Animal Social Network Structures Across the Fast-Slow Continuum

Abstract

The fast-slow continuum is a key axis of variation in life history strategies that captures the evolutionary trade-off between allocating in lifespan versus reproduction. It has been suggested that social behaviour, and therefore network structure, may vary across the fast-slow continuum, but formal theory remains scarce. We develop a novel mathematical model to examine how the rate of demographic replacement may influence emergent social network structures in natural populations. We additionally consider variation in social preferences and modes of social inheritance. Our key finding is that more rapid demographic replacement can substantially constrain the structure of dynamic social networks. For species with longer generation times, network structures are primarily determined by social preferences, while for shorter generation times they are primarily determined by mechanisms of social inheritance. By considering how demographic replacement can constrain social network organisation, our work provides important insights into social evolutionary ecology.