A practical guide to the study of social relationships

摘要: Behavioral ecologists have devoted considerable effort to identifying the sources of variation in individual reproductive success.[1-5] Much this work has focused on characteristics individuals, such as their sex and rank. However, many animals live stable social groups fitness individuals depends at least part outcome interactions with other group members. For example, primate species, high dominance rank enhances access resources success.[4, 5] The ability acquire maintain often availability effectiveness coalitionary support.[6] Allies may be cultivated coalitions reinforced by affiliative grooming, food sharing, tolerance.[7, 8] These findings suggest that if we want understand selective pressures shape behavior primates, it will profitable broaden our focus from properties relationships they form others. goal paper is discuss a set methods can used quantify relationships.