Ecology & Evolution of Social Structure
Prof. Lauren Brent is a behavioural ecologist whose works sets out to uncover the biological origins of sociality, establish how the social environment intersects with the physical environment, life-history, and physiology, and quantify social health’s consequences for aging, longevity, and conservation.
Abstract: Social relationships are formed within many species, with consequences for health, longevity, and even conservation. Socioecological theory predicts that social relationships allow individuals to cope with challenges in their environments. Yet empirical evidence for the tangible benefits that individuals obtain from their social relationships remains scarce. Progress in this area has been impeded by the need for analytical tools able to quantify social structure, which is a type of complex system, as well as a lack of a clear framework that aligns a given environmental challenge with its most effective social solution. I will present The Adaptive Relationships Framework, which merges influential ideas from network science with classic socioecological theory to predict the types of relationships that are best suited to common environmental challenges. I will use long-term rhesus macaque data, and data from a big-team science initiative, MacaqueNet, to test some of the Framework’s predictions. Coming to grips with the tangible reasons why many animals need social relationships, which types they need, and how flexibly they can be adjusted to cope with ecological disturbance, and age-related physiological decline, is critical for our ability to understand, manage, and improve upon the health and survival of a large number of species, including our own.