Data from: An active-radio-frequency-identification system capable of identifying co-locations and social-structure: validation with a wild free-ranging animal

Behavioural events that are important for understanding sociobiology and movement ecology are often rare, transient and localised, but can occur at spatially distant sites e.g. territorial incursions and co-locating individuals. Existing animal tracking technologies, capable of detecting such events, are limited by one or more of: battery life; data resolution; location accuracy; data security; ability to co-locate individuals both spatially and temporally. Technology that at least partly resolves these limitations would be advantageous. European badgers (Meles meles L.), present a challenging test-bed, with extra-group paternity (apparent from genotyping) contradicting established views on rigid group territoriality with little social-group mixing.

In a proof of concept study we assess the utility of a fully automated active-radio-frequency-identification (aRFID) system combining badger-borne aRFID-tags with static, wirelessly-networked, aRFID-detector base-stations to record badger co-locations at setts (burrows) and near notional border latrines. We summarise the time badgers spent co-locating within and between social-groups, applying network analysis to provide evidence of co-location based community structure, at both these scales.

The aRFID system co-located animals within 31.5 m (adjustable) of base-stations. Efficient radio transmission between aRFIDs and base-stations enables a 20 g tag to last for 2–5 years (depending on transmission interval). Data security was high (data stored off tag), with remote access capability. Badgers spent most co-location time with members of their own social-groups at setts; remaining co-location time was divided evenly between intra- and inter-social-group co-locations near latrines and inter-social-group co-locations at setts. Network analysis showed that 20–100% of tracked badgers engaged in inter-social-group mixing per week, with evidence of trans-border super-groups, that is, badgers frequently transgressed notional territorial borders.

aRFID occupies a distinct niche amongst established tracking technologies. We validated the utility of aRFID to identify co-locations, social-structure and inter-group mixing within a wild badger population, leading us to refute the conventional view that badgers (social-groups) are territorial and to question management strategies, for controlling bovine TB, based on this model. Ultimately aRFID proved a versatile system capable of identifying social-structure at the landscape scale, operating for years and suitable for use with a range of species.

有助于理解社会生物学（sociobiology）与运动生态学（movement ecology）的行为事件往往罕见、短暂且具有局域性，但也可能在空间相隔较远的区域发生，例如领地入侵事件（territorial incursions）以及个体共位现象（co-locating individuals）。现有能够检测此类事件的动物追踪技术，往往受限于一项或多项缺陷：电池续航（battery life）、数据分辨率（data resolution）、定位精度（location accuracy）、数据安全性（data security），以及时空维度下的个体共位检测能力。至少可部分克服上述局限的技术将具备显著应用价值。欧洲獾（*Meles meles* L.）便是一个极具挑战性的测试模型：基因分型（genotyping）显示其存在群外父权（extra-group paternity）现象，这与学界此前认为“獾类群体领地性极强、群体间社交混合（social-group mixing）极少”的主流观点相悖。

在本项概念验证研究（proof of concept study）中，我们评估了一套全自动有源射频识别（active-radio-frequency-identification, aRFID）系统的应用价值：该系统将搭载于獾身的aRFID标签，与静态、无线组网的aRFID检测基站相结合，可记录獾在獾穴（setts，即獾的洞穴）以及假想边界粪堆附近的共位情况。我们统计了獾在群体内部以及群体之间的共位时长，并通过网络分析（network analysis）方法，从上述两类场景中挖掘出基于共位行为的社交群落结构（community structure）证据。

该aRFID系统可检测基站31.5米（可调节）范围内的动物共位情况。aRFID标签与基站间的高效无线电传输，使得一枚20克的标签续航可达2至5年（具体时长取决于传输间隔）。该系统数据安全性极高（数据不存储于标签本地），并支持远程访问功能。獾的大部分共位行为发生在獾穴内，且仅与本群体成员进行；剩余共位时长则平均分配于粪堆附近的群体内/群体间共位，以及獾穴内的群体间共位两种场景。网络分析结果显示，每周有20%至100%的被追踪獾会参与群体间社交混合，且存在跨界超级群体的证据——即獾会频繁突破假想的领地边界。

相较于现有主流追踪技术，aRFID占据了独特的应用场景。我们验证了aRFID系统在野生獾种群中识别共位行为、社交结构以及群体间混合的实用性，这使得我们得以驳斥“獾群体具有领地性”的传统观点，并对基于该观点制定的牛结核病（bovine TB）防控管理策略提出质疑。最终证明，aRFID是一款多功能系统：可在景观尺度（landscape scale）上识别社交结构，续航可达数年，且适用于多种不同物种。