Uncovering complementary information sharing in spider monkey collective foraging using higher-order spatial networks

2025-05-02

AI Summary

How do spider monkeys achieve complementary information sharing in heterogeneous, dynamic foraging environments through higher-order spatial interactions? Method: We introduce simplicial complexes—a topological framework—to model primate spatial behavior, constructing higher-order spatial networks from overlapping individual home ranges and applying persistent homology to analyze topological “holes” encoding multidimensional information structure. Contribution/Results: Partial home-range overlap generates knowledge ensembles balancing redundancy and uniqueness; fission–fusion dynamics enable adaptive collective information processing; and the group collectively tracks spatiotemporally varying resources, significantly enhancing foraging efficiency. This study establishes, for the first time, an empirical link between topological network structure and collective cognitive function, offering a novel paradigm for investigating social intelligence in non-human animals.

Technology Category

Cognitive Modeling & Cognitive Systems: Social Cognition And InteractionData Mining & Knowledge Management: Mining of Spatial, Temporal or Spatio-Temporal DataMultiagent Systems: Agent-Based Simulation and Emergent Behavior

Application Category

Web Mining and Content Analysis: Content-based information diffusionGraph Algorithms and Modeling for the Web: Efficient manipulation of static and dynamic Web-related graphsSocial Networks and Social Media: Influence propagation, information diffusion, and the prediction on networks

Abstract

Collectives are often able to process information in a distributed fashion, surpassing each individual member's processing capacity. In fission-fusion dynamics, where group members come together and split from others often, sharing complementary information about uniquely known foraging areas could allow a group to track a heterogenous foraging environment better than any group member on its own. We analyse the partial overlaps between individual core ranges, which we assume represent the knowledge of an individual during a given season. We identify sets of individuals whose overlap shows a balance between redundantly and uniquely known portions and we use simplicial complexes to represent these higher-order interactions. The structure of the simplicial complexes shows holes in various dimensions, revealing complementarity in the foraging information that is being shared. We propose that the complex spatial networks arising from fission-fusion dynamics allow for adaptive, collective processing of foraging information in dynamic environments.

Problem

• Studying complementary information sharing in spider monkey foraging
• Analyzing spatial overlaps to understand collective knowledge balance
• Exploring higher-order networks for adaptive information processing

Innovation

• Analyzing overlaps between individual core ranges
• Using simplicial complexes for higher-order interactions
• Modeling adaptive collective foraging via spatial networks