Despite the progress made, the majority of current research focuses on momentary observations, typically investigating group actions over time frames of a few minutes or hours. However, owing to its biological nature, considerably greater durations of time are paramount in studying animal collective behavior, especially how individuals progress during their lifetime (a focus of developmental biology) and how they evolve from one generation to the next (a crucial aspect of evolutionary biology). Across diverse temporal scales, from brief to prolonged, we survey the collective actions of animals, revealing the significant research gap in understanding the developmental and evolutionary roots of such behavior. This special issue's introductory review lays the groundwork for a deeper understanding of collective behaviour's development and evolution, while propelling research in this area in a fresh new direction. Part of the ongoing discussion meeting issue, 'Collective Behaviour through Time', is this article.

The methodology of most collective animal behavior studies leans on short-term observation periods; however, the comparison of such behavior across different species and contexts is less prevalent. Hence, our understanding of how collective behavior changes across time, both within and between species, is limited, a crucial element in grasping the ecological and evolutionary processes that drive such behavior. The study concentrates on the collective motion of stickleback fish shoals, flocks of homing pigeons, a herd of goats, and a troop of chacma baboons. A comparative analysis of local patterns (inter-neighbor distances and positions) and group patterns (group shape, speed, and polarization) during collective motion reveals distinctions between each system. Given these insights, we position each species' data within a 'swarm space', enabling comparisons and predictions concerning collective movement across species and settings. We implore researchers to augment the 'swarm space' with their own data, thereby maintaining its relevance for future comparative studies. Our investigation, secondarily, focuses on the intraspecific variability in group movements across time, guiding researchers in determining when observations taken over differing time intervals enable confident conclusions about collective motion in a species. Within the larger discussion meeting on 'Collective Behavior Through Time', this article is presented.

Superorganisms, much like unitary organisms, navigate their existence through transformations that reshape the mechanisms of their collective actions. Blebbistatin ATPase inhibitor Our study suggests these transformations demand further research. We propose the importance of more systemic investigation into the ontogeny of collective behaviors to more effectively connect proximate behavioural mechanisms with the progression of collective adaptive functions. Indeed, particular social insects practice self-assembly, building dynamic and physically interconnected structures having a marked resemblance to the development of multicellular organisms, thereby making them useful model systems for studying the ontogeny of collective behavior. Despite this, a thorough characterization of the different developmental stages of the aggregate structures and the transitions linking these stages necessitates the comprehensive use of time-series and three-dimensional data. Embryology and developmental biology, firmly rooted in scientific tradition, offer practical tools and theoretical structures that could potentially accelerate the comprehension of the formation, growth, maturation, and dissolution of social insect self-assemblies and, by extension, other supraindividual behaviors. This review endeavors to cultivate a deeper understanding of the ontogenetic perspective in the domain of collective behavior, particularly in the context of self-assembly research, which possesses significant ramifications for robotics, computer science, and regenerative medicine. Within the discussion meeting issue 'Collective Behaviour Through Time', this article resides.

Collective action, in its roots and unfolding, has been richly illuminated by the fascinating world of social insects. Smith and Szathmary, more than 20 years ago, recognized the profound complexity of insect social behavior, known as superorganismality, within the framework of eight major evolutionary transitions that explain the development of biological complexity. Yet, the detailed processes underlying the shift from solitary insect existence to the formation of a superorganismal structure are far from fully elucidated. An important, though frequently overlooked, consideration is how this major evolutionary transition came about—did it happen through incremental changes or through a series of distinct, step-wise developments? anti-programmed death 1 antibody Analyzing the molecular processes that drive the different levels of social intricacy, present during the significant transition from solitary to sophisticated sociality, is proposed as a method to approach this question. We propose a framework for evaluating the extent to which the mechanistic processes involved in the major transition to complex sociality and superorganismality exhibit nonlinear (implicating stepwise evolution) or linear (suggesting incremental evolution) changes in their underlying molecular mechanisms. Based on social insect data, we evaluate the evidence for these two models, and we explain how this theoretical framework can be used to investigate the widespread applicability of molecular patterns and processes across other major evolutionary transitions. Part of the discussion meeting issue devoted to 'Collective Behaviour Through Time' is this article.

The lekking mating system is a remarkable display, where males establish and tightly defend clustered territories during the breeding season, which females then frequent for mating purposes. Explanations for the evolution of this unusual mating system span a range of hypotheses, from the effects of predation on population density to mate selection and reproductive advantages. Nevertheless, a substantial portion of these traditional theories often neglect the spatial intricacies driving and sustaining the lek. This article proposes analyzing lekking through the lens of collective behavior, postulating that the simple, local interactions between organisms and their surroundings likely engender and perpetuate this behavior. Subsequently, we advocate that lek interactions evolve dynamically, frequently throughout a breeding season, to produce numerous wide-ranging and precise group patterns. We contend that exploring these ideas across proximate and ultimate scales necessitates leveraging the conceptual tools and methodologies from the field of collective animal behavior, such as agent-based modelling and high-resolution video tracking, which allows for the detailed capture of spatial and temporal interactions. Employing a spatially explicit agent-based model, we explore how simple rules, such as spatial accuracy, localized social interactions, and repulsion between males, can potentially explain the emergence of leks and the coordinated departures of males for foraging. Our empirical approach examines the potential of applying collective behavior theory to blackbuck (Antilope cervicapra) leks, using high-resolution recordings from cameras on unmanned aerial vehicles and subsequent movement tracking. From a broad standpoint, investigating collective behavior could potentially reveal fresh understandings of the proximate and ultimate causes affecting the shaping of leks. immune surveillance Within the framework of the 'Collective Behaviour through Time' discussion meeting, this article is included.

The lifetime behavioral shifts of single-celled organisms are largely examined in response to the presence of environmental stressors. Nevertheless, mounting evidence supports the notion that unicellular organisms alter their behavior throughout their entire life span, independent of environmental pressures. The study examined the impact of age on behavioral performance as measured across different tasks within the acellular slime mold Physarum polycephalum. From a week-old specimen to one that was 100 weeks of age, we evaluated the slime molds. Migration speed exhibited a decline as age increased, regardless of environmental conditions, favorable or unfavorable. Subsequently, our analysis confirmed that the cognitive functions of decision-making and learning are not affected by the natural aging process. Third, we observed temporary behavioral recovery in old slime molds through either a dormant state or fusion with a younger relative. Ultimately, our observations focused on the slime mold's reactions to age-dependent cues emitted by its clonal counterparts. The attraction of slime molds, regardless of age, was demonstrably stronger towards cues originating from younger specimens. While numerous investigations have examined the conduct of single-celled organisms, a scarcity of studies have delved into the evolution of behavioral patterns throughout an individual's lifespan. The behavioral plasticity of single-celled organisms is further investigated in this study, which designates slime molds as a potentially impactful model system for assessing the effect of aging on cellular behavior. The topic of 'Collective Behavior Through Time' is further examined in this article, which is part of a larger discussion meeting.

Animal communities, frequently marked by intricate relationships, exemplify widespread sociality among species. Cooperative interactions are commonplace within groups, yet intergroup relations frequently present conflict or, at best, a passive acceptance of differences. Active collaboration between groups, though not unheard of, is a relatively uncommon phenomenon, predominantly seen in particular primate and ant species. We address the puzzle of why intergroup cooperation is so uncommon, and the conditions that are propitious for its evolutionary ascent. The model described below considers intra- and intergroup interactions and their influence on both local and long-distance dispersal.