Highlights•Indirect connections are heritable and predictors of fitness in some
species.•Some animals recognize and may strategically manipulate third-party …

Although heterogeneity in contact rate, physiology, and behavioral response to infection
have all been empirically demonstrated in host–pathogen systems, little is known about how …

Social network analysis has developed as a valid technique in animal behaviour; despite an
increase in the number of social network research in this field, comparatively few studies …

Animal sociality can vary in response to both biotic and abiotic factors, and variation in the
rate and types of interactions that occur between individuals of a group can result in greatly …

Automatic calf feeders (AMFs) that supply milk for pre-weaning calves require group
housing. This observational study assessed calf growth, health, feeding patterns and social …

Red foxes have a highly flexible social system. Despite numerous studies worldwide, our
understanding of the pattern and stability of fox social relationships remains limited. We …

The investigation of social bonds as a measure to improve reproduction in farmed species is
an underrepresented research area. This study investigated the effects of preferential …

The development of models to elucidate the transmission pathways and dynamics of wildlife
diseases remains challenging. Sylvatic plague, caused by the bacterium Yersinia pestis …

Brokerage typologies represent an aspect of sociality by describing the social structure, at a
group and individual level, concerning the direction and flow of behaviours or information …

Sociality describes the tendency for members of a species to associate in a group based on
social attraction. To balance the trade-offs of sociality, the fitness consequences (and …