Simulation modelling
To test for non-random patterns of weighted degree between each sex, we
applied a simulated network annealing approach from the Ergm R package
(Handcock et al, 2018). To generate each simulated network, we fitted a
variety of probability distributions to edge weight and degree of both
treatment and stable regions, then used AIC to select the best fitting
target distribution. Edge density, network size and the number of
isolated nodes were fixed based on each observed network. We added sex
to each simulated node attribute drawing from a Bernoulli distribution
(probability= 0.5). Using these network characteristics, we generated
1000 ‘null’ networks and compared the homophily weighted degree
distribution of each sex (i.e., the average weighted degree for each
individual based on putative male-male or female-to-female transmission
events) of the null networks to the observed and calculated a bootstrap
p-value.