Abstract
Knowledge of the way in which animals interact through social networks can help to address questions surrounding the ecological and evolutionary consequences of social organisation, and to understand and manage the spread of infectious diseases. Automated proximity loggers are increasingly being used to record interactions between animals, but the accuracy and reliability of the collected data remain largely un-assessed. Here we use laboratory and observational field data to assess the performance of these devices fitted to a herd of 32 beef cattle (Bos taurus) and nine groups of badgers (Meles meles, n = 77) living in the surrounding woods. The distances at which loggers detected each other were found to decrease over time, potentially related to diminishing battery power that may be a function of temperature. Loggers were highly accurate in recording the identification of contacted conspecifics, but less reliable at determining contact duration. There was a tendency for extended interactions to be recorded as a series of shorter contacts. We show how data can be manipulated to correct this discrepancy and accurately reflect observed interaction patterns by combining records between any two loggers that occur within a 1 to 2 minute amalgamation window, and then removing any remaining 1 second records. We make universally applicable recommendations for the effective use of proximity loggers, to improve the validity of data arising from future studies.
Highlights
Interactions between animals influence a broad array of social processes [1], and researchers may be interested in quantifying patterns of interactions to address important behavioural, ecological and evolutionary questions
Methods employed in previous studies have relied on either direct observation of contact between individuals [4,5] or the ability to infer contact using proxy measures of shared space from data collected by methods such as radio-telemetry and Global Positioning System (GPS) locations [6,7]
Proximity loggers are being increasingly used to study a wider range of free-ranging animal interactions
Summary
Methods employed in previous studies have relied on either direct observation of contact between individuals [4,5] or the ability to infer contact using proxy measures of shared space from data collected by methods such as radio-telemetry and Global Positioning System (GPS) locations [6,7]. Such methods of directly tracking individual animals to record their interactions are expensive, time consuming, and limited to animals that are readily and observable from a distance, or to species that habituate quickly to the presence of observers. Using telemetry to automatically collect animal interaction data will enable more refined studies of larger groups of animals
Sign-in/Register to view highlights & summary Sign-in/Register to access full text options 
Talk to us
Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have
Schedule a callDisclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.
