Research

Shepherding behaviour in predator-prey interactions

Shepherding Behaviour in Predator-Prey Interactions

Research Unit: 1

Project Number: 33

Example Behavior:
Collective Intelligence

Disciplines:
Behavioral Biology
Computational Neuroscience
Robotics

 

Postdoctoral Researchers:
Pia Bideau
Alicia Burns
Palina Bartashevich

 

Expected Project Duration
2021 - 2024


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Shepherding behaviour in predator-prey interactions

Shepherding Behaviour in Predator-Prey Interactions

Photo by Rodrigo Friscione

Very little is known about movement rules and decision-making of social predators which herd and manipulate prey groups [Baileys et al. 2013; King et al. 2018]. Recent innovations in technology have made it possible to study cooperatively hunting predators and their interactions with prey groups [King et al. 2018]. The main objectives of this project are (a) to study such interactions between predators and prey, (b) to identify rules used by predators to manipulate their prey in different ways and (c) to develop bio-inspired algorithms that can be tested in simulations and embodied on robotic platforms. It is envisaged that the simulations and collective robots allow a deeper understanding of the principles operating in biological systems and that the analytic system can contribute to the development of novel shepherding algorithms thus enhancing our understanding of collective intelligence.


Puy, A., Gimeno, E., Torrents, J., Bartashevich, P., Miguel, M. C., Pastor-Satorras, R., & Romanczuk, P. (2024). Selective social interactions and speed-induced leadership in schooling fish. Proceedings National Academy of Sciences. https://doi.org/10.1073/pnas.2309733121
Pham, D., Hansen, M., Dhellemmes, F., Krause, J., & Bideau, P. (2024). Watching Swarm Dynamics from Above: A Framework for Advances Object Tracking in Drone Videos. IEEE Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition Conference Workshops (CVPRW) 2024.
Hansen, M., Krause, S., Dhellemmes, F., Pacher, K., Kurvers, R., Domenici, P., & Krause, J. (2022). Mechanisms of prey division in striped marlin, a marine group hunting predator. Communications Biology. https://doi.org/10.1038/s42003-022-03951-3
Hansen, M., Domenici, P., Bartashevich, P., Burns, A., & Krause, J. (2023). Mechanisms of group-hunting in vertebrates. Biological Reviews, 1687–1711. https://doi.org/10.1111/brv.12973
Burns, A. L., Licht, M., Heathcote, R. J., Krause, J., & Hansen, M. J. (2024). Rapid color change in a group-hunting pelagic predator attacking schooling prey. Current Biology, 34, R131–R132. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2023.12.040

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