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Behavioural plasticity and the transition to order in jackdaw flocks

Author

Listed:
  • Hangjian Ling

    (Stanford University
    University of Massachusetts Dartmouth)

  • Guillam E. Mclvor

    (University of Exeter)

  • Joseph Westley

    (University of Exeter)

  • Kasper Vaart

    (Stanford University)

  • Richard T. Vaughan

    (Simon Fraser University)

  • Alex Thornton

    (University of Exeter)

  • Nicholas T. Ouellette

    (Stanford University)

Abstract

Collective behaviour is typically thought to arise from individuals following fixed interaction rules. The possibility that interaction rules may change under different circumstances has thus only rarely been investigated. Here we show that local interactions in flocks of wild jackdaws (Corvus monedula) vary drastically in different contexts, leading to distinct group-level properties. Jackdaws interact with a fixed number of neighbours (topological interactions) when traveling to roosts, but coordinate with neighbours based on spatial distance (metric interactions) during collective anti-predator mobbing events. Consequently, mobbing flocks exhibit a dramatic transition from disordered aggregations to ordered motion as group density increases, unlike transit flocks where order is independent of density. The relationship between group density and group order during this transition agrees well with a generic self-propelled particle model. Our results demonstrate plasticity in local interaction rules and have implications for both natural and artificial collective systems.

Suggested Citation

  • Hangjian Ling & Guillam E. Mclvor & Joseph Westley & Kasper Vaart & Richard T. Vaughan & Alex Thornton & Nicholas T. Ouellette, 2019. "Behavioural plasticity and the transition to order in jackdaw flocks," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 10(1), pages 1-7, December.
    • Handle: RePEc:nat:natcom:v:10:y:2019:i:1:d:10.1038_s41467-019-13281-4
    DOI: 10.1038/s41467-019-13281-4
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    Cited by:

    1. Andrea Cavagna & Antonio Culla & Xiao Feng & Irene Giardina & Tomas S. Grigera & Willow Kion-Crosby & Stefania Melillo & Giulia Pisegna & Lorena Postiglione & Pablo Villegas, 2022. "Marginal speed confinement resolves the conflict between correlation and control in collective behaviour," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 13(1), pages 1-11, December.
    2. Yandong Xiao & Xiaokang Lei & Zhicheng Zheng & Yalun Xiang & Yang-Yu Liu & Xingguang Peng, 2024. "Perception of motion salience shapes the emergence of collective motions," Nature Communications, Nature, vol. 15(1), pages 1-16, December.

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