ECOLOGY & EVOLUTION OF ANIMAL SOCIALITY

Amiyaal Ilany's lab, School of Zoology &
Museum of Natural History, Tel Aviv University

VISION

Humans are very social. How did it start?

We are a very social species. We form communities at multiple levels that can be described as social networks. These networks affect longevity, reproductive success, disease & information transmission. So how do they form and change?

A rock hyrax at the Ein Gedi Nature Reserve

RESEARCH

How social networks form and change over time?

Social network dynamics

Social networks are complex representations of multiple interactions and relationships. They come in many forms, but some of their features are common in many species. What are the social rules that individuals in networks follow? How do networks stabilize?

A theory of social structure is missing

Although scientists collect a lot of data on social interactions and construct and analyze social network, a general theory of how networks form and change is missing. Can we develop one?

Social inheritance

How do young individuals form their first social bonds? Could they inherit the affiliations of their parents by copying their associations? What will affect the tendency to do so?

Interested in field or computational work?

Join us!

We are recruiting students and postdocs at all stages. Contact us (amiyaal at gmail dot com) if you're interested in studying the ecology and evolution of sociality in the field and/or theoretically

The Ein Gedi Rock Hyrax Long-Term Study

>600

HYRAXES

YEARS

STUDY SITES

PAPERS

Outreach

Public exposure

Our study has been featured in the media several times, including in a TV documentary series on animal social networks, aired in Sky & ARTE

INTERNATIONAL TEAM

Our lab has been lucky to include students from France, Serbia, USA, India, and Israel

Openings