Data from: Coupled information networks drive honeybee (Apis mellifera) collective foraging

Data were collected from behavioral experiments aimed at evaluating the relative contribution of waggle dance communication and olfactory information transfer during the reactivation of honeybee foragers to previously visited foraging sites. Within each trial, two groups of foragers from the same hive were trained to separate feeding stations. Each feeding station offered a unique scent.<br>Following a break in foraging during which the feeders were unavailable, we observed the reactivation process following the reinstallation of the feeding locations. We recorded dance-following, trophallaxis, and antennation interactions in the hive and the arrival times at the feeding stations.<br><br>The analysis is comprised of two main components: an analysis of scent-based assortative mixing within the honeybee interaction networks and a network-based diffusion analysis (NBDA). The NBDA estimates the rates of information flow across different interaction networks by taking as data the order in which foragers returned to their familiar feeders and their interactions with informed nestmates in the hive. Informed in this instance refers to bees that have already been reactivated to their familiar feeder during the trial.<br>Alongside the data, we provide fully annotated R code to carry out the analyses.

本数据集的数据源于行为学实验，旨在评估蜜蜂采集蜂重激活至既往到访觅食位点的过程中，摆尾舞（waggle dance）通讯与嗅觉信息传递的相对贡献。每轮实验中，同一蜂箱的两群采集蜂被训练至两个独立的喂食站点，每个站点均配备独特气味。
在喂食器暂停供应、采集活动中断一段时间后，我们观察了重新布设喂食位点后的采集蜂重激活过程，并记录了蜂箱内的跟舞、交哺行为（trophallaxis）与触角触碰行为（antennation）互动，以及采集蜂抵达喂食站的时间。
本分析包含两大核心模块：一是蜜蜂互动网络内基于气味的同配混合（assortative mixing）分析，二是网络扩散分析（Network-Based Diffusion Analysis, NBDA）。NBDA以采集蜂返回熟悉喂食器的先后顺序，及其与蜂箱内已获知信息的同巢伙伴的互动行为为数据，估算不同互动网络间的信息流动速率。此处的“已获知信息”指的是在本轮实验中已被重激活至熟悉喂食器的蜜蜂。
除原始数据集外，我们还提供了经完整注释的R语言代码，用于执行上述分析流程。