Social networks can vary in their organization and dynamics, with implications for ecological and evolutionary processes. Understanding the mechanisms that drive social network dynamics requires integrating individual-level biology with comparisons across multiple social networks. Testosterone is a key mediator of vertebrate social behavior and can influence how individuals interact with social partners. Although the effects of testosterone on individual behavior are well established, no study has examined whether hormone-mediated behavior can scale up to shape the emergent properties of social networks. We investigated the relationship between testosterone and social network dynamics in the wire-tailed manakin, a lekking bird species in which male-male social interactions form complex social networks. We used an automated proximity system to longitudinally monitor several leks and we quantified the social network structure at each lek. Our analysis examines three emergent properties of the networks: social specialization (the extent to which a network is partitioned into exclusive partnerships), network stability (the overall persistence of partnerships through time), and behavioral assortment (the tendency for like to associate with like). All three properties are expected to promote the evolution of cooperation. As the predictor, we analyzed the collective testosterone of males within each social network. Social networks that were composed of high-testosterone dominant males were less specialized, less stable, and had more negative behavioral assortment, after accounting for other factors. These results support our main hypothesis that individual-level hormone physiology can predict group-level network dynamics. We also observed that larger leks with more interacting individuals had more positive behavioral assortment, suggesting that small groups may constrain the processes of homophily and behavior-matching. Overall, these results provide evidence that hormone-mediated behavior can shape the broader architecture of social groups. Groups with high average testosterone exhibit social network properties that are predicted to impede the evolution of cooperation.

中文翻译：

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睾丸激素介导的行为塑造了社交网络的新兴特性

社交网络的组织和动态可能会有所不同，从而影响生态和进化过程。要了解推动社交网络动态发展的机制，就需要将个人层面的生物学与跨多个社交网络的比较进行整合。睾丸激素是脊椎动物社交行为的关键介体，可影响个体与社交伙伴的互动方式。尽管睾丸激素对个体行为的影响已得到公认，但尚无研究检查激素介导的行为是否可以扩大以塑造社交网络的新兴特性。我们调查了线尾manakin中的睾丸激素和社交网络动力学之间的关系，manakin是一种迁徙的鸟类，其中男性-男性社交互动形成了复杂的社交网络。我们使用了一个自动感应系统来纵向监控几个韭菜，并量化了每个韭菜的社交网络结构。我们的分析研究了网络的三个新兴属性：社会专业化（网络被划分为排他性合伙制的程度），网络稳定性（合伙制随时间的整体持久性）和行为分类（喜欢与相似的联系倾向） ）。所有这三个属性都有望促进合作的发展。作为预测因素，我们分析了每个社交网络中男性的集体睾丸激素。在考虑其他因素之后，由高睾丸激素占主导地位的男性组成的社交网络的专业性较低，稳定性较差，并且具有更多的负面行为组合。这些结果支持了我们的主要假设，即个体水平的激素生理学可以预测群体水平的网络动态。我们还观察到，个体互动更多的大韭菜有更多积极的行为分类，这表明小群体可能会限制同形和行为匹配的过程。总体而言，这些结果提供了激素介导的行为可以塑造更广泛的社会群体结构的证据。睾丸激素水平较高的人群表现出社交网络特性，这些特性预计会阻碍合作的发展。总体而言，这些结果提供了激素介导的行为可以塑造更广泛的社会群体结构的证据。睾丸激素水平较高的人群表现出社交网络特性，这些特性预计会阻碍合作的发展。总体而言，这些结果提供了激素介导的行为可以塑造更广泛的社会群体结构的证据。具有较高平均睾丸激素水平的人群展现出社交网络属性，这些属性预计会阻碍合作的发展。