NETDEM · Linking social network dynamics and demographic change in wild populations

Quantifying the interplay of demography and social structure is a key challenge in diverse research fields from ecology to sociology. Social relationships, and the way they are interconnected to form the social network of a population, are closely linked to population dynamics. Changes in population size can change these networks, with implications for important ecological or evolutionary processes, such as cooperation, conflict and infectious disease spread. For example, links between social structure and demography can influence whether a population acts as a reservoir host of diseases with societal impacts, or shape how social animals respond to sudden human-induced environmental change. However, due to the complexity of quantifying the demography and social network structure of wild populations, we still understand little about how interplay between the two arises or when it is important. The objectives of the proposal are to develop a modelling framework that allows the integration of demography and social network structure, and apply it to gain insights into social and disease dynamics in European badgers. Through cross-disciplinary collaboration, I will integrate cutting-edge statistical approaches in the modelling of social networks and population dynamics, and produce software to make these new tools widely available to other researchers. The host lab, led by Dr Gimenez has world-leading expertise in mathematical ecology, animal demography and conservation. The candidate, Dr Silk, is an expert in applying social network analysis to study behavioural dynamics and infectious disease transmission. This combined skillset will enable the development of innovative statistical tools that can be applied across research disciplines (e.g. ecology, sociology, public health), as well as address timely questions at the interface of population biology and behavioural ecology that have wide-reaching implications for wildlife conservation and management.