Collective Animal Behaviour

Presentation

The main objective of our team is to understand the behavioural and cognitive mechanisms underlying collective behaviours and collective decisions in groups of animals. Our aim is to identify the mechanisms that allow a group of animals to coordinate their actions and to provide adaptive collective responses to the changes occurring in its environment, i.e. to display collective intelligence. We try to understand in particular how the ability of a group to solve problems collectively varies with the properties of the individuals it is composed of. The general methodology of our work is based on a tight combination of experimental and modeling approaches.

The team members are affilialted to:

- The French Society for the Study of Animal Behavior (Société Française pour l'Etude du Comportement Animal - SFECA): https://www2.sfeca.info/

-The French Society of Biomechanics: https://www.biomecanique.org/index.php/fr/

- The French Section of the International Union for the Study of Social Insects  (IUSSI): http://insectessociaux.wpweb.fr/uieis-francais/

-  GDR 3645 Statistical Ecology: https://sites.google.com/site/gdrecostat/

Projets

The Structure of Interactions in the Animals Metaverse

AUTOSECT

ALTHEA

DRONE-SWARM

FLASH-SCHOOL

ANR VR-FISHSCHOOL

SCHOOLROB

Past Research Projects : SMARTCROWD, SMARTMASS, SYSCOB

ANR Cobot (2019 - )

Behavioral mechanisms and interactions involved in collective decisions in groups of sheeps

Biomechanics of load carriage in ants

Behavioral mechanisms and interactions involved in coordinated group motion and collective responses to perturbations in groups of sheeps

Behavioral mechanisms and interactions involved in collective nest construction

Publications

• WESTRELIN, S., MOREAU, M., FOURCASSIE, V., SANTOUL, F. .
  Overwintering aggregation patterns of European catfish Silurus glanis.
  Movement Ecology
  2023 Feb
• de Croon, G.C.H.E., Hönig, W., Theraulaz, G & Vásárhelyi, G. .
  Cross disciplinary approaches for designing intelligent swarms of drones.
  Swarm Intelligence, 17: 1-4.
  2023 Jan
• Minh, H.L., Sang-To, T., Theraulaz, G., Wahab, M.A. & Cuong-Le, T. .
  Termite life cycle optimizer.
  Expert Systems With Applications, 213: 119211.
  2023 Jan
• Wang, W, Escobedo, R., Sanchez, S., Sire, C., Han, Z. & Theraulaz, G. .
  The impact of individual perceptual and cognitive factors on collective states in a data-driven fish school model.
  Plos Computational Biology, 18: e1009437.
  2023 Jan
• van Steijn, L., Sire, C., Dupré, L., Theraulaz, G. & Merks, R. .
  Computational modeling of cell motility modes emerging from cell-matrix adhesion dynamics.
  Plos Computational Biology, 18: e1009156.
  2022 Dec

View all publications

Funding

         

Alumni

Hugo MERIENNE (PhD 2019, direction P. Moretto et V. Fourcassié). undergoing training for career transition.

Guillaume FUMERY (PhD 2019, direction P. Moretto et V. Fourcassié). Professional physiotherapist and physiotherapist of the pro team of Toulouse Football Club.

Bertrand JAYRES (PhD 2017, direction G. Theraulaz et C. Sire - Laboratoire de Physique Théorique, University Toulouse III), currently Research Associate at the Max Planck Institute for Human Development, Berlin, Germany.

Rémi GOUTTEFARDE (PhD 2017, direction C. Jost et R. Bon), scientific mediator.

Valentin LECHEVAL (PhD 2017, direction G. Theraulaz et C. Hemelrijk - Centre for Ecological and Evolutionary Studies, University of Groningen), currently research Associate at the University of Leeds, UK.

Li JIANG (PhD 2017, direction G. Theraulaz et Zhangang Han - School of Systems Science, Beijing Normal University), ingénieur de recherche à  BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd, Pékin, China.

Daniel SCHARDOSIM CALOVI (Postdoc, 2012-2015). currently postdoc at University of Konstanz, Germany.

Sylvain TOULET (PhD in 2015, supervised by R. Bon & F. Peruani - University of Nizza), currently employed by a French private company

Sofia BOUCHEBTI (PhdD in 2015, supervised by V. Fourcassié), currently postdoc at University of Tel Aviv, Israel.

Ugo LOPEZ I (PhdD in 2015, supervised by G. Theraulaz and R. Fournier - Laboratoire Plasma et Conversion d'Energie, University Toulouse III), currently training as computer engineer.

Lucie DEBEFFE (PhD in 2013, supervised by R. Bon and M. Hewison - INRA Toulouse), now research associate at CEFS, INRA, Toulouse, France.

Chaker SBAI (PhD in 2012, supervised by C. Jost and G. Dimarco), currently working as a developer at Cap GEMINI, Rennes

Sebastian WEITZ (PhD in 2012, supervised by G. Theraulaz and R. Fournier - Laboratoire Plasma et Conversion d'Energie, University Toulouse III), currently holds a postdoc position at Université Blaise Pascal, Clermont-Ferrand, France.

Niriaska PEROZO (PhD in 2011, supervised by G. Theraulaz and José Aguilar - Centro de Estudios en Microelectrónica y Sistemas Distribuidos, Universidad de los Andes, Mérida, Venezuela), now professor in Computer Sciences at Universidad Centroccidental Lisandro Alvarado, Venezuela.

Marie-Héléne PILLOT (PhD in 2010, supervised by R. Bon and J.L. Deneubourg - Université Libre de Bruxelles)

Mehdi MOUSSAID (PhD in 2010, supervised by G. Theraulaz and Dirk Helbing - Department of Humanities and Social Sciences, ETH Zurich), currently research associate at Max Plank Institute for Human Developement, Berlin, Germany.

Abel BERNADOU (PhD in 2009, supervised by V. Fourcassié), currently research associate at University of Regensburg, Germany.

Sébastien MOTSCH  (PhD in 2009, supervised by G. Theraulaz and Pierre Degond - Institut de Mathématiques de Toulouse), now assistant professor at the School of Mathematical and Satistical Sciences, Arizona State University, USA.

Simon Garnier, (PhD in 2008, supervised by G. Theraulaz), now assistant professor at the New Jersey Institute of Technology (NJIT) and Rutgers University, USA.

Pablo MICHELENA (PhD in 2006, supervisded by R. Bon and J.L. Deneubourg - Université Libre de Bruxelles), now working as a teacher in a Lycée, Bordeaux, France

Mélanie CHALLET (PhD 2005, supervised by C. Jost and G. Theraulaz), now working as a teacher at Lycée Agricole Pro, Nantes, France.

Audrey DUSSUTOUR (PhD in 2004, supervised by V. Fourcassié and J.L. Deneubourg - Université Libre de Bruxelles), now research director at the CRCA (team IVEP).

Jérôme BUHL (PhD in 2004, supervised by G. Theraulaz), now senior lecturer at the School of Agriculture, Food and Wine,  University of Adelaide, Australia.

Raphael JEANSON (PhD in 2003, supervised by G. Theraulaz and J.L. Deneubourg - Université Libre de Bruxelles), now research director at the CRCA (team IVEP).

Arnaud LIONI (PhD in 2000, supervised by G. Theraulaz and J.L. Deneubourg - Université Libre de Bruxelles), now self-employed worker, Brussels, Belgium.

Alda LOUREIRO HENRIQUES (PhD in 2000, supervised by V. Fourcassié and R. Campan), now professor at Universidade Federal do Para, Bélem, Brazil.