Investigating Changes in Social Networks Following Conflict in Zoo-Housed Bonobos (Pan paniscus)

Bonobos (Pan paniscus) are successful at managing conflict and promoting group affiliation, but it is still uncertain how conflict affects the entire social group, particularly in captive populations. We conducted social network analyses using dyadic proximity data to understand the structure of five alternating social group compositions of a population of zoo-housed bonobos, using measures of centrality and social strength. We then compared social network measures between neutral, post-conflict (intergroup and intragroup), and post-single-party outburst (scream, display to the public) contexts to determine how conflict influences social behavior within the entire social network. We found that, across conflict contexts, dominant females have higher social group centralities than other individuals. Dominant females also received social initiations at a higher rate than others, suggesting this centrality is structurally maintained by other individuals. Further, rates of proximity are significantly higher following single-party outbursts than in other contexts, which indicates an important social distinction between this context and others and may be best explained by considering these outbursts as signals of group-level social tension, during which group members may seek social interaction and reassurance. Consistent differences in proximity rates were observed between dominant females and other group members, indicating that the social role of the dominant female in a bonobo social group across conflict contexts is different from that of other bonobos. The results of this study emphasize the flexible nature of bonobo sociality, highlight the distinct and important role of dominant females within the social network, and present social network analysis as a useful methodological tool for studying group-level changes in bonobo sociality and behavior.