Günzel, Y.; McCollum, J.; Paoli, M.; Galizia, C. G.; Petelski, I.; Couzin-Fuchs, E.: Social modulation of individual preferences in cockroaches. iScience 24 (1), 101964 (2021)
Sleep is an inherently risky behavioral state, defined by decreased sensitivity to environmental stimuli. Sleeping together with other individuals offers a variety of advantages, including protection from predators and buffering against cold nighttime temperatures. However, group members also compete with each other over access to the safest…
How do interactions with competitors and predators shape the collective dynamics of animal communities? All animals must navigate complex landscapes of risk and reward, but social species must accomplish this while balancing their own needs and preferences with those of their group-mates. How do individuals and groups ultimately integrate this…
How does life in the canopy shape the evolution of the mind? The foraging decisions of kinkajous - an elusive species that forages in neo-tropical forest canopies at night - may offer some clues. The central aim of this project is to identify the processes of learning and memory that allow kinkajous to keep track of when and where to find their…
Have you ever wondered how animals communicate with one another? Or perhaps, how decisions, such as where to eat, are made in species which live in groups? These questions have puzzled many biologists, but with recent developments in animal tracking technology, answers to these questions can finally be addressed. In my research, I am investigating…
