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Author (up) Croft, D. P.; James, R..; Krause, J.
Title Comparing Networks Type Book Chapter
Year 2008 Publication Exploring Animal Social Networks Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages 141-162
Keywords
Abstract Social network analysis is used widely in the social sciences to study interactions among people, groups, and organizations, yet until now there has been no book that shows behavioral biologists how to apply it to their work on animal populations. Exploring Animal Social Networks provides a practical guide for researchers, undergraduates, and graduate students in ecology, evolutionary biology, animal behavior, and zoology.

Existing methods for studying animal social structure focus either on one animal and its interactions or on the average properties of a whole population. This book enables researchers to probe animal social structure at all levels, from the individual to the population. No prior knowledge of network theory is assumed. The authors give a step-by-step introduction to the different procedures and offer ideas for designing studies, collecting data, and interpreting results. They examine some of today's most sophisticated statistical tools for social network analysis and show how they can be used to study social interactions in animals, including cetaceans, ungulates, primates, insects, and fish. Drawing from an array of techniques, the authors explore how network structures influence individual behavior and how this in turn influences, and is influenced by, behavior at the population level. Throughout, the authors use two software packages--UCINET and NETDRAW--to illustrate how these powerful analytical tools can be applied to different animal social organizations.

Darren P. Croft is lecturer in animal behavior at the University of Wales, Bangor. Richard James is senior lecturer in physics at the University of Bath. Jens Krause is professor of behavioral ecology at the University of Leeds.

Reviews:

“Exploring Animal Social Networks shows behavioral biologists how to apply social network theory to animal populations. In doing so, Croft, James, and Krause illustrate the connections between an animal's individual behaviors and how these, in turn, influence and are influenced by behavior at the population level. . . . Valuable for readers interested in using quantitative analyses to study animal social behaviors.”--Choice

“[T]his volume provides an engaging, accessible, and timely introduction to the use of network theory methods for examining the social behavior of animals.”--Noa Pinter-Wollman, Quarterly Review of Biology

“The book is a useful 'handbook' providing detailed, stepwise procedures sufficient to allow the reader to address a broad range of questions about social interactions. . . . The book includes numerous examples of the kind of research questions one might ask, and, thus, it allows the reader to find the analysis that best fits the data set to be analyzed. Thus, even readers with minimal prior knowledge of social network analysis will be able to apply this approach. And if further assistance is needed, the authors provide numerous references to specific procedures that have been used by others.”--Thomas R. Zentall, PsycCRITIQUES

Endorsements:

“An important and timely addition to the literature. This book should be readily accessible to researchers who are interested in animal social organization but who have little or no experience in conducting network analysis. The book is well-written in an engaging style and contains a good number of examples drawn from a range of taxonomic groups.”--Paul R. Moorcroft, Harvard University

More Endorsements

Table of Contents:

Preface vii

Chapter 1: Introduction to Social Networks 1

Chapter 2: Data Collection 19

Chapter 3: Visual Exploration 42

Chapter 4: Node-Based Measures 64

Chapter 5: Statistical Tests of Node-Based Measures 88

Chapter 6: Searching for Substructures 117

Chapter 7: Comparing Networks 141

Chapter 8: Conclusions 163

Glossary of Frequently Used Terms 173

References 175

Index 187

Subject Area:

* Biological Sciences
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Princton University Press Place of Publication Princeton, NY Editor
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 4955
Permanent link to this record
 

 
Author (up) Croft, D. P.; James, R..; Krause, J. (eds)
Title Exploring Animal Social Networks Type Book Whole
Year 2008 Publication Abbreviated Journal
Volume Issue Pages
Keywords
Abstract
Address
Corporate Author Thesis
Publisher Princton University Press Place of Publication Princton Editor Croft, D. P.; James, R..; Krause, J.
Language Summary Language Original Title
Series Editor Series Title Abbreviated Series Title
Series Volume Series Issue Edition
ISSN ISBN 9780691127521 Medium
Area Expedition Conference
Notes Approved no
Call Number Equine Behaviour @ team @ Serial 5139
Permanent link to this record