How do biological networks differ from social networks? (an experimental study)

Abstract

In this paper we outline important differences between (1) protein interaction networks and (2) social and other complex networks, in terms of fine-grained network community profiles. While these families of networks present some general similarities, they also have some stark differences in the way the communities are formed. Namely, we find that the sizes of the best communities in such biological networks are an order of magnitude smaller than in social and other complex networks. We furthermore find that the generative model describing biological networks is very different from the model describing social networks. While for latter the Forest-Fire model best approximates their network community profile, for biological networks it is a random rewiring model that generates networks with the observed profiles. Our study suggests that these families of networks should be treated differently when deriving results from network analysis, and a fine-grained analysis is needed to better understand their structure.