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Social network architecture and the tempo of cumulative cultural evolution

View ORCID ProfileMauricio Cantor, View ORCID ProfileMichael C. Chimento, View ORCID ProfileSimeon Q. Smeele, View ORCID ProfilePeng He, View ORCID ProfileDanai Papageorgiou, View ORCID ProfileLucy M. Aplin, View ORCID ProfileDamien R. Farine
doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.04.411934
Mauricio Cantor
1Department for the Ecology of Animal Societies, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
2Departamento de Ecologia e Zoologia, Universidade Federal de Santa Catarina, Florianópolis, Brazil
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  • For correspondence: mcantor@ab.mpg.de laplin@ab.mpg.de
Michael C. Chimento
3Cognitive & Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
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Simeon Q. Smeele
3Cognitive & Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
4Department of Human Behavior, Ecology and Culture, Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Anthropology, Leipzig, Germany
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Peng He
5Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
6Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
7Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Danai Papageorgiou
5Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
6Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
7Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Lucy M. Aplin
3Cognitive & Cultural Ecology Research Group, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Radolfzell, Germany
6Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Damien R. Farine
5Department of Collective Behaviour, Max Planck Institute of Animal Behavior, Konstanz, Germany
6Department of Biology, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
7Centre for the Advanced Study of Collective Behaviour, University of Konstanz, Konstanz, Germany
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Abstract

The ability to build upon previous knowledge—cumulative cultural evolution (CCE)—is a hallmark of human societies. While CCE depends on the interaction between social systems, cognition and the environment, there is increasing evidence that CCE is facilitated by larger and more structured societies. However, the relative importance of social network architecture as an additional factor shaping CCE remains unclear. By simulating innovation and diffusion of cultural traits in populations with stereotyped social structures, we disentangle the relative contributions of network architecture from those of population size and connectivity. We demonstrate that while multilevel societies can promote the recombination of cultural traits into high-value products, they also hinder spread and make products more likely to go extinct. We find that transmission mechanisms are therefore critical in determining the outcomes of CCE. Our results highlight the complex interaction between population size, structure and transmission mechanisms, with important implications for future research.

Competing Interest Statement

The authors have declared no competing interest.

Footnotes

  • https://github.com/simeonqs/Social_network_architecture_and_the_tempo_of_cumulative_cultural_evolution

Copyright 
The copyright holder for this preprint is the author/funder, who has granted bioRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY 4.0 International license.
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Posted December 05, 2020.
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Social network architecture and the tempo of cumulative cultural evolution
Mauricio Cantor, Michael C. Chimento, Simeon Q. Smeele, Peng He, Danai Papageorgiou, Lucy M. Aplin, Damien R. Farine
bioRxiv 2020.12.04.411934; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.04.411934
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Social network architecture and the tempo of cumulative cultural evolution
Mauricio Cantor, Michael C. Chimento, Simeon Q. Smeele, Peng He, Danai Papageorgiou, Lucy M. Aplin, Damien R. Farine
bioRxiv 2020.12.04.411934; doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2020.12.04.411934

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