From individual differences to collective behavior

In some species, the synchronization of individual behavior can give rise to complex and coordinated group performances (e.g. flocking of birds, herding of quadrupeds, swarming of insects or shoaling of fish).

Here, large numbers of individuals move aligned and with synchronized speeds, thus giving the impression of a single organism. These large-scale dynamic patterns emerge in a self-organized fashion, e.g., by simple interactions among participating individuals. Interestingly, individuals may differ consistently in their behavior (‘animal personality’) which can affect the emerging collective behavior.

I will outline my research on how individual differences in genetically identical fish can emerge, how to study social interaction rules using biomimetic robots and how simple individual behaviors can give rise to complex collective performances during predator evasion.