Plains zebra 2019 multimodal communication dataset

Multimodality is a virtually ubiquitous feature of communication. With the increasing interest in how animals, including humans, use multimodal and multicomponent signals in social interactions, there is an acute need for standardized and rigorous tools that will allow us to visualize, and analyze these signals as they occur in naturalistic interactions as a complex, integrated system. Network theory is a powerful methodology for intuitively visualizing and investigating the relationships between entities. Here, we propose a new application of network theory for analyzing multimodal communication. Using a case study of natural multimodal interactions in wild plains zebras (Equus quagga), we introduce the descriptive power of network metrics by providing an objective set of metrics to: (a) describe the relationships between simultaneously produced signals within and between modalities; and (b) infer signal meaning and function. Here we make available the multimodal communication data col..., Ethical Note. This was a purely observational study conducted on free-living wild animals in Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy (0°00 N, 36°56 E). Though the zebras in this population are habituated to the presence of humans in vehicles due to year-round tourist activity, we made efforts to minimize disturbance of natural behaviors during follows by ensuring the research vehicle never separated or obscured direct visual contact between harem-members, and by never redirecting natural harem movements (i.e., driving in front of the line of travel to induce a direction change). All research was conducted with the permission of Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy and the Kenyan Ministry of Wildlife, and was in compliance with the guidelines of the Princeton University Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC protocol #1835F).
Study Species and Subjects. We collected our data on free-living wild animals in Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy (0°00 N, 36°56 E). We have been monitoring this population si..., ,

多模态（Multimodality）本质上是传播交流中无处不在的特征。随着学界对包括人类在内的动物如何在社会互动中运用多模态及多组分信号的研究兴趣日益增长，我们亟需一套标准化且严谨的工具，以便在自然互动场景下，将这些信号作为复杂的整合系统进行可视化与分析。网络理论（Network theory）是一种能够直观可视化并探究实体间关联的高效研究方法。本研究提出将网络理论应用于多模态传播分析的全新思路。我们以野生平原斑马（Equus quagga）的自然多模态互动为案例，通过提供一套客观的指标体系，阐释网络指标的描述能力：其一，描述模态内部及跨模态同时产生的信号间的关联；其二，推断信号的含义与功能。本文现已公开多模态传播数据集（原文截断）……
伦理说明。本研究为纯观测性研究，观测对象为栖息于奥佩杰塔自然保护区（Ol Pejeta Nature Conservancy，纬度0°00′N，经度36°56′E）的自由野生种群。尽管该种群的斑马因常年旅游活动已习惯车辆中的人类存在，但我们仍在跟随观测过程中尽量减少对其自然行为的干扰：确保研究车辆不会分隔或遮挡后宫群个体间的直接视觉接触，且绝不干预后宫群的自然移动（即不在行进队列前方行驶以诱导转向）。所有研究均获得奥佩杰塔自然保护区与肯尼亚野生动物管理部门的许可，并符合普林斯顿大学机构动物护理与使用委员会（IACUC，协议编号#1835F）的相关指南要求。
研究物种与受试对象。我们在奥佩杰塔自然保护区（0°00′N，36°56′E）的自由栖息野生动物种群中收集数据。我们已对该种群进行长期监测……（原文内容截断），，