Explore the emergence and impact of socially influential individuals in animal societies through a seminar by Jonathan Pruitt from the University of California, Santa Barbara. Delve into how these key group members shape the long-term attributes of their communities and examine their rise and fall in different environments. Focus on cooperatively breeding social spiders from the Namib and Kalahari Deserts as a case study to investigate these dynamics. Gain insights into the pros and cons of keystone individuals in animal societies during this 49-minute presentation from the Santa Fe Institute.