Abstract
Investigating local-scale interactions within a network makes it possible to test hypotheses about the mechanisms of global network connectivity and to ask whether there are general rules underlying network function across systems. Here we use motif analysis to determine whether the interactions within social insect colonies resemble the patterns exhibited by other animal associations or if they exhibit characteristics of biological regulatory systems. Colonies exhibit a predominance of feed-forward interaction motifs, in contrast to the densely interconnected clique patterns that characterize human interaction and animal social networks. The regulatory motif signature supports the hypothesis that social insect colonies are shaped by selection for network patterns that integrate colony functionality at the group rather than individual level, and demonstrates the utility of this approach for analysis of selection effects on complex systems across biological levels of organization.
Highlights
Capturing the essence of biological networks is among the most important challenges facing modern science
Motor control, developmental specialization, and metabolic allometry all emerge as the result of integrated networks. These networks operate at different biological levels but all distribute and transform localized information into larger scale processes [1–4]
The motif representation in P. californicus network structure supports the hypothesis that social network structure within these cohesive social groups has been selected to maximize colony-level function and/or efficiency rather than individual success
Summary
Capturing the essence of biological networks is among the most important challenges facing modern science. Motor control, developmental specialization, and metabolic allometry all emerge as the result of integrated networks These networks operate at different biological levels but all distribute and transform localized information into larger scale processes [1–4]. The broad class of networks characterizing human and animal social groups, are typically thought to exhibit global-structure consistent with the predictions of generative network models such as preferential attachment [5,6]. In these systems, interactions benefit and reinforce an individual’s own role within the network [7], but at a potential cost to higher-level properties such as efficiency or resilience [8]
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