Defining yellow-bellied marmot matrilines using association indices. Ispolzovanie indeksov accotsiatsii dlya opredeleniya materinskikh grouppirovok jeltobriukhogo sourka. [Définir les matrilignées des marmottes à ventre jaune à l’aide des indices d’association].

Résumé

We evaluated the utility of using association indices to define yellow- bellied marmot (Marmota flaviventris) matrilines. We analyzed locational data collected by trapping and regular observations using the program SOCPROG 2.2 (Whitehead 2004). a program traditionally used to study marine mammal associations from observational data. We first focused on simple matrilines (i.e., those with only a single adult female) to explore various analysis options and then applied them to interpret association patterns in more complex social groups. We suggest that matrlines can be defined as groups containing those individuals with a ? 0.5 association index. Given our sampling protocols. Sufficient data were obtained only when we used the year as the unit of analysis. When applied to more complex social groupings. This criterion meshed with observers' intuitive estimation of group memberships. In conclusion, calculating association indices using SOCPROG is a novel way to describe marmot association patterns and to define matrilines quantitatively.