Data from: Key players and hierarchical organization of prairie dog social networks

The use of social network theory in evaluating animal social groups has gained traction in recent years. Despite the utility of social network analysis in describing attributes of social groups, it remains unclear how comparable this approach is to traditional behavioral observational studies. Using data on Gunnison's prairie dog (Cynomys gunnisoni) social interactions we describe social networks from three populations. We then compare those social networks to groups identified by traditional behavioral approaches and explore whether individuals group together based on similarities. The social network social groups identified by social network analysis were consistent with those identified by more traditional behavioral approaches. However, fine-grained social sub-structuring was revealed only with social network analysis. We found variation in the patterns of interactions among prairie dog social groups that was largely independent of the behavioral attributes or genetics of the individuals within those groups. We detected that some social groups include disproportionately well-connected individuals acting as hubs or bridges. This study contributes to a growing body of evidence that social networks analysis is a robust and efficient tool for examining social dynamics.近年来，社交网络理论（Social Network Theory）在动物社会群体评估中的应用逐渐获得学界关注。尽管社会网络分析（Social Network Analysis）在描述社会群体属性方面具备实用价值，但目前仍尚不明确该方法与传统行为观察研究的可比性如何。本研究基于Gunnison草原犬鼠（Cynomys gunnisoni）的社交互动数据，对三个种群的社交网络进行了刻画。随后，本研究将这些社交网络与传统行为学方法识别出的群体进行对比，并探究个体是否会基于相似性聚集成群。经分析，通过社会网络分析识别出的社交群体，与传统行为学方法得到的群体结果具有一致性。但仅通过社会网络分析才能揭示出细粒度的社会亚结构。本研究发现，草原犬鼠不同社交群体间的互动模式存在显著差异，且该差异在很大程度上独立于群体内个体的行为属性与遗传特征。此外，研究还观测到部分社交群体中存在连接度远超平均水平的个体，这些个体充当着核心枢纽或联结桥梁的角色。本研究为日益丰富的实证证据体系补充了新的支持内容，表明社会网络分析是一种用于探究社会动态的稳健且高效的研究工具。