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Beyond individual selection: adaptive networks and collective social niche construction

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  27 November 2025

Cédric Sueur Open the ORCID record for Cédric Sueur [Opens in a new window]  and
Jean-Louis Deneubourg Open the ORCID record for Jean-Louis Deneubourg [Opens in a new window]
Cédric Sueur*
Affiliation:
Université de Strasbourg, IPHC, CNRS, Strasbourg, France Cedric.sueur@iphc.cnrs.fr Institut Universitaire de France, Paris, France jean-louis.deneubourg@ulb.be
Jean-Louis Deneubourg
Affiliation:
CENOLI, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Bruxelles, Belgium
*
*Corresponding author.
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Abstract

Dunbar explains primates group cohesion through cognitive and structural mechanisms like grooming and social cognition. We extend this by highlighting collective social niche construction, where emergent social properties arise from feedback loops, selection pressures, and self-organisation. Adaptive social networks evolve through multilevel selection, cultural transmission, and ontogenetic changes, shaping survival, cognition, and collective intelligence across species.

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Open Peer Commentary
Information
Behavioral and Brain Sciences , Volume 48 , 2025 , e183
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© The Author(s), 2025. Published by Cambridge University Press

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