Hierarchically embedded scales of movement shape the social networks of vampire bats

Social structure can emerge from hierarchically embedded scales of movement, where movement at one scale is constrained within a larger scale (e.g., among branches, trees, forests). In most studies of animal social networks, some scales of movement are unobserved, and the relative importance of the observed scales of movement is unclear. Here, we asked: how does individual variation in movement, at multiple nested spatial scales, influence each individual’s social connectedness? Using existing data from common vampire bats (Desmodus rotundus), we created an agent-based model of how three nested scales of movement—among roosts, clusters, and grooming partners—each influence a bat’s grooming network centrality. In each of 10 simulations, virtual bats lacking social and spatial preferences moved at each scale at empirically-derived rates that were either fixed or individually variable and either independent or correlated across scales. We found the number of partners groomed per bat was dr..., Empirical analyses
We analyzed existing published data to estimate how often common vampire bats switched roosts, clusters, and partners. To estimate individual rates of roost-switching, we used 1,336 observations of 81 free-ranging bats of both sexes (38 males and 43 females) that were observed >25 times across 11 tree roosts along the Rio Corobici in Guanacaste, Costa Rica (1, 2). We also made grooming networks using 1,761 grooming interactions among 29 of these bats (3). To estimate individual rates of cluster switching and partner switching, we used 4,092 observations of clusters (defined as bats roosting in the same corner of a flight cage) and 22,836 observations of grooming from 31 vampire bats of both sexes (5 males and 26 females) at a captive colony in Panama (4). Individuals in both studies were identified visually using unique combinations of distinctive wing bands.
To estimate roost-switching rates, we only used observations of the same bat or roost on consecutive days, ..., , # Hierarchically embedded scales of movement shape the social networks of vampire bats

[https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rfj6q57j2](https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.rfj6q57j2)

This project analyzed the relation between social connectedness and hierarchically embedded scales of movement using both real and simulated data of the common vampire bat. Included are the raw empirical data, simulated data, NetLogo models, and R code used to analyze the data and create graphs.

This is a repository of all data files and scripts used to study how movement at multiple, hierarchically embedded scales of movement affects the centrality of vampire bats. For a full description, please see the associated paper.

## Description of the data and file structure

All necessary R packages and NetLogo extensions are listed at the top of each R and NetLogo file, respectively. Filepaths will need to be edited to properly run code.

The file \"`roosting_information.csv`\" contains observations of roost-level associati...