The UTC Graduate School is pleased to announce that Logan Platt will present Master’s research titled, Contextual Mechanisms Driving Social Structure in Octodon degus on 02\/06\/2025 at 11:00 AM in Grote Hall 411. Everyone is invited to attend.
Environmental Science
Chair: Dr. Loren Hayes
Co-Chair:
Abstract:
We report results of a study on the contextual mechanisms shaping social network structure in Octodon degus, a diurnal, semi-fossorial rodent endemic to Chile. Using data collected over three seasons (2022\u20132023), we tested the roles of nighttime spatial proximity, female social cohesion, and female homophily based on masculinization (anogenital distance) in shaping social associations. Nighttime spatial proximity was negatively associated with social association strength, indicating that individuals that were closer at night on average exhibited stronger associations. Female social cohesion emerged as an important driver, with stronger within-group associations observed in most seasons. However, female homophily based on AGD did not influence social network structure, suggesting that its role may differ across populations depending on ecological and social conditions. Our findings highlight the importance of spatial and social factors in shaping degu social networks and emphasize the need for population-specific approaches when evaluating the influence of contextual mechanisms on social structure.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
The UTC Graduate School is pleased to announce that Logan Platt will present Master’s research titled, Contextual Mechanisms Driving Social Structure in Octodon degus on 02\/06\/2025 at 11:00 AM in Grote Hall 411. Everyone is invited to attend. Environmental Science Chair: Dr. Loren Hayes Co-Chair: Abstract: We report results of a study on the contextual mechanisms shaping social network structure in… <\/p>\n