The evolution of culture in heterogenous social networks.

群居动物表现出动物王国中一些最复杂和多样的行为。这些行为在同一物种的种群之间可能会有所不同，就像人类的文化传统一样。社会网络分析（SNA）是一个强大的工具，可以揭示有关创新或行为传统的社会信息如何在一个群体中传播。然而，SNA通常假设所有个体都是同质的，即。他们在获取、应用和传递社会信息的能力上是平等的，但这些特征的个体差异意味着个体在社会学习能力上可能存在差异。这种个体的异质性有助于解释文化传统的传播和保留的变异模式，以及传播和采用的速度。本项目将使用基于个体的SNA来研究灵长类动物群体内的异质性如何影响社会信息流，以及文化的出现/进化。察奥比斯狒狒项目中的Chacma狒狒（Papio ursinus）将被用作我们的模型系统，SNA模型将使用20年的过去数据和现场实验进行测试。从这个项目产生的结论将是有价值的政策制定者，并告知保护行动者成功的灵长类动物群体重新引入或易位倡议的可能性。

Social animals display some of the most complex and varied behaviours in the animal kingdom. These behaviours can differ between populations of the same species, much like human cultural traditions. Social network analysis (SNA) is a powerful tool that can reveal how social information regarding innovations or behavioural traditions spread within a group. However, SNAs often assume that all individuals are homogenous, ie. equal in their ability to acquire, apply and transmit social information but individual variation in these traits mean than individuals may differ in their ability to learn socially. Such individual heterogeneities could help explain patterns of variation in the spread and repertoire of cultural traditions, and speed of diffusion and adoption. This project will use individual-based SNA to investigate how heterogeneity within primate groups impacts social information flow and this the emergence/evolution of culture. Chacma baboons (Papio ursinus) within the Tsaobis Baboon Project will be used as our model systems, to which SNA models will be tested using 20 years of past data and field experiments. Conclusions generated from this project will be valuable for policy makers and inform conservation actors upon the likelihood of success of primate group reintroduction or translocation initiatives.