Grant: Research Tools and Instruments - Category 1 (<$150,000)

Societies can be regarded as networks of interconnected individuals linked by social, spatial, or temporal relationships. By studying network structure, we can better understand how the societies are organized, and how individuals achieve success within these societies. Although there is a relatively long history of research on social networks in humans, researchers have recently become interested in understanding social networks in animals. However, the study of animal social networks has been complicated by the fact that unlike humans, animals cannot identify their social relationships, and many animals behave so cryptically that social interactions are difficult to observe. The EncouterNet system provides a novel means of comprehensively assessing animal movements and animal interactions. The system consists of roving nodes, which are small transmitters attached to individuals of interest, and fixed nodes, which can be arranged in a grid or in locations tagged animals are likely to visit, such as nests or display sites. When two tagged individuals come into range, each node logs the other's ID number and the encounter time. When a tagged individual approaches a fixed node, the fixed node acquires the roving node's encounter logs. Thus, all interactions between tagged individuals are recorded, and the positions of those individuals can be estimated by analyzing signal strength. This innovative technology will allow us to document animal social interactions with an unprecedented degree of specificity and comprehensiveness, and may revolutionize our understanding of animal social networks. This system will be used extensively by two University of Windsor research teams in the Guanacaste Conservation Area, a UNESCO world heritage site in Costa Rica. The research will involve extensive field studies on the ecology, behaviour, and reproduction of tropical birds and will involve the training of numerous graduate students, undergraduate students, and research technicians.