Dunbar, R.I.M. and MacCarron, Pádraig and Shultz, Susanne (2018) Primate Social Group Sizes Exhibit a Regular Scaling Pattern with Natural Attractors. Biology Letters of the Royal Society of London, 14. ISSN 1744-9561

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Abstract

Primate groups vary considerably in size across species. Nonetheless, the distribution of mean species group size has a regular scaling pattern with preferred sizes approximating 2.5, 5, 15, 30 and 50 individuals (although strepsirrhines lack the latter two), with a scaling ratio of approximately 2.5 similar to that observed in human social networks. These clusters appear to form distinct social grades that are associated with rapid evolutionary change, presumably in response to intense environmental selection pressures. These findings may have wider implications for other highly social mammal taxa.

Item Type:	Article
Keywords:	optimal group size; clustering; social networks; female cohort; evolutionary rates;
Academic Unit:	Faculty of Arts,Celtic Studies and Philosophy > Research Institutes > Maynooth University Arts and Humanities Institute
Item ID:	13244
Identification Number:	https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbl.2017.0490
Depositing User:	IR Editor
Date Deposited:	17 Sep 2020 11:19
Journal or Publication Title:	Biology Letters of the Royal Society of London
Publisher:	The Royal Society
Refereed:	Yes
URI:	Publisher
Use Licence:	This item is available under a Creative Commons Attribution Non Commercial Share Alike Licence (CC BY-NC-SA). Details of this licence are available here

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