Presentation Details
| Rewiring mechanisms of the social structure in a guinea pigs (Cavia porcellus) Adriana A.Maldonado-Chaparro1, 3, Ana M.Romero-Chacón1, Manuela Cardona-Restrepo1, 2. 1Department of Biology, School of Sciences and Engineering, Universidad del Rosario, Bogota Colombia.2School of Psychology, Centre for Research in Animal Behaviour, University of Exeter, Exeter United Kingdom.3Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz Germany |
Abstract
Understanding how social structures respond to disturbances is critical for predicting population resilience, yet mechanisms enabling network reorganization remain poorly understood. We investigated how rewiring mechanisms facilitate social reorganization following disturbances of varying intensity. We experimentally removed one or two individuals from stable guinea pig social groups and quantified social behavioral responses. Using social network analysis, we examined changes in degree, strength, and betweenness centrality following disturbances. Contrary to predictions from fluid societies, disturbance intensity had significant negative effects on unweighted degree, while social impact negatively affected node strength. Betweenness centrality showed no significant response. These findings reveal that fully connected networks exhibit resilience through fundamentally different mechanisms than fluid societies. We propose that weak ties buffer disturbances in saturated networks, preventing cascading disruptions while maintaining connectivity. Our results highlight the importance of considering network topology when predicting social resilience to demographic disturbances.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the author.
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