Simulation and social network analysis provide insight into the acquisition of tool behaviour in hybrid macaques

Reeves, Jonathan S.; Tan, Amanda; Malaivijitnond, Suchinda; Luncz, Lydia V.

Abstract

The pathways through which primates acquire skills are a central focus of cultural evolution studies. The roles of social and genetic inheritance processes in skill acquisition are often confounded by environmental factors. Hybrid macaques from Koram Island (Thailand) provide an opportunity to examine the roles of inheritance and social learning to skill acquisition within a single ecological setting. These hybrids are a cross between tool-using Burmese long-tailed (Macaca fascicularis aurea) and non-tool-using common long-tailed macaques (Macaca fascicularis fascicularis). This population provides an opportunity to explore the roles of social learning and inheritance processes while being able to exclude underlying ecological factors. Here, we investigate the roles of social learning and inheritance in tool use prevalence within this population using social network analysis and simulation. Agent-based modelling (ABM) is used to generate expectations for how social/asocial learning and inheritance structure the patterning in a social network. The results of the simulation show that various transmission mechanisms can be differentiated based on associations between individuals in a social network. The results provide an investigative framework for discussing tool use transmission pathways in the Koram social network. By combining ABM, network analysis, and behavioural data from the field we can investigate the roles social learning and inheritance play in tool acquisition of wild primates.

Citation

Reeves, J. S., Tan, A., Malaivijitnond, S., & Luncz, L. V. (2023). Simulation and social network analysis provide insight into the acquisition of tool behaviour in hybrid macaques. Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences, 290(1995), Article 20222276. https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2276

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Acceptance Date: Mar 8, 2023
• Online Publication Date: Mar 29, 2023
• Publication Date: Mar 29, 2023
• Deposit Date: Apr 13, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Apr 13, 2023
• Journal: Proceedings of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences
• Print ISSN: 0962-8452
• Electronic ISSN: 1471-2954
• Publisher: The Royal Society
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 290
• Issue: 1995
• Article Number: 20222276
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2022.2276
• Keywords: social network analysis, skill acquisition, agent-based modelling, tool use
• Public URL: https://durham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1176146