance hierarchies. This process creates centralized social networks, mimicking structures formed by keystone individuals, benefiting both individuals and groups.
Area of Science:
- Animal behavior and social network analysis.
- Theoretical ecology and evolutionary biology.
- Computational modeling of social systems.
Background:
- Dominance hierarchies (DH) are fundamental to animal societies, structuring social interactions.
- Graph theory provides a framework for analyzing DH as social networks.
- Understanding the emergence of DH structures is key to comprehending social organization.
Purpose of the Study:
- To investigate the impact of state-dependent feedback (winner-loser effect) on the formation of dominance structures.
- To compare DH resulting from random contests versus those influenced by winner-loser dynamics.
- To analyze the network properties of simulated dominance hierarchies.
Main Methods:
- Monte Carlo simulations of pairwise agonistic contests.
- Modeling individuals with and without pre-existing differences in resource-holding power (RHP).
- Analysis of dominance structures using network theory metrics (e.g., transitivity, centralization).
Main Results:
- Random contests (Null variant) produced random DH with low transitivity.
- State-dependent feedback (Winner-loser variant) generated centralized 'star' structures.
- Simulated DH with feedback closely matched patterns observed in natural animal hierarchies.
Conclusions:
- State-dependent feedback is crucial for the self-organization of robust dominance hierarchies.
- Self-organized DH via feedback resemble hierarchies formed by keystone individuals.
- Centralized social networks offer evolutionary advantages, promoting individual and group efficiency.
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