Evolution of behavioral rules for coordination in termites

Nobuaki Mizumoto (Arizona State University)

The coordinated behavior of group-living animals often creates complex group-level patterns, including coordinated motion and nest structures. Because evolutionary changes in group-level patterns arise from the modification of pattern-forming processes, it is essential to clarify the relationship between individual behaviors and group-level patterns. In this seminar, I introduce our recent comparative studies of collective behaviors in termites. First, our study on termite tunneling behaviors revealed the complex relationship between different scales; in some cases, distinct behavioral rules can produce similar structures, but in others, a common rule set can yield distinct branching patterns via parameter tuning. Second, our comparative studies on tandem running behaviors highlight the factors responsible for coordination. I would like to discuss the perspectives to infer the evolution of collective behaviors using a phylogenetic framework.

29th November 2019, 16:00-

Building 11 Room 102, Minami Osawa Campus, Tokyo Metroplitan University