School of Biological Sciences, University of Bristol, Life Sciences Building, 24 Tyndall Avenue, Bristol, BS8 1TQ, UK.
Sci Rep. 2019 Dec 27;9(1):20095. doi: 10.1038/s41598-019-56713-3.
Examining temporal variation in social connectivity and relating this to individual behaviour can help understand the role of individuals within social groups. Although red foxes are solitary foragers, they form social groups at higher population densities. To investigate the effects of season, sex and status on social connectivity in red fox social groups, we set camera traps for four consecutive seasons to record contact rates and social network metrics at food patches in seven fox territories. Higher food availability was associated with higher contact rates. Individual contact rates peaked in different seasons depending on sex and social status. Dominant foxes held central network positions in all seasons but there was no consistent pattern in social connections within territories, suggesting a greater influence of features such as group size and composition on network structure than seasonal behaviour. Increased extraterritorial movements by males during winter contributed to a significant reduction in local network connectivity. Female network strength did not vary with season, suggesting that females play an important role in maintaining year-round group cohesion. These data advance our understanding of canid social systems, the benefits of group-living in solitary foraging carnivores, and the impacts of management interventions for an ecologically important species.
研究社交联系随时间的变化，并将其与个体行为相关联，可以帮助我们了解个体在社交群体中的作用。虽然红狐是独居的觅食者，但在较高的种群密度下，它们会形成社交群体。为了研究季节、性别和地位对红狐社交群体中社交联系的影响，我们在七个狐域的食物斑块上设置了连续四个季节的摄像机陷阱，以记录接触率和社交网络指标。较高的食物可获得性与较高的接触率有关。个体接触率因性别和社会地位而异，在不同的季节达到峰值。在所有季节中，占主导地位的狐狸都处于网络的中心位置，但在领地内的社交联系中没有一致的模式，这表明群体大小和组成等特征对网络结构的影响大于季节性行为。雄性在冬季的越界活动增加，导致本地网络连接显著减少。雌性的网络强度不因季节而异，这表明雌性在维持全年群体凝聚力方面发挥着重要作用。这些数据增进了我们对犬科动物社会系统的理解，以及在独居觅食的肉食动物中群体生活的好处，以及对生态重要物种进行管理干预的影响。
