Primate social group sizes exhibit a regular scaling pattern with natural attractors
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A1 Alkuperäisartikkeli tieteellisessä aikakauslehdessä
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Date
2018-01-01
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Language
en
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Biology Letters, Volume 14, issue 1
Abstract
Primate groups vary considerably in size across species. Nonetheless, the distribution of mean species group size has a regular scaling pattern with preferred sizes approximating 2.5, 5, 15, 30 and 50 individuals (although strepsirrhines lack the latter two), with a scaling ratio of approximately 2.5 similar to that observed in human social networks. These clusters appear to form distinct social grades that are associated with rapid evolutionary change, presumably in response to intense environmental selection pressures. These findings may have wider implications for other highly social mammal taxa.Description
Keywords
Clustering, Evolutionary rates, Female cohort, Optimal group size, Social networks
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Citation
Dunbar, R I M, Carron, P M & Shultz, S 2018, ' Primate social group sizes exhibit a regular scaling pattern with natural attractors ', Biology Letters, vol. 14, no. 1, 20170490 . https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2017.0490