A Methodology for Applying Social Network Analysis Metrics on Biodiversity

Abstract

This paper proposes a methodology for applying Social Network Analysis (SNA) metrics to biological interaction network studies in the Biodiversity Informatics domain, which may serve as a guide for this activity to other researchers. The methodology is formalized by means of Business Process Modeling Notation (BPMN) and structured in four steps: (i) mapping the data types and the interactions available; (ii) defining the key-questions to be answered and the analysis variables; (iii) choosing the SNA metrics appropriate to the context of the research; and (iv) performing the biological analysis with the support of SNA. As material resources, the SNA metrics were used, as well as a set of computational (such as R packages, Dieta, Pajek and Ucinet software) and statistical analysis (Exploratory Data Analysis and Multivariate Data Analysis) tools. The results show the benefits that providing a systematic method to guide the steps of one research can bring to a researcher ‑ be it due to the support of the resources recommended, be it by the organization of the research activities. In addition, there is the possibility of applying this methodology to underexplored knowledge fields, such as Agrobiodiversity.