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SUMMARY:Coordination through Selection\, Synchrony\, and Sex - Dr James He
 rbert-Read (Department of Zoology\, University of Cambridge)
DTSTART:20201112T181500Z
DTEND:20201112T193000Z
UID:TALK152038@talks.cam.ac.uk
CONTACT:Miroslava Novoveska
DESCRIPTION:Link to join: "https://youtu.be/AnGDUX0zpe4":https://youtu.be/
 AnGDUX0zpe4\n\nFlocks of birds\, schools of fish\, and swarms of insects p
 erform spectacular displays of coordination without choreography. While pr
 evious explanations for such coordination ranged from thought transference
  to mere coincidence\, we now know that these seemingly complex behaviours
  can be understood by identifying the simple behavioural rules that govern
  how individuals interact together in groups. My research focuses on quant
 ifying what these rule are\, and asking how they evolve. In this talk\, I 
 will give examples of how and why coordination is achieved in the natural 
 world. I will first describe how schools of fish coordinate their movement
 s\, and show how a fortuitous natural experiment allows us to understand h
 ow schooling behaviour has evolved. I will then discuss how predators have
  evolved strategies to overcome group defences. In particular\, I will dis
 cuss a new form of group hunting we recently discovered in sailfish\, wher
 e group hunters attack schooling sardine prey. I will finally explore anot
 her type of coordination in animal groups – the synchronous calling of m
 ale cicadas in the Australian bush. I will show how simple male-male calli
 ng interactions scale to produce waves of sound that spread though entire 
 forests. These examples will demonstrate how seemingly complex group-level
  phenomena are driven by animals using simple social interaction rules. Mo
 reover\, I will emphasise that this coordination is not driven by cooperat
 ion. Instead\, I will argue that coordination emerges as a result of selfi
 sh individuals acting to increase their own survival and reproductive succ
 ess. 
LOCATION:Online
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