The importance of individual variation in the dynamics of animal collective movements

DEL MAR DELGADO, MARÍA; MIRANDA, MARÍA; ALVAREZ, SILVIA J.; FAGAN, WILLIAM; PENTERIANI, V.; DI VIRGILIO, AGUSTINA; MORALES, JUAN M.

PHILOSOPHICAL TRANSACTIONS OF THE ROYAL SOCIETY OF LONDON SERIES B-CONTAINING PAPERS OF A BIOLOGICAL CHARACTER

ROYAL SOC

Lugar: Londres; Año: 2018

0264-3960

Animal collective movements are a key example of a system that links two clearly defined levels of organization: the individual and the group. Most models investigating collective movements have generated coherent collective behaviours without the inclusion of individual variability. However, new individual-based models, together with emerging empirical information, emphasise that within-group heterogeneity may strongly influence collective movement behaviour. Here we 1) review the empirical evidence for individual variation in animal collective movements, 2) explore how theoretical investigations have represented individual heterogeneity when modelling collective movements, and 3) present a model to show how within-group heterogeneity influences the collective properties of a group. Our review underscores the need to consider variability at the level of the individual to improve our understanding of how individual decision rules lead to emergent movement patterns, and also to yield better quantitative predictions of collective behaviour.