How do measures of social complexity compare? Do bigger groups have a greater number of different relationship types? We studied this in mountain gorillas @ljnbrent @SavingGorillas 📸J.P. Samedi Mucyo, speech bubbles my own… doi.org/10.1098/rspb.2… (1/7) 
We compared metrics of social complexity based on relationship diversity with the traditional metric of group size across 13 mountain gorilla groups over 12 years and found that relationship diversity was actually lowest in some of the largest groups (2/7)
There was also considerable variation in the diversity of relationships experienced by individual gorillas within the same group 📸Jordi Galbany (3/7)
Relationship diversity changed with age suggesting that individuals may face very different social demands at different stages in their lives (4/7)
So what does this mean for how we study social complexity? Key takeaway 1: The number of relationships and the diversity of those relationships represent separate components of social complexity, both of which may need be accounted for. 📸Didier Abavandimwe (5/7)
Key takeaway 2: Social complexity measured at the group level may not well represent the social complexity experienced by individuals within that group. The choice of measure used should be informed by the hypotheses being tested. 📸James Munyawera (6/7)
Very excited to have my first #postdoc paper out using the amazing @SavingGorillas long-term data in collaboration with brilliant colleagues both there and at @CrabExeter. Huge thanks to the many researchers that have collected this data over the years! #AcademicChatter (7/7)
