Anthropogenic habitat modification is especially detrimental to social species. Apart from direct fitness effects, it can destroy group structure and affect social interactions crucial for reproduction and survival. Here, we assessed the impact of habitat modification on the fitness and life history traits of a cooperative breeder, the Arabian babbler (Argya squamiceps). We collected spatial, reproductive, and social data on 572 individuals belonging to 21 social groups over six years and combined it with remote sensing to characterize group territories. Groups in modified habitats bred more and had greater productivity during dry years. Males living in modified habitats dispersed and acquired dominance at a younger age, showing a faster pace of life. However, group performance and total fitness were higher in natural habitats during average years. Habitat modification indirectly affected fitness by altering social structure, whereby younger males who lacked experience became dominant, leading to reduced nesting success.

Network structure is a key driver of animal survival, reproductive success, pathogen transmission, and information spread in animal societies. Yet our knowledge of animal social structure is mostly limited to species’ main activity periods. Here, we investigated the role of nocturnal sociality in a wild herbivore population, the rock hyrax (Procavia capensis). Using proximity loggers, we recorded nearly 15,000 encounters over 27 days. We show that hyraxes are choosier regarding their social partners at night. At multiple temporal scales, they maintain their overall network topology while reallocating the weights of social relationships. Our results show that nighttime underground sociality can be an optimal baseline shaping hyrax diurnal interactions above ground. The results also suggest that complex social dynamics are not reserved to species characterized by high cognitive abilities and shed light on the function of nocturnal social interactions in diurnal social species.